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Chicken Adobo is a tangy, salty, sweet, and spicy Filipino dish. This meal is easy to make and requires just a few simple ingredients. It’s sure to become a family favorite!
Chicken Adobo, a Filipino dish, involves braising chicken legs (thighs and/or drumsticks) in a robust mixture of vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and black pepper. Furthermore, the sauce boasts a tangy, salty, garlicky, slightly sweet, and spicy profile. As the chicken simmers slowly in the sauce, it becomes exceptionally flavorful and tender.
Chicken Adobo
Chicken Adobo is the national dish of the Philippines. It can be made with various types of meat, such as chicken, pork, or even seafood, as well as vegetables. It’s great because you can make it to suit your taste!
You can never have too many chicken recipes, and this Chicken Adobo is a keeper! If you’re on the hunt for more easy and delicious chicken recipes, try Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken Casserole, and Jerk Chicken.
Ingredients Needed For Chicken Adobo
The list of ingredients for Chicken Adobo is short, and you likely have most of them in your pantry. Simply whisk together the marinade, let the chicken marinate, and then bake it in the oven! For precise measurements, refer to the recipe card below.
- Bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks: Provides a juicy, tender protein that is the base of his dish.
- Olive oil: Helps coat the chicken and prevent it from sticking.
- White wine vinegar: Tenderizes the chicken and adds an acidic flavor.
- Soy sauce: Gives the dish a delicious umami flavor.
- Minced garlic: Provides a robust flavor that compliments the chicken and other seasonings.
- Brown sugar: The sweetness in the brown sugar compliments the salty soy sauce and acidic vinegar.
- Coarse black pepper: Adds a bit of heat and contributes to the signature flavor of the dish.
- Bay leaves Provide an earthy flavor that enhances the aroma of the dish.
- Diced onion: Adds flavor and texture as it cooks in the sauce.
- Diced green onion: As a garnish, this adds color, flavor, and an aromatic note.
Filipino Chicken Adobo Recipe
Putting together this chicken adobo recipe is simple. You can get everything prepped and ready to go, so that when it’s dinnertime, you can cook up some rice and then dinner is ready!
- Whisk: In a large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, brown sugar, pepper, and bay leaves.
- Marinate: Add the chicken thighs and drumsticks to the marinade and then marinate for 1 hour.
- Brown Chicken: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Using tongs, remove the chicken from the marinade and place it skin-side down in the pan. Save the marinade—do not throw it away! Brown the chicken on both sides, then remove and set aside on a clean plate.
- Saute: Using the same skillet, add the diced onion and saute until tender. Pour in the reserved marinade. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat and then cook for about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.
- Simmer: Return the chicken to the sauce in the skillet. Reduce the heat to low, then cover, and simmer for 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and tender. Simmer until the sauce is reduced to about half the amount.
- Garnish and Serve: Discard the bay leaves. Spoon the sauce over the top of the chicken and garnish with green onions. Then, serve your chicken adobo over rice!
Tips and Variations
When it comes to making this chicken adobo recipe, let me guide you through some tips and variations so you can customize it just the way you love it!
- Chicken: For best results, use chicken thighs or drumsticks. They are more flavorful and tender. If you don’t like the skin, you can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts.
- Vinegar: For a more authentic version, use Sukang Maasim (cane vinegar found in Asian markets). White vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and rice vinegar also work well.
- Garnish: If you like a little kick, then garnish it with sliced jalapenos!
- Thicken the Sauce: If you prefer a thicker sauce, then it’s an easy fix! Combine 1 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Whisk the mixture into the sauce and cook for a few minutes until it thickens.
Storing Leftovers
You are going to love your chicken adobo leftovers. I actually think it tastes even better the next day! Here is how to store your leftovers.
- In the Refrigerator: First, let your chicken cool, then store your leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
More Chicken Recipes
If you love this adobo chicken, then I have some more mouthwatering marinated chicken recipes for you to try!
