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!
In This Recipe
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Done!
Very tender chicken in rich, flavorful adobo sauce. Serve the chicken hot, with rice and lots of sauce spooned on top.
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.
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.
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!
PrintRecipe
Filipino Chicken Adobo Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 mins
- Yield: 4-6 Servings 1x
Description
Chicken adobo is the national dish of the Philippines. It's easy to cook, uses a handful of common ingredients, and tastes amazing! Fall-apart tender chicken thighs in a tangy flavorful vinegar sauce. Serve Filipino chicken adobo with white rice to soak up all the tangy delicious sauce.
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
Instructions
Marinate:
- Put chicken into a large bowl. In a small bowl combine vinegar with 1 tablespoon of the chopped garlic, pour over chicken and toss, to coat. Marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge or in a cool place. Remove chicken from marinade, allowing excess liquid to drip back into the bowl, and transfer chicken to a clean plate. Reserve the marinade.
Cook:
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels (this helps it brown).
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven or heavy pot with a lid. Brown chicken in batches (4-5 pieces at a time), starting skin side down for 3-4 minutes. Then turn and brown for a minute or so on the other side. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Pour out all but 2 tablespoons fat from the pot.
- Turn heat down to medium-low, add onions and remaining garlic to the pot and sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until the onions are softened.
- Return chicken to the pot along with any accumulated juices. Pour in reserved vinegar-garlic marinade, soy sauce, fish sauce, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 2 bay leaves and ¼ cup of water. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover and cook at a low steady simmer for 1 hour or until the chicken is very tender and the sauce is a rich brown color.
- Serve chicken adobo with rice and top with chopped scallions or cilantro, if desired. (See recipe post for more side dish ideas)
Notes
- Nutrition Disclaimer: We do our best to provide accurate nutrition values using an online nutrition calculator however our nutrition information should only be used as an approximation.
- If you are sensitive to salt or on a reduced-sodium diet, you can make this with low-sodium soy sauce.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Main Dish, Dinner
- Method: Braise
- Cuisine: Filipino
[This Chicken Adobo Recipe first appeared on Panning The Globe in March 2014. It has been updated with new photos, a photo walk-through of the recipe, serving suggestions that include authentic Filipino side dishes, and clearer instructions in the recipe card. ]
Kiarah
P.S. I do sprinkle in sugar or a splash of orange juice at the end to balance the acidity! 🙂
Kiarah
I am part Filipino and grew up with my dad making this. He always tried to teach me when I went to visit him but he eye-balled everything. I could never get the ratios right. This is my favorite recipe to make for chicken adobo now! Saving it forever thank you so much!!
Lisa
I'm so glad you like the recipe - and very flattered to hear that it comes close to the authentic recipe that you loved as a child. Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂
Filipino food Timaru
Thank you so much for sharing this information about chicken adobo philippines. This is very nice and inspiring!! Thanks for sharing and look for more in future!! I hope you keep update us with such great tips and information in future too. This is a great post; I will share as much as I can.If possible visit this website Redchillipantry.co.nz to gain more idea or tips on the same.
Karo
I made the recipe many times with success but tonight as I was reading again the recipe I noticed you say 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of fish sauce in the list of ingredients but only use 1 teaspoon. Where the tablespoon goes?
Lisa
Thanks so much for making me aware of this. It was an error and now it's fixed. I'm so glad you've enjoyed the recipe!
Mari Petrosky
A classic Filipino dish. Thank you for posting this recipe. I love it.
Phyllis
I grew up on this (although I'm not Filipino). We make it sans the fish sauce and the bay leaves and it's just as good. I prefer it without the bay leaves and I think the fish sauce would make it more salty. I usually brown the chicken with onions and garlic first and then pour in the sauce. I use less vinegar and add more water to achieve more sauce and prevent it from getting too salty or too sour. I also allow it to boil for a just few minutes longer to achieve a thicker sauce, then reduce.
Arpita Patel
The chicken and or pork adobo I know has no carrots or potato in it; only the spices (garlic, bay leaves, black pepper, ginger.) Which one is the iconic Philippine Adobo?
Olie
I’m Filipino and been cooking Adobo since I was a teenager. To Filipinos, Chicken or pork adobo is like peanut butter and jelly sandwich to Americans. It’s an easy, quick, everyday, go-to dish, and everyone has their own version at home. Generally there’s two version: one that is a bit drier and sticky, and one that is saucy. The ingredients are the same though, however the technique to achieve a dry and saucy version is different. In northern part of the Philippines where I’m from, we don’t use onions on Chicken or pork adobo. We use onions on other kinds of adobo such as Adobong Kangkong (Water spinach adobo) or Adobong Kabute (Mushroom adobo).
Dodi Ventura
I am from Marikina City Philippines. Our technique for adobo is to cook low heat and simmer the chicken in the vinegar garlic pepper and soy sauce to to make it tender and tasty. Then we braise the chincken in high heat and oil. After it is brown and crispy, we return chicken with fried oil to the original sauce to simmer until tender. Try it, too.
Susan
Here’s a trick to preparing the sauce:
1. In a bowl, mix your marinade - soy, vinegar, black pepper, salt according to your preference/taste. More soy if you want salty; more vinegar for tanginess. Apple cider will give you a full body, coconut vinegar is preferable (Filipino). Do not use white distilled vinegar - no flavor. Salt will wake up the vinegar. I err on salty because I will add water DURING the cooking -about a quarter to half cup. Pour marinade onto chicken and soak for 30 minutes. Add bay leaves at this point.
2. Cook as per instruction - browning is optional. Sauce reduction is also optional.
Notes: It is the same process with pork (belly is best). If you mix w chicken, cook pork first and add chicken halfway OR cook both at the same time and remove chicken when cooked. Adobo is better the following day. Shred leftover adobo and deep fry for crispy adobo flakes.
Tracy
Could I use chicken breast for this recipe? As I have a phobia of bones in food?
By jiminy
A lot of recipes say to add sugar and I must say it is delicious that way! Even up to equal parts vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar. I have no idea if it's authentic but everyone loves it. I also throw in some whole cinnamon, cloves, and star anise along with the peppercorns and they make it even more amazing. A Philippino neighbor liked it so I think it's okay!
Aileen D.
Jimmy your tip about star anise really made this dish amazing!
clare sieberg
I really really love this recipe. I've made it twice already and the leftovers have been even better than when I make it the night of. So cool to learn about different cuisines on this blog, and thanks for the lesson about the garlic! Nice and helpful <3
Nick
Thank you for this website! My wife and I own a Daycare Center. I cook for at least 80 little ones a day and your website is a goldmine for new ideas. They have loved everything I have tried here so far. This is what is on the menu today! I’m sure they will love it!
Maddy
This sounds incredible! Would love to try making it one day!
Lisa
I hope you do! 🙂
priyanka
Wow this looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it.
Thanks for the tip!
Have a great day.
Priyanka
Jen G.
Wow, made this again and I'm so excited to eat. Love love the vinegar and onions in this dish.
Just had some nibbles...it's almost ready!!
Lisa
Yum, you're reminding me that I want to make this soon! Thanks for your note.
Jethro Acosta
Hello saw a show that mentioned adobe, happy stumbled across you recipe....delicious my entire family loved it!!!