Chicken Adobo (Filipino-Style Braised Chicken)
Chicken adobo is a classic Filipino dish that's as savory as it is bright with acid, and it goes perfectly with a large platter of garlic fried rice.
Dish: Chicken Adobo
Variant: Filipino-Style Chicken Adobo
- Total time
- 50 min
- Active time
- 5 min
- Yield
- Serves 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Equipment
- 2 required
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Ingredients and Constraints
Ingredients
- Preparation: Thinly Sliced
Ingredient watchpoints6 watchpoints
Short requirements and tradeoffs to check while gathering ingredients; detailed source notes stay expandable.
Canola Oil
1 tablespoon (15ml) canola oil or other neutral oil
The source ingredient row lists alternatives.
Details and source
Acceptable alternatives: other neutral oil
Bay Leaves
2 whole fresh bay leaves (or 3 whole dried bay leaves)
The source ingredient row lists alternatives.
Details and source
Bay Leaves
2 whole fresh bay leaves (or 3 whole dried bay leaves)
The source row includes a form, size, temperature, or preparation detail.
Details and source
Black Peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
The source row includes a form, size, temperature, or preparation detail.
Details and source
Rice Vinegar
1 cup (240ml) rice vinegar (see note)
The source row includes a form, size, temperature, or preparation detail.
Details and source
Steamed white rice or garlic fried rice
Steamed white rice or garlic fried rice , for serving
The source ingredient row lists alternatives.
Details and source
Acceptable alternatives: garlic fried rice; for serving
Additional ingredient notes
Required setup
Equipment
Source video
Source video
Method Timeline
Prep
ActivePrep
5 min
Source Recipe JSON-LD prepTime.
Cook
ActiveCook
45 min
Source Recipe JSON-LD cookTime.
Rest
PassiveRest
Not listed
Source step includes a 30-second rest to allow excess moisture to evaporate.
Finish
ActiveFinish
Not listed
Final serving step and finishing actions from the source directions.
Step 1
In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Blot chicken dry with paper towels, then season lightly all over with salt.
SeasonDutch OvenStep 2
Working in batches if necessary, add chicken pieces to pot in a single layer, skin side down, making sure not to overcrowd the pot. Cook until well browned, 6 to 7 minutes. Using tongs, flip chicken pieces and cook until lightly brown on the second side, about 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.
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Image detailsChicken browning in a Dutch oven for chicken adobo.Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik · Chicken Adobo (Filipino-Style Braised Chicken)Dev reference Checks1
TimingInfoTiming6 to 7 minutes
Target: 6-7 minute
Expected state: Cook until well browned, 6 to 7 minutes.
Inputs and tools3
Uses
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken legs, separated into thighs and drumsticks (about 2 1/2 pounds; 1.15kg)
Equipment
Techniques
Why and source
This step has reviewed source-backed guidance.
Step 3
Add garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns to now-empty pot and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is very fragrant and garlic turns a light golden color, about 30 seconds. Add water and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Add soy sauce and vinegar, return chicken pieces to pot, increase heat to high, and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and tender, about 20 minutes, turning the chicken pieces halfway through.
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Image detailsChicken in a vinegary braising sauce for chicken adobo.Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik · Chicken Adobo (Filipino-Style Braised Chicken)Dev reference Visual cue
until mixture is very fragrant and garlic turns a light golden color, about 30 seconds
Checks2
Visual cueInfoVisualuntil mixture is very fragrant and garlic turns a light golden color, about 30 seconds
Expected state: until mixture is very fragrant and garlic turns a light golden color, about 30 seconds
TimingInfoTimingabout 20 minutes
Target: 20 minute
Expected state: Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and tender, about 20 minutes, turning the chicken pieces halfway through.
Troubleshooting1
CautionBurned Aromatics or EdgesStep 3Burned Aromatics or Edges
Garlic, herbs, or edges taste burned or acrid.
But if you really want to guard against turning your adobo side dish into an acrid mess, you can infuse the cooking oil with garlic first, strain out the perfectly cooked garlic shards, then fry the rice in garlic-infused oil.
Prevention
Then I'd use the braising liquid to deglaze the fond on the bottom of the pot, add back the browned chicken, and, again, simmer it until the chicken was done.
