Filipino Chicken Adobo

      A short story about how I challenge myself to learn new things, sometimes 😉 . I know quite a lot about French Cuisine, Italian Cuisine, a little about East Indian, Mexican and Japanese Cuisine, but I know almost nothing about Filipino Cuisine. So I asked a friend of mine, who is Filipino if that wasn’t obvious lol, what was her favourite dish from home… “Filipino Chicken Adobo”.

      So obviously I asked ” what is that ” knowing only of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo sauce, which is distinctly Mexican. Well, it is Vinegary, has Sugar, a thick rich sauce and must have Carrots and Potatoes. I said Ok and off I went… here I am with my version.

      It did take a little research but I managed to narrow a couple things down. It needs a strong balance between Vinegar, Soy Sauce and Water ( or Stock ), And it needs lots and lots of Garlic. The aromatics like Ginger are up for interpretation, and there is a little Sugar to help balance the acidity.

The big Adobo soak

      Over all Filipino Chicken Adobo is a very easy meal to prepare. The most difficult part is probably the time you have to wait before eating. This particular recipe is with Chicken but I have done the same with Pork. One common feature of the two is, the longer you marinade the more flavourful the meat is.

      It doesn’t have to be for days, but at least 30 minutes to overnight. I realize that is a big stretch so let’s just say a couple hours is great. After a certain length the gains are minimal.

      Mix up the Soy, Vinegar, Sugar, Onion, Garlic, Ginger, Bay Leaves and Thai Chilli together. Add the Chicken and Marinade together in a bowl or tray and leave to sit and get happy.

      I like to use Chicken Thighs because I find their stronger taste can hold up to the Filipino Chicken Adobo Sauce. The type of Vinegars and Sugar used is not as important as the proportions. Feel free to substitute a different Vinegar or Sugar or leave out the Stock and add more Water. It’s a little, what do I have on hand right now.

Caramelizing Adobo Chicken

      After the Chicken has been in the marinade for a couple hours it’s time to remove it. Line a tray or plate with some paper towel… place the Chicken on the paper towel, save the marinade. Add some paper towel to the top of the Chicken and pat dry. This step will help the Chicken to brown and not steam.

      On medium high heat place a large pan and heat the Oil. Once the Oil is hot add the Chicken and brown on both sides. The Chicken will brown quickly because of the Soy and added Sugar so keep and eye on it to prevent burning.

      In batches, place the Chicken around the pan like the numbers on a clock. This way you can keep track of which Chicken went in the pan first so you know which one to check for browning.

Building the Adobo sauce

      After all the Chicken is browned reduce the heat to low and return all the Chicken to the pan. The one thing I add outside the box is White Wine, it help to bring up all the caramelized pieces off the bottom of the pan. Hit the pan with the Wine, shake the pan and move the Chicken around to bring up and bits.

      Add the Marinade, Water and Stock to the pan, cover and cook on low for 20 minutes. Covering the pan will help retain most of the moisture for the first part of the cooking. If you find the liquid getting a little low just add Water, 1/4 cup at a time.

      While the Chicken is stewing peel and chop the Potato and Carrots. Make sure to cut them a decent size, half inch to one inch medallions for the Carrot, so they stand up to the cooking process and don’t disintegrate.

      After 20 minutes remove the cover, add the the Potato and Carrot and cook for another 20 minutes, or until the Potato and carrot are fork tender. Try to submerge the Potato and Carrot so they can cook in the Sauce.

      A nice helping of White Rice, throw some Chicken, Potato and Carrot on top. A generous spooning of Sauce and garnish with Green Onion, make yourself a Lambanog Cocktail and imagine you’re on a far away beach…Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Filipino Chicken Adobo

A classic Filipino dish, Great balance and the addition of Carrots puts it over the top.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Meat

Cuisine: Asian, Filipino

Servings: 6

Ingredients

The Marinade

• 3 Lbs Chicken Thighs ( bone in ) skin removed
• ½ cup Dark Soy sauce
• ½ cup Malt Vinegar
• ¼ cup Rice Wine Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 8-10 cloves Garlic
• 1 Medium Onion
• ½" Fresh Ginger or 1 tsp ground Ginger
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 Thai Chilli seeded

The Sauce

• 2-3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
• ¼ cup White Wine
• ¾ cup Water
• ¾ cup Chicken Stock

Fixings & Garnish

• 3-4 Carrots
• 1-2 Medium sized Potatoes
• 1 Green Onion

Instructions

Build the Marinade

• I like Chicken Thighs because their stronger flavour holds up well in this dish. Try and find them with the bone still in, but definitely get skinless or you will end up with a pool of fat. Trim any excess pieces of fat off the edges.
• Chop the Onion into large chunks because they will be cooking for a long time. Remove the seeds from the Thai Chilli and chop into tiny pieces.
• Combine all the Marinade ingredients into a mixing bowl and whisk together. Add the chicken, mix to thoroughly coat all the chicken and place in the fridge.
• Let the Chicken Soak for a minimum of 30 minutes and as long as overnight.

Colour on the Chicken, and building the Sauce

• Once the Chicken has finished soaking pull it from the marinade and pat dry with paper towel. Make sure to hold on to the Marinade, we will still be using it.
• Heat a heavy bottom pan over medium high heat on the cooktop. Add the Oil and let it heat up. In batches, place the Chicken around the pan like the numbers on a clock. Brown both sides, they will brown fast because of all the Sugar so flip after 2 – 3 minutes.
• Once you have finished with the last batch return all the Chicken to the pan and reduce the heat to low.
• Splash in the White Wine and move the pan and Chicken around to help pull any caramelized bits off the bottom.
• Add the Marinade, Water and Chicken Stock into the pan and cover. Cooking for 20 minutes on low heat.

The fixings

• While the Chicken is stewing, Peel the Carrots and Potato. Slice the Carrot into ½" – 1" medallions and ice the Potato into a similar size, so they both cook at the same rate.
• If you plan on serving rice with Chicken Adobo this would be a good time to start too.
• After the Chicken has cooked for 20 minutes remove the cover and add the Carrot and Potato. Cook for another 20 minutes or until the Carrot and Potato are fork tender.
• After 40 minutes of cooking the Sauce should have reduced to a more syrupy consistency, but if at any point the pan looks like it is running a little dry add ¼ cup of Water at a time until you feel comfortable, there are no mistakes here so don't worry.
• Finally slice the Green Onion on the bias ( fancy word for on an angle ), Grab a plate, add some rice, top with Chicken Adobo, don't forget the Carrot and Potato and sprinkle some Green Onion over the top… Rustic and delish…Enjoy!

Notes

      If you manage to have leftovers the next day you might find that the Sauce seemed to magically dry up. Not to worry it didn’t, the best way to reconstitute the Sauce is to simply add more Water. The Sauce is quite concentrated so a 1/4 cup of water will thin it out and if you find it’s to thin just reduce it down again and it will thicken right back up.

      If this recipe is to large for you don’t worry it scales nicely. Simply divide everything in half.

      If you wish to use Pork instead, swap it with the Chicken fro the same amount. I like to get a Whole Pork Butt and cut it myself. This way I have control of how much fat and sinew I cut off and how large the pieces are, I like bigger pieces 🙂 .