Chicken Adobo is a beloved Filipino dish known for its rich, savory, and slightly tangy flavor. It’s made by slowly simmering chicken in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and spices until tender and flavorful. This one-pot recipe is deeply comforting, packed with umami, and perfect for a weeknight dinner or a hearty weekend meal.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One-pot magic: Everything cooks in one pan, making cleanup super easy.
- Big flavors, minimal effort: Bold, punchy flavors from pantry staples like soy sauce and vinegar.
- Perfect with rice: The savory-sour sauce is made to be soaked up with fluffy steamed rice.
- Meal-prep friendly: Tastes even better the next day — perfect for leftovers.
- Authentic yet customizable: Stick to tradition or make it your own with veggies or spice.
Instructions
1. Marinate the Chicken
- In a large bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, water, bay leaves, whole garlic cloves, black peppercorns, and brown sugar.
- Add the chicken and mix well. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight in the fridge for deeper flavor.
2. Brown the Chicken
- Heat oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed pan or Dutch oven.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade (reserve the marinade) and sear the pieces skin-side down until golden brown on both sides. Do this in batches if needed.
- Remove the browned chicken and set aside.
3. Sauté the Onions
- In the same pan, add sliced onions and cook until softened and lightly golden.
4. Simmer the Adobo
- Return the chicken to the pan.
- Pour the reserved marinade over the chicken.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 25–30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
5. Reduce the Sauce
- Uncover the pan and cook on medium-high heat for 10–15 minutes, until the sauce thickens and glazes the chicken.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
6. Garnish and Serve
- Garnish with chopped spring onion greens.
- Serve hot with steamed white rice.
Tips & Notes
- Use bone-in chicken for the best flavor and tenderness.
- Skin-on chicken adds richness, but you can remove the skin for a lighter version.
- The sauce will mellow as it cooks — don’t worry if the vinegar seems strong initially.
Chicken Adobo
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken with skin-on cut into medium-sized pieces (around 1 to 1.5 kg)
- 1 ½ cups soy sauce
- ⅓ cup white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2 –3 tbsp neutral oil for browning the chicken
- 2 big onions sliced medium thin
- 10 –12 whole garlic cloves peeled
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
- 3 –4 bay leaves
- Spring onion greens for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, water, bay leaves, whole garlic cloves, black peppercorns, and brown sugar.
- Add the chicken and mix well. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight in the fridge for deeper flavor.
- Heat oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed pan or Dutch oven.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade (reserve the marinade) and sear the pieces skin-side down until golden brown on both sides. Do this in batches if needed.
- Remove the browned chicken and set aside.
- In the same pan, add sliced onions and cook until softened and lightly golden.
- Return the chicken to the pan.
- Pour the reserved marinade over the chicken.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 25–30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Uncover the pan and cook on medium-high heat for 10–15 minutes, until the sauce thickens and glazes the chicken.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Garnish with chopped spring onion greens.
- Serve hot with steamed white rice.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Can I use boneless chicken instead?
A: Yes, but bone-in chicken adds more flavor. If using boneless cuts, reduce cooking time slightly.
Q: My sauce is too salty — what can I do?
A: Add a bit of water, a splash of vinegar, and some more brown sugar to balance the flavor. Always use low-sodium soy sauce if you’re sensitive to salt.
Q: Can I make this ahead?
A: Absolutely! In fact, Adobo tastes better the next day as the flavors develop more over time.
Q: What can I serve it with?
A: Steamed jasmine rice or garlic fried rice are perfect sides. A crisp cucumber salad also balances the richness well.
