Chicken adobo is my all-time favorite comfort food. I have fond childhood memories of being in my room and perking up when the savory, intoxicating smell of my mom’s chicken adobo made its way from the kitchen to my nose. This happened on a weekly basis in my Filipino home, so it became instinct to immediately run downstairs to the kitchen in hopes that my mom was done simmering the chicken in the unique blend of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and sugar that makes adobo so delicious. The best part came after the meal was over though, after I’d already stuffed myself with chicken adobo over fluffy white rice, because I knew that the leftovers the next day would taste EVEN BETTER after the flavors had more time to meld in the fridge.
While chicken adobo is the national dish of the Philippines, the fact of the matter is that EVERY chicken adobo recipe is different. Every household has their own special way of making this national dish of the Philippines, so there will always be variations, and someone could easily disagree with the way my mom makes it. Some people like it saucier, some like it more dry. Maybe you prefer more soy sauce or more vinegar, or you like adding coconut milk to make adobo sa gata.
That said, there are 2 things I’ve never encountered in Filipino chicken adobo in my 30 years eating Filipino food:
- Onions – this belongs in bistek, not adobo.
- Ginger – again, used in other Filipino recipes (like tinola!) but not adobo
Of course, you can easily add these things if you’d like to experiment with the flavors. If you want to stay as close to what you might find in the Philippines though, you’ll want to use Filipino brands of soy sauce and white cane vinegar like Silver Swan and Datu Puti. You can certainly use a low sodium Kikkoman, rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar if those are more readily available. The final taste just may be different than if you were to order chicken adobo from a traditional Filipino restaurant.
Like most Filipino food, chicken adobo goes best with rice. While you can go for brown rice over white rice to go the healthier route (or even cauliflower rice!), you can also take it to the indulgent zone and have it with garlic fried rice (my ultimate fave). Regardless of how you choose to eat it, I hope you enjoy this taste of classic Filipino cuisine from my family to yours.
If you want a more hands-off approach, try making my Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo!
My Mom’s Filipino Chicken Adobo
Ingredients
- 4 chicken drumsticks and/or thighs
- 3/4 cup white cane vinegar, like Datu Puti, or white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp whole peppercorns, crushed
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp oil (see notes*)
- 3/4 cup water
Instructions
- Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaf in a silicon bag or plastic container. Marinate the chicken in the liquid for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken without the marinade and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until the skin is golden brown.
- Add the marinade and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, flipping over chicken and spooning marinade occasionally.
- Serve with steamed rice and enjoy, or let cool and store in the refrigerator, then reheat and eat the next day or up to 4 days later – the flavor just gets better as the flavors meld together!
Notes
*You can make this without the oil by using skinless chicken and skipping the browning step, or try making it in the slow cooker.
If you make my chicken adobo recipe, I’d love to see the final product. Tag your photos on Instagram with #indulgentrecipes and @indulgenteats so I can see them!
Nutrition Facts
My Mom’s Filipino Chicken Adobo
Serves: 2 servings
|
Amount Per Serving: 2 pieces
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 0 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 0 | 0 | |
| Saturated Fat 8.66 g | 43.3% | |
| Trans Fat 0.23 g | ||
| Cholesterol 244.72 mg | 81.6% | |
| Sodium 0 | 0 | |
| Total Carbohydrate 0 | 0 | |
| Dietary Fiber 0 | 0 | |
| Sugars 0 | ||
| Protein 0 | ||
| Vitamin A 0 | Vitamin C 0 | |
| Calcium 0 | Iron 0 | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Indulgent Eats – Dining, Recipes & Travel
[…] grew up eating my mom’s chicken adobo, the national dish of the Philippines that braises chicken in an irresistible combination of soy […]
Could I do this in a Dutch oven? I’m going to double the recipe and I don’t have two big pans.
For sure!
I remember that it was my grandma who used to cook this for use when we were little. I hope we get to gather again like we used to.
Agreed! I’m definitely making my mom make this for me next time I get to see her