Filipino Chicken Adobo
an authentic dish with soy sauce & vinegar
Filipino dishes are one of those cultural foods that pretty much vary based on who’s cooking. And honestly, I always end up doing something different each time I cook, especially with chicken adobo. When I make this dish, I make it by heart—I rarely use measurements any more!
There are so many variations, but this is my family recipe, which has been adapted over time. Serve it on a bed of rice and—if you're anything like me—lots of sauce!
Marinate time: 30 minutes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs*
- 1/2 cup dark soy sauce, divided*
- 6 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 small head of garlic, mashed, crushed, or minced*
- 1 yellow or white onion, sliced thin
- 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon*
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons oil*
- ground pepper, to taste
Notes:
- I use boneless, skinless chicken thighs in my recipe, and I like to slice them length-wise. However, most of my family—and many Filipinos—prefer bone-in chicken. I grew up eating chicken adobo made with chicken drumettes and wings. Feel free to the boneless, skinless chicken thighs for bone-in thighs, drumsticks, etc.
- Dark soy sauce is preferred, such as Silver Swan or Datu Puti. You can absolutely use lighter soy sauce, such as Kikkoman, but the richness and flavor profile won't be the same.
- Sub pre-minced garlic. I usually use 1-2 hefty spoonfuls of garlic when I do this. We love the garlic in adobo!
- I use a spoonful of Chicken Better Than Bouillon, but most recipes don't call for this—it's something I've added over time. You can leave it out!
- I use avocado oil, but any high-heat cooking oil will suffice. I don't recommended reducing the oil; I've tried doing that many times, and it never turns out the same as my mom or grandma's—for good reason.
Instructions
- Combine the chicken, 1/4 cup of dark soy sauce, and the garlic in a large bowl. Let marinate for 30 minutes. *If you're short on time, which is typical in my house, you can skip this step; HOWEVER, you'll want to add the soy sauce when you brown the chicken.
- In a deep-sided sauté pan, pour 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high heat. When hot, add in the onion and sauté until translucent and fragrant.
- Add in the rest of the oil along with the marinated chicken and garlic. *If you skipped the marinating step, add in the chicken, garlic, and 1/4 cup of soy sauce.
- Season with pepper, then brown the chicken on both sides.
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce: In a bowl or large measuring glass, combine 1/4 cup dark soy sauce, 6 tablespoons vinegar, 1 1/2 cups water, 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon, and 1teaspoon sugar. Stir until everything is as incorporated as you can get it. *I always make the sauce separate from the chicken, which many recipes don't call for, but I like tasting the sauce first. When I taste the sauce after mixing the ingredients, I make sure it doesn't taste too watery or too vinegary. This is where you can adjust to your taste. Add in more soy sauce as needed. Add in more sugar to cut the vinegar and saltiness if needed.
- When the chicken is brown, pour the sauce into the pan and add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then simmer covered on low heat until chicken is tender and sauce is rich and thick, about 15-20 minutes.
- To serve, discard the bay leaves and serve over hot rice. We like adding spoonfuls of sauce onto the rice!
Special note: My family loves adding potatoes to the adobo. When I do this, I usually quarter 6-8 red potatoes and brown them in oil, using a separate deep-sided pot. Once they're browned, I mix in approximately 1/4 cup dark soy sauce and 1 tablespoon vinegar. Season with pepper and cover, cooking on medium low until the potatoes are soft. When they're done, I typically dump all the potatoes in with the chicken. This is optional, but my husband and middle daughter very much dislike when I don't make the potatoes with the adobo!
