Filipino Chicken Adobo The ultimate guide to making the best Filipino Chicken Adobo. Here you will learn how to make the chicken flavorful and tender, the adobo sauce rich, fatty, garlicky and less salty. Tips, techniques and different adobo variations are also included. Course Main Course Cuisine Filipino Keyword adobo recipe Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 40 minutes Servings 4 -5 servings Ingredients 900 grams / 2 lbs chicken cut into pieces, bone-in, and skin-on 1 bulb garlic chopped, divided 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp vinegar I used rice vinegar 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp oyster sauce 1 tbsp vegetable oil I used canola 1/2 cup water 1 teaspoon black peppercorn 2 tsp sugar white or brown 1 onion hard-boiled eggs optional Instructions 1. Place chicken pieces in a bowl. Add soy sauce, vinegar and half of the chopped garlic. Toss until each piece is coated with the marinade. Marinate for 30mins to 1 hour. 2. Heat oil in a large pot. Brown the chicken on both sides. Do this in batches if the pot is not big enough. I did mine in two batches. Transfer to a large plate. 3. Saute the remaining chopped garlic and onion until fragrant. Add back the chicken. Pour the marinade, water, oyster sauce, black pepper, and sugar. Cover with lid and cook for 20 to 30mins until chicken is tender. Use a fork to check the doneness. Add hard-boiled eggs half-way through. 4. Remove the lid and let the sauce reduce for 10mins. Taste, adjust sugar/ pepper. Serve with rice, add your favorite toppings and enjoy! Notes Cooking time may vary depending on the size of the chicken pieces. Adjust accordingly. Chicken: use skin-on, bone-in. Thighs, legs and wings are good options while whole chicken cut in pieces are highly recommended. Soy sauce: Use Filipino soy sauce to get that authentic adobo flavor. It can be substituted with any regular soy sauce but you will need to experiment with the amount because the saltiness does vary. Not recommended: Light soy sauce/ low sodium and premium dark soy sauce. The former is doesn’t have enough flavor and color, while the latter is too dark and thick and less salty. Vinegar: white rice vinegar (not seasoned), cane vinegar, coconut vinegar, and apple cider vinegar are good options. To prevent the sauce from being too oily, trim-off the excess visible fat from the chicken. Aromatics: Dried laurel or bay leaves, red bell pepper and ginger can be used for variation of flavor. Extenders: add chunks of potatoes and carrots and cooked with the chicken. Adobo toppings: fried onions, garlic, and fresh green onions. Make it spicy by adding chopped bird’s eye chili or siling labuyo. Remember the sauce gets saltier as the sauce reduces i.e. water evaporates. Do a taste test before adding more salt or soy sauce BEFORE your adobo finishes cooking. If you end up adding too much soy, balance it with more sugar or add a small amount of water.
