Adobo Chicken (Philippine)
A satisfying chicken built around bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks, coconut vinegar and soy sauce β roughly 65 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. Scroll down for the ingredient checklist, a serving scaler and unit converter, and the method broken into 7 steps.
You'll mainly reach for pan and large pot. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention.
What you'll need
Shopping list (1)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
π Unit converter
How to make it
- Combine the chicken pieces with the coconut vinegar, soy sauce, crushed garlic, bay leaves and cracked peppercorns in a bowl and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Lift the chicken out of the marinade, reserving the liquid, and pat the pieces dry. Heat the oil in a heavy pot and brown the chicken on all sides, then set aside.
- Pour the reserved marinade and the water into the pot and bring to a boil. Important: do not stir the vinegar until it has boiled for a couple of minutes, as this keeps the sauce from tasting harsh.
- Return the chicken to the pot, lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, turning the pieces halfway through.
- Uncover, stir in the sugar and continue to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes to reduce the sauce, until the chicken is tender and cooked through to at least 74C in the thickest part.
- If you like, transfer the chicken to a hot pan and sear briefly to caramelise the skin, then return it to the sauce.
- Discard the bay leaves and serve the adobo hot over steamed white rice, spooning the savoury, tangy sauce generously over the top.
You'll use: Pan Β· Large pot Β· Saucepan Β· Steamer
Ingredient substitutions
- Soy Sauce
- tamari (gluten-free) Β· coconut aminos
Tips & common questions
How long does Adobo Chicken (Philippine) take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish β an estimate based on the 7 steps and 9 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of soy sauce?
Try tamari (gluten-free). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes β use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Related recipes
Adobo Chicken (Philippine) is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Chicken Adobo with Coconut Milk.jpg by Khayri R.R. Woulfe, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top β how we source recipes.