Easy Filipino Chicken Adobo Recipe
Make a cozy chicken dish that's a crowd-pleasing favorite: Chicken Adobo! The unofficial national dish of the Philippines that's easy to make with a few simple ingredients. The flavor is savory, salty, and deliciously tangy. All you need is chicken drumsticks and pantry staples: soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, and black peppercorns. A comforting and flavorful dish that's perfect for busy weeknights!
Servings: 4
Calories: 434kcal
Equipment
- Large stock pot
- Mortar and Pestle (or ziploc baggie and rolling pin)
Ingredients
- 1-2 Tbsp cooking oil *avocado oil, grapeseed oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil
- 3 lbs chicken drumsticks *10-12 drumsticks
- 8-10 cloves garlic *an entire head of garlic
- 5-6 bay leaves
- 1 Tbsp whole black peppercorns *use less for a milder flavor (about 1/2 Tbsp)
- 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce *also called light soy sauce or regular soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce *swap with regular soy sauce if you don't have it (the chicken won't be as dark)
- 1 Tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Optional: Partially crush the peppercorns. Add whole black peppercorns to a mortar and pestle. Using the pestle, pound until 50% of the peppercorns are crushed or cracked into half. Or, add peppercorns to a ziploc baggie. Bash with a rolling pin until 50% crushed. (You can also skip this step and leave the peppercorns whole. Or use freshly cracked black pepper.)
- Prep garlic. Separate an entire head of garlic, about 8-10 cloves. Smack each papered clove with the back of a knife -- it should crack the garlic cloves into pieces. Remove the papery peels. Roughly chop the garlic. You'll want big chunks.
- Saute aromatics. Heat a large stockpot over medium heat. Add 1-2 Tbsp oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pot. Add the crushed peppercorns, chopped garlic, and bay leaves. Stir with a wooden spoon until fragrant and the garlic is lightly golden, about 2 minutes.
- Brown chicken. Add the chicken drumsticks. Stir until lightly browned all over, about 2-3 more minutes. Watch the garlic carefully so it doesn't burn.
- Cook chicken. Add the vinegar, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar. Stir to combine. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer on medium-low. Cook (covered) until the chicken is tender and saucy, about 25 minutes. From time to time, stir and flip the chicken so all the sides are cooked evenly in the sauce.
- NOTE: There is no need to add additional water, as the dish will release a lot of liquid as it cooks.
- Serve. Transfer the Chicken Adobo to a shallow bowl. Make sure to scrape all the sauce into the serving dish! The chicken and sauce should be served together. Serve with white rice and make sure to pour the sauce over the rice! Steamed green veggies made a nice addition.
Video
Notes
Tips:
- Make sure to cook with a lid! It's essential that the Chicken Adobo cooks with a tight fitting lid. It will encourage steam to build, ensuring juicy chicken.
- Serve with rice. It's a Filipino classic to serve this with plain rice, as the sauce is spooned over the rice. Can be swapped with brown rice or even cauliflower rice.
- Make in advance. Tastes even better the next day. In fact, storing in the fridge overnight mellows out the sharp acidity of the vinegar.
- For tender chicken, cook longer. Some people prefer Chicken Adobo to be very tender and falling off the bone. For more tender chicken, cook for 40 minutes instead of the
Nutrition
Calories: 434kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 210mg | Sodium: 1244mg | Potassium: 605mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 127IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2mg