Filipino Chicken Adobo

Name: Filipino Chicken Adobo Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Cuisine: Filipino
Ingredients: 4 pounds chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on (7-8 thighs); 1 ½ cups distilled white vinegar; 1 head of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped (6 tablespoons), divided; 2 tablespoons light olive oil or vegetable oil; 1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced (1 ½ cups); ½ cup soy sauce; 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Thai fish sauce or Filipino fish sauce; 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 2 dried bay leaves; Chopped cilantro or chopped scallions, optional garnish

Published: Oct 30, 2024 · By Lisa Goldfinger · 53 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links

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Filipino Chicken Adobo is a beloved national dish, superbly flavorful and simple to make. Chicken thighs are braised, low and slow, in a savory sauce of vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and black pepper, until they're so tender they practically fall off the bone. This chicken adobo recipe uses just a handful of ingredients most of which you probably already have, so there's no reason to delay - let's make this!

Plate with two pieces of braised chicken coated in rich sauce next to white rice topped with chopped scallions, and steamed green beans.

In This Recipe

What is Adobo?
Ingredients
A walk-through of this recipe, with photos
Time saving tip
What to serve with chicken adobo
Recipe
Comments

I hadn't tried Filipino food until I started working on this chicken adobo recipe. Hoping to get a broader feel for the cuisine, I googled Filipino restaurants in Boston and was shocked to find that there was only one Filipino restaurant in all of Massachusetts.

That was back in early 2019, when I first published this recipe. I'm happy to say that as of this recipe update (Oct 2024), there are dozens and what a great thing that is for everyone!

The secret to making this mouthwatering chicken dish is just simple braising - slow cooking chicken in delicious adobo sauce. Chicken thighs are the perfect choice for braising. I use this technique for so many of my favorite chicken dishes, like Braised Chicken with Sallots and Smothered Chicken. There's nothing like thighs for braising. they become incredibly tender and absorb the rich, savory flavors of the sauce.

What is Adobo?

'Adobo' can refer to many different things in the culinary world including a Caribbean spice blend and a smokey Mexican chili sauce. However, in Filipino cuisine, Adobo refers to a cooking method that entails simmering meat, poultry, or vegetables in a tangy, savory sauce of vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and black peppercorns.

Centuries ago, before the advent of refrigeration, the adobo cooking method was used as a way to preserve meat in the hot climate of the Philippines. Since harmful bacteria cannot survive in an acid environment, vinegar was used as a natural preservative for foods.

Today, despite the invention of modern refrigeration, Filipino adobo remains a cherished dish, a testament to its deliciousness!

7 braised chicken thighs in a cast iron dutch oven, bathed in rich brown adobo sauce with sprig of bay leaves to garnish.

Ingredients

You need just a handful of ingredients to make Chicken adobo and, as I mentioned, many of them are common kitchen staples. Here's the list:

Chicken thighs: bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs provide the best flavor and juiciness.
Vinegar: the tangy base for the adobo sauce. White vinegar is traditional and I love the flavor it provides but some Filipino cooks prefer apple cider vinegar.
Garlic: chicken adobo has plenty of garlic and it's well-balanced by the other strong flavors in this dish - vinegar, soy sauce and fish sauce.
Onion: adds sweetness, depth of flavor and texture to the adobo sauce.
Soy sauce: the salty and umami component
Fish sauce: a unique ingredient that adds a rich, savory flavor (not a fishy taste).
Spices: black pepper and bay leaves are classic additions. For extra heat, consider adding a pinch or two of red pepper flakes.

ingredients with labels on a counter: bowl of cooking oil, bottles of white vinegar, soy sauce and fish sauce, 1 yellow onion, 1 whole garlic bulb, 2 bay leaves, small bowl of black pepper, and a plate of raw bone-in chicken thighs.

A walk-through of this recipe, with photos

1. Marinate

Mix the white vinegar with some chopped garlic, pour it over the chicken, and let it marinate for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the marinade, transfer it to a plate and pat dry with paper towels. Be sure to dry the chicken thighs well, especially the skin side. The dry surface allows for better contact with the hot pan, resulting in a rich, brown caramelization that will flavor the whole dish.

glass bowl filled with 8 raw chicken thighs, a measuring cup pouring white vinegar and water over them.

2. Brown

Sear the chicken thighs over high heat, 4 pieces at a time, starting with the skin side down. Then flip the chicken thighs and sear them for just a minute on the other side. The goal here is to get a nice golden brown color on the skin and create a delicious layer of flavor. Even the tasty browned bits that get stuck on the bottom of the pan will add flavor the sauce.

4 bone-in chicken thighs being seared in a large dutch oven.

3. Sauté the aromatics

Turn the heat down to medium and add the onions and garlic to the pot. Cook them, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until tender. These aromatic vegetables add lots of flavor.

Thinly sliced onions and garlic cooking in a cast iron skillet, being stirred with a wooden spoon.

4. Braise

Add the chicken back to the pot along with the rest of the ingredients: the reserved marinade, the soy sauce, fish sauce, black pepper, bay leaves and water. Cover the pot and cook the chicken thighs at a gentle simmer for an hour.

7 browned chicken thighs in a Dutch oven, surrounded with cooking liquid and topped with two bay leaves

Done!
Very tender chicken in rich, flavorful adobo sauce. Serve the chicken hot, with rice and lots of sauce spooned on top.

7 deep golden brown braised chicken thighs is a Dutch oven surround with a rich sauce.

Time saving tip

Peeling a whole head of garlic for this recipe can be time-consuming. Here's a quick trick: smash the garlic - place a garlic clove on a cutting board and place the flat side of a large heavy knife on top it. With the heel of your hand, press down hard or CAREFULLY pound on the knife once or twice, to partially crush the garlic clove. This will loosen the papery skin so you can easily peel it off.

Someone's hand pressing down on the flat side of a chef's knife with a garlic clove underneath.

A hand holding the in-tact skin of a garlic clove.

I also want to mention the tempting aromas that will fill your house while the adobo cooks. Even my 16-year-old was lured downstairs to ask 'smells good in here - what's cooking?' And he loved it! This is a great dish for the whole family.

Two pieces of Filipino chicken adobo, braised chicken thighs, covered in rich thick adobo sauce, with rice and green beans on the side. A fork is pulling some tender looking chicken from a thigh.

What to serve with chicken adobo

Rice is the traditional side dish for chicken adobo and it really is a must for soaking up all the delicious adobo sauce!

I personally love this dish with steamed green beans, tossed little olive oil and sea salt.

Here's a list of other Filipino side dishes you can serve with chicken adobo (based on this Filipino Side Dishes Reddit Thread):

A bowl of chopped tomatoes with green onions (sometimes a little minced garlic), with salt and pepper
Diced Indian mangoes with chopped tomatoes and onions and patis (fish sauce) or salt.
Sitaw (green long beans) steamed or stir fried
Broccoli or boiled okra
Lumpia (egg rolls)
Sliced banana or mango
Chopped cilantro or chopped scallions or both

I hope you'll try this Filipino Chicken Adobo recipe. And if you do, please come back to leave a star rating and comment. I'd love to know what you think!

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