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Chicken Adobo
Ingredients
- 2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ cup white vinegar
- ¾ cup soy sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons diced green onion, for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, brown sugar, pepper, and bay leaves.
- Add the chicken thighs and drumsticks to the marinade and marinate for 1 hour.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade using tongs and place the chicken skin side down into the pan. Save the marinade, do not throw it away! Brown the chicken on both sides then remove and set them aside on a clean plate.
- Using the same skillet, add the diced onion and saute until tender. Add the reserved marinade to the skillet. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat and cook for about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened.
- Return the chicken to the sauce in the skillet. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and tender. Simmer until the sauce is reduced to about half the amount.
- Discard the bay leaves. Spoon the sauce over the top of the chicken and garnish with green onions. Serve over rice!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I use wings and if so does this change cooking time/directions? Also can I do in the oven? Thanks
Yes you definitely can. You might just want to take a minute or two off of the cooking time since they’re smaller!
Is it possible it use thighs and make in the oven?
I haven’t tried that with this recipe but I’m sure it would work!
You say it is slow simmered in the sauce in the description on top but that is not what the directions say. It is just spooned over at the end. Do you recommend letting it sit in the sauce for a while?
Hello! You let the chicken simmer in the sauce for about 30-35 minutes (step 2 in the instructions). Let me know if you have any more questions and how it turns out!
Our family has a “go to” recipe for Adobo after living in the Philippines. Every time I see an Adobe recipe I’m game for making to balance against an indigenous recipe. I doubled the sauce based on the comments and only used half the jalapeno. This is a GREAT go-to for Adobo on a work night.
Overall this recipe is very good. After we made it we wished we had twice as much sauce. Next time we will double the sauce recipe.
Wonderful. I used boneless skinless chicken breast and omitted the jalapeno because my wife isn’t too big on bone-in, skin-on chicken or spicy things (bummer, I know) but it still was amazing. Wonderful tangy, salty flavors with a deep umami punch. The slight amount of sugar gives it just the right amount of a sweet undertone to balance things out. What an absolute gem.
typically for a chicken adobo peppers are not in the dish. makes it too spicy. i usually do a chicken/pork version.
Certainly adobo is a simple recipe, however, there are slight nuances that improve the outcome. This proved to be the best recipe I have tried. Right amount of vinegar to soy sauce. Brown sugar added was great. The thickening of the sauce was perfect for the rice side. My wife loved the sauce so much she saved and added it to her tofu. if the We loved it.
This was amazing! My family tore this up tonight! I didn’t add as many jalapeños peppers because I have a 9 and 6 year old who aren’t really into spicy foods. I served this with steamed white rice and steamed broccoli. Definitely a hit tonight! Thanks so much for the recipe! ❤️
this looks good and delicious easy too.will definitely try this version…im a filipino and yes we do add brown sugar..but not with the jalapeno.
This is the best Chicken Adobo I’ve ever made/tasted! ( And being a Filipino I have eaten a lot of Adobos).
I also like putting sugar in my adobo, looks so yummy 😊
Traditional Filipino adobo does not use sugar nor hot peppers. However, adobo is not restrictive: you’re allowed to modify as you wish, just don’t call it Filipino adobo.
I eat my adobo dipped in vinegar; with garlic fried rice or adobo fried rice (stir-fry cooked plain rice in drained adobo pan). Dried fried fish or adobo water spinach goes well with it.
Now I’m salivating. Dang!
Plenty of filipinos add sugar to their adobos. I know some people don’t but it’s not uncommon.
Chilis commonly aren’t added.
But this recipe definitely is ” Filipino Adobo”.
🙂
I grew up in a Filipino-American household. I’ve never seen Adobo made like this before, with the brown sugar and peppers. Can’t wait to try it!
Rosemarie!
I am so excited for you to give this a try! I know you will love this also! Thanks for follow along with me!