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This Filipino Chicken Adobo is a definite step away from “the same old”! Chicken thighs and drumsticks braised in pungent vinegar and soy sauce with an addition of garlic and ginger. Just regular pantry staples produce an unforgettable flavour.
For another traditional Filipino dish check out my Pancit Canton recipe.
This might come as a surprise to you, given my background, that I carry a very strong emotional attachment to all things Filipino, and this Chicken Adobo in particular.
I spent a year of my life in the Philippines in my early twenties, and although it was one of the most difficult years in my then young life I’ve come to love and appreciate the country and her people.
I also brought home a handful of recipes with me. This Chicken Adobo recipe is one of them.
It’s interesting how strange and foreign things soon enough become familiar and even soothing. This Chicken Adobo stew is one of those things. Incredibly simple yet rich in flavour, it became my comfort food in a country so different from my own.
One of the best things about this recipe is how easy it is to make use the simplest of pantry staples. No unfamiliar or rare ingredients here.
Chicken Adobo is very easy to love even if you are not a fan of Filipino food. It’s reminiscent of our stews that nourish, satisfy and warm up from the inside.
Filipino cuisine
Filipino cuisine is wonderfully varied and complex, which is no surprise in a country made of more than 7000 islands and a rich mosaic of cultures. It also carries influence gathered over centuries from cultures as diverse as Spain, China and more.
The one constant is rice, which is served for every meal and often snacks in between. Many dishes therefore come with a lot of sauce to pour over and flavour the rice.
That sauce needs to carry a lot of flavour if it’s going to be mixed with heaps of rice, and Filipino cuisine has plenty of ways to add it. Strong flavours that tick boxes like acidic, salty and pungent can be found in common ingredients like soy sauce, fish sauce, garlic and rice vinegar.
Chicken adobo is a classic example of how this is done, to the extent that it is considered the national dish of the Philippines. It has a salty, vinegary taste that mellows when the strongly flavoured sauce is poured over plain rice.
As with every national dish, each cook has their own recipe, which is the beauty of it! My version was modelled after a few recipes of several Filipino women I watched cook during my year in Isabela.
What is Filipino Chicken Adobo?
One of the best things about this recipe is how easy it is to make use the simplest of pantry staples. No unfamiliar or rare ingredients here.
Essentially, this chicken dish is flavoured with garlic, ginger, This is an affiliate link.soy sauce and vinegar. Carrots and potatoes are often added to balance out the strong adobo sauce. However, that particular addition could be regional to where I lived. I personally highly recommend adding them!
Pork adobo is one of the most common variations in the Philippines and it’s just as delicious but quite a bit fattier! If you decide to use pork instead of chicken, I suggest using a slow cooker for best results.
The version in this recipe is very traditional to the region of the Philippines where I lived. But it is made in countless ways and there were different approaches in other parts of the country, or even family to family.
Serving suggestions
Filipinos will always serve Chicken Adobo with plain, unsalted white rice and tiny citrus calamansi, also known as Filipino lime. Sadly I’ve never seen calamansi outside of the Philippines. It’s a real shame because their taste is unparalleled to any citrus here!
I used limes as a substitute in this recipe, just squeeze a little bit of lime juice into individual portions.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Although the marinade imparts more flavour, if you are short on time it can be skipped or reduce the marinading time to 30 minutes.
- To keep the chicken from steaming instead of browning in the This is an affiliate link.wok or pan, make sure to leave space between each piece. The chicken won’t be fully cooked after this stage of the process.
- This recipe could be adapted for slow cooker. Follow the recipe until step 3 but instead of simmering in a pan use your This is an affiliate link.slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. Stir in the cornstarch slurry at the end to thicken the sauce.
- If using This is an affiliate link.Instant Pot, also follow the recipe until step 3 then cook at high pressure for 10 minutes, then manually release the pressure. Add the cornstarch slurry and thicken then the sauce using a sauté button for a couple of minutes.
- Pork can be used in place of chicken. You will get best results by cooking pork adobo in a slow cooker. The most authentic cut will be pork belly, but for a less fatty option use pork shoulder.
- Chicken breasts can also be used, even though they are not as authentic in this recipe.
- For convenience, you can often buy jarred This is an affiliate link.garlic paste and This is an affiliate link.ginger paste. Although they are not as fresh, they are great to use on a busy night as they cut down cooking time.
