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Filipino chicken adobo with white steamed rice on a plate, surrounded by dried bay leaves, peppercorns and bulb of garlic
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Adobong Manok (Chicken Adobo)

Scrumptious and effortless, this chicken adobo recipe has a heavenly sweet and savoury flavour profile that will have your taste buds dancing.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Marinate Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Filipino
Author: Shena

Ingredients

Chicken & Marinade

  • 2 lbs / 1 kg chicken pieces
  • ½ cup soy sauce 125ml
  • 2 tablespoons sugarcane vinegar 30ml
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 pieces dried bay leaves

For Cooking

  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil separated (15ml x2)
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 cup water 250ml
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar heaped
  • 1 teaspoon whole peppercorn
  • 2 tablespoons sugarcane vinegar 30ml

Instructions

Chicken & Marinade

  • Combine chicken, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and dried bay leaves in a large bowl. Mix well. Cover tightly and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.

Cooking Method

  • Heat 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a pot.
  • Remove the chicken from the marinade and place into the pot.
  • Sear chicken pieces on both sides, for 1 minute each. Don’t cook chicken all the way through. Reserve the marinade.
  • Remove chicken from the pot and set aside onto a plate or in a bowl.
  • Heat the remaining oil (1 tbsp) in the same pot.
  • Add onions and garlic. Saute for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
  • Place the chicken back into the pot and add the reserved marinade.
  • Add water, brown sugar and whole peppercorns.
  • Turn the heat up to high, cover the pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes.
  • Turn the heat down and simmer covered for 20 minutes or until the chicken becomes tender.
  • Add vinegar.
  • Stir and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
  • Turn the heat off.
  • Serve hot with steamed rice.

Notes

  • The longer you marinate the chicken, the better and more intensified the luscious adobo flavour will be. I usually like to marinate it overnight. However, if you’re short on time, you can get away with a 20 minute marinate. The flavour will just not be as bold.
  • Traditionally, chicken drumsticks and wings are used for this recipe. However, I like to use chicken thighs best. The fats in the chicken thighs adds another layer to the flavour profile and makes for a juicier and more tender chicken.
  • Again, traditionally regular all purpose soy sauce is used for this recipe. However, if you or your family members have allergies or sensitivities to wheat like we do, you can easily substitute it for  a gluten-free version. Two of my favourites are Kikkoman Gluten-Free Soy Sauce and San-J Tamari Gluten-Free Soy Sauce.