Inputs and tools10
Uses
- 1 cup (240ml) rice vinegar (see note)
- 1 cup (240ml) soy sauce
- 1 1/4 cups (300ml) water
- 1 1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
- 2 whole fresh bay leaves (or 3 whole dried bay leaves)
- 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken legs, separated into thighs and drumsticks (about 2 1/2 pounds; 1.15kg)
Equipment
Techniques
Why and source
This step has reviewed source-backed guidance.
Step 4
To Serve : The chicken is best served after sitting overnight in the refrigerator (see note), but it can also be served immediately, with steamed white rice or (preferably) garlic fried rice. The chicken pieces can also be briefly broiled before serving.
ServeStep 5
To Broil Chicken Adobo: Adjust oven rack to 6 inches below broiler element and preheat broiler to high. Transfer chicken pieces to a paper towel–lined rimmed baking sheet and blot surface with more paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible; discard paper towels. Arrange chicken skin side up on the baking sheet and broil until chicken skin is crispy and lightly charred, about 2 minutes (keep an eye on the chicken to ensure it does not burn). Serve immediately with steamed white rice or (preferably) garlic fried rice, passing adobo sauce at the table.
2 minPreheatRimmed Baking Sheet
Handling and Storage
Reviewed hold, storage, make-ahead, and service-timing guidance.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Because of the salinity and acidity of the sauce, chicken adobo will keep very well in the refrigerator.
In a sealed airtight container, chicken adobo will keep for at least a week and a half in the fridge.
Learn More
Extra cooking notes, tests, and source details kept out of the step-by-step method.
Testing notes
Useful tests and side-by-side notes after the method is clear.
Testing Browning
Even though I do like floppy chicken skin, I have one caveat: Chicken wings cooked using this method, despite being predominantly skin, are made 100% better by a broiling step at the end, which I don't find to be necessarily true of other
Chicken wings adobo is almost an entirely different beast from the thighs and drums because of the way that the vinegary braising liquid transforms the collagen-rich cartilage and skin into a semisolid state.
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Testing Vinegars
As Besa and Dorotan note in Memories of Philippine Kitchens, "Vinegar defines adobo." I believe my parents actually used Heinz distilled white vinegar for their adobo for many, many years, which means, I think, that their adobo was subpar
Up until last year, I used distilled cane vinegar produced by the brand Datu Puti, which is owned by Philippine food company NutriAsia, but I stopped after reading news reports about the company's shoddy labor practices, which inspired a sustained strike by some of the company's workers in 2018. Since NutriAsia also owns the other major brand of distilled cane vinegar in the Philippines, Silver Swan, I decided to start using rice vinegar instead.
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Does Adobo Really Get Better Overnight?
"Bright" can easily veer into "harsh" territory when vinegar is used in excess, but when the adobo sauce is cooked, cooled, and reheated, its acidity becomes more rounded and mellow in a good way, allowing the other flavors in the sauce to
Serving Chicken Adobo
But the absolute best way to serve chicken adobo is with greasy and very garlicky fried rice.
The oiliness of the rice is important, since it helps to provide a little balance to each bite of chicken and sauce. Of course, garlic fried rice is an exceedingly simple preparation, consisting of only three ingredients—garlic, rice, and oil.
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Recipe structure
Components and intermediate outputs created by the method.
Main recipe
Recipe card ingredients and steps.
Serves 4
Extra useful notes
Short source-backed recommendations and facts that do not need a step.
Chicken adobo is improved immensely by being refrigerated overnight, due to the way the cooked vinegar mellows over time.
Chicken adobo is improved immensely by being refrigerated overnight, due to the way the cooked vinegar mellows over time.
Because of the salinity and acidity of the sauce, chicken adobo will keep very well in the refrigerator.
Because of the salinity and acidity of the sauce, chicken adobo will keep very well in the refrigerator. In a sealed airtight container, chicken adobo will keep for at least a week and a half in the fridge.
Recipe Utilities
Account actions, source details, export, and reporting stay available without interrupting the cooking flow.
Source and Origin
Origin declaration
Adapted from source
Imported from the Serious Eats page for dev review.
Copy risk: Unchecked
Chicken Adobo (Filipino-Style Braised Chicken)
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