- The potato here is not added as a side dish but to be part of the stew. They soak up the vinegar, and both carrot and potato bring balance to the dish.
Storage and leftovers
Leftovers can be kept in the fridge in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container for 3-4 days or kept in the freezer for up to three months. It can taste better after a day in the fridge as adobo sauce flavours meld and the vinegar mellows.
Leftovers can be reheated in a microwave or in a This is an affiliate link.saucepan on a stovetop over medium-low heat. You may need to loosen up the sauce, in which case a splash of water can be added.
Cover with a lid so the chicken adobe doesn’t dry out. It will be ready in approximately 15 minutes.
More Asian inspired chicken recipes
- Shoyu Chicken Recipe
- Sticky Asian Chicken
- Honey Soy Chicken Thighs and Drumsticks
- Chicken Satay with Easy Peanut Sauce
Filipino Chicken Adobo
Equipment
- This is an affiliate link.Carbon steel wok
Ingredients
- 8 chicken pieces, legs and thighs
- 125ml / / 1/2-3/4 cup This is an affiliate link.soy sauce, Bragg or Kikkoman brand for gluten-free version
- 125ml / / 1/2-3/4 cup rice vinegar, adjust it to your taste
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 inch long piece of ginger, grated
- 5 cloves garlic , crushed
- 2-3 This is an affiliate link.bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1-2 carrot, medium, cut in large chunks
- 3 potato, medium, cut in large chunks
- 125ml / 1/2 cup water
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tbsp water
- 1 spring onion, optional
- 1 lime
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, 1 tbsp of oil, 4 garlic cloves crushed, half of grated ginger, black pepper, add chicken pieces and let them marinade for 30 minutes in the fridge.
- In a wok or a deep pan brown chicken pieces for 3 minutes on each side, might need to do that in batches not to overcrowd chicken, otherwise they will steam instead of brown. Do not discard the marinade. Chicken will not be cooked all the way through, remove it from the pan to a plate and set aside.
- To the same pan add 1 tbsp of vegetable oil, sliced garlic and the remaining ginger, stir fry for 1 minute, do not let them brown. Add the chicken, marinade, water, bay leaves, potatoes and carrots, (the sauce will not cover the chicken entirely), turn the heat up and bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 45 minutes until carrots and potatoes are easily pierced with a fork and the chicken is cooked all the way through.
- In a small bowl mix cornstarch with water, making sure there are no clumps and add to the sauce, mix through and let it simmer for a couple more minutes, which will allow the sauce to thicken. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, it should be thick enough to coat the pieces. If the sauce is not thick enough, cook it a bit longer until desired consistency. Sprinkle with sliced spring onion.
- Serve with plain rice and lime wedges.
Notes
- Follow the recipe until step 3 but instead of simmering in a pan use your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. Stir in the cornstarch slurry at the end to thicken the sauce.
- If using Instant Pot, cook at high pressure for 10 minutes, then manually release the pressure. Add the cornstarch slurry and thicken the sauce using a Sauté button for a couple of minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Sometimes cooking new dishes is a “Trial and Error” and a bit daunting…but I still do it anyway! I LOVE variety with flavor especially cuisines from other cultures…AND THIS DISH DEFINITELY NAILED IT!! An how I knew I nailed it was when my hubby raved about this dish with GLOWINGGGG REVIEWSSSS!! HE.LOVED.IT!!! I will certainly be making this wonderful dish again. Oh, an you DEFINITELYYYY can use a Dutch oven. It made browning the meat and ultimately simmering a breeze. Held everything and I even doubled the recipe. Sometimes ya get a WIN an this one is it!!
Great stuff, Kelly! I love you enthusiasm!!This chicken adobo is one of those recipes that is handy to have in your cooking arsenal. Easy and delicious!
Could I do this in a Dutch oven? I’m going to double the recipe and I don’t have two big pans.
Definitely, Sara!!
I love reading your story about your short stint in the Philippines. Glad you liked our adobo! 😉
Thanks, Trish! Chicken or Pork Adobo will always be a regular on our dinner table.
Learning to make adobo at my grandmother’s hip has mademe suspicious of looking at recipes for this dish online. (I’m a grumpy filipino in my 50’s) Thank you for keeping it real and authentic. Too many online food blogs try to add a “twist” of some kind, and I’m glad you kept it simple. The same goes with your pancit recipe. Simple and perfect.
