Adobo Chicken is a magical dish that is endlessly adaptable. This ubiquitous beloved national dish of the Philippines is packed with incredible flavor and can be prepared in a myriad of ways.
They say leftover adobo (if there is any!) gets even better! It’s a dish that requires minimal shopping, and cooks in a jiffy, which makes it a perfect weekday dinner meal.

Star tip: Use beef or pork, or whatever you fancy. Even seafood! Make it vegetarian — just choose a vegetable that can hold up to a braise like broccoli, cauliflower, lotus roots, onion, green beans, carrots, even turnips!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1. 6 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs
2. 3 garlic cloves, minced
3. 1/3 cup (85ml) light soya sauce
4. 1/3 cup and 2 tbsp Filipino cane vinegar or distilled white vinegar (less if you want it less tart)
5. 4 bay leaves (fresh) or 3 (dried)

For cooking:

1. 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
2. 3 garlic cloves, minced
3. 1 small brown onion, diced
4. 1 ½ cup water (375ml water)
5. 2 tbsp brown sugar
6. 1 tbsp whole black pepper

Garnish:

1. Sliced spring onions/scallions

Steps:

1. Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl and add chicken. Marinate for at least an hour, or overnight.

2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a sauté pan. Remove chicken from marinade (reserve marinade) and place in the pan. Sear both sides until browned — about 1 minute on each side. Do not cook the chicken all the way through.
3. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.

4. Heat the remaining oil in the sauté pan. Add garlic and onion, cook for 1 ½ minutes.
5. Add the reserved marinade, water, sugar, and black pepper. Add chicken. Bring it to a simmer then turn heat down to medium high. Simmer for 5 minutes.

6. Simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes (no need to stir), turning chicken at around 15 minutes, until the sauce reduces down to a thick syrup like consistency. *If the sauce isn't thick enough by the time the chicken is cooked, remove chicken and let the sauce thicken — return chicken to the fry pan once the sauce reaches the right consistency.
7. Serve over warm rice or parboiled potatoes.

This recipe works best with our Accent Series Stainless Steel Sauté Pan — with its wide cooking surface, you’ll have plenty of room for browning, and its tall side walls will contain all those beautiful juices for the chicken to simmer in.