I’m looking forward to perusing the rest of your site!
Thanks so much, Wayne! The best compliment I could ever receive!
Dear Vikalinka
I am half Filipino. My Dad was from the area called Ilico Sur, north of Manila. He cooked this for us and taught my mom how to cook it. He added tomato sauce and/ or paste and used the same spices. My Mom is Native American from two nations. All of her family begged for her to cook it for them.
I am cooking it tonight for my sister missionaries from my church. I will try your wat also one of these days. Thank you for sharing. Viloria
That is so sweet of you to share this, Viloria. Thank you for stopping by and hopefully your dinner goes well! Best, Julia
The chicken and or pork adobo I know has no carrots or potato in it; only the spices (garlic, bay leaves, black pepper, ginger.) Which one is the iconic Philippine Adobo?
The Philippines is broken into over 7,000 islands, so I don’t think there is a universal recipe. I lived in the province of Isabella among Ilocano people and that’s how they made it. That’s the only version I learned.
My wife is from the Philippines, and we make chicken adobo ALL THE TIME. We don’t bother with browning the chicken, and I prefer to use boneless skinless chicken thighs, which reduces the fat considerably. My wife, however, thinks I’m a philistine and swears it must have both bones and skin or it’s not adobo.
Calamanci (calamansit) is definitely available in the States. I bought a small calamansi tree from my local flea market in May, and it’s growing beautifully in my back yard (Florida). Also, our local Asian groceries sell fresh calamansi fruit, as well as a bottled calamansi juice (it’s also available in a box of ketchup-like packets, for convenience). I am betting this can be purchased online relatively inexpensively. In fact, a quick search indicates Walmart carries one brand of calamansi juice, but I don’t know if that’s available in stores or online only.
Now I’m off to find out why I am likely to be surprised that you have an emotional attachment to all things Filipino. I do too, but that’s because my wife, mother- and father- and brothers-in-law, and Nanang are all Ilocano, so it’s not so surprising. LOL 🙂 (And cousins! OMG everybody is a cousin or an auntie!)
It’s definitely more convenient to use either skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs but I did want to share a more authentic version. Adobo is easily customizable and that is why I love it so much!
I don’t actually live in the States, so no Walmart or calamansi for me. There might be Asian markets in some parts of London, where I live but nowhere near me. 🙂
I saw this recipe on pinterest and followed the link here. The presentation was lovely and wanted to make something new for neighbors, one of whom is filipino. It was a hit! Really wonderful flavors served with a side of roasted brussels and a nice cucumber dill salad for something light. Thanks so much will definitely be adding to my go to recipes
Thank you so much, Heather! That is such a lovely thing to do for your neighbours. I am sure they were touched.
Hola vikalinka!! Soy de la Cd de México, tu receta se ve deliciosa, en lo personal, me encantan los adobos, aquí en México se preparan de diferentes maneras, cada región tiene su estilo, sólo que aquí el ingrediente principal son los chiles secos con los que se prepara un especie de salsa con la que se Marina la carne ya sea pollo, cerdo o mariscos, voy a preparar tu receta espero me quedé muy rica, saludos!
Hi Aby, I had to Google Translate this comment but I finally know what you said!!
Here is a poor version:
“Hi vikalinka !! I am from the CD of Mexico, your recipe looks delicious, personally, I love the marinades, here in Mexico they prepare in different ways, each region has its style, only here the main ingredient are the dried chiles with which prepare a kind of sauce with which I will be meat, whether it be chicken, pork or seafood, I will prepare your recipe I hope I stayed very rich, greetings!”
Thanks for visiting Vikalinka and sharing your culture with us! 🙂
You have most of the translation correct. Aby is saying that she’s from Mexico City. She loves adobos, and every region in Mexico has different ways of preparing their adobo. The main ingredient in all adobo recipes is dried chilies. Aby will try your recipe, and she expects that the flavor will be quite rich (Translated by an American Hispanic😉).
I’ll be making this recipe too; my mouth is already watering!
Thanks so much, Esther, that is very kind of you! Google Translate is definitely no substitute for a human!!
I just tried this tonight and it was awesome. I added cup of water and the taste is delicious. Next time I will double the recipe. ALOHA
So happy to hear it, Tata! Doubling the recipe is ALWAYS a good idea! 😉