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Chicken Adobo is a classic and very popular Filipino dish. It's a flavorful mix of salty, sour, and savory from soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and black peppercorns.

Here is a traditional-style recipe for Chicken Adobo:

Filipino Chicken Adobo

This recipe is simple, savory, and tangy, which are the hallmarks of classic adobo. Using chicken thighs helps keep the meat juicy.

Prep time: 15 minutes (plus optional marinating)

Cook time: 40-50 minutes6

Servings: 4-67

Ingredients

• 2.5 lbs (about 1.2 kg) bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks work best)
• ½ cup soy sauce (low-sodium preferred)
• ½ cup white vinegar (Filipino cane vinegar or regular white vinegar)
• ½ cup water or chicken stock
• 1 whole head of garlic, cloves peeled and smashed or minced (about 8-12 cloves)
• 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
• 3-4 dried bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon oil (vegetable or canola)
• 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar (optional, for balance/glaze)

Instructions

1. Sear the Chicken (Optional but Recommended for Flavor)

• Pat the chicken pieces very dry with paper towels.
• Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• Sear the chicken pieces in batches, skin-side down first, until the skin is golden brown and crisp (about 3-5 minutes per side).
• Remove the browned chicken and set aside, leaving any oil/fat in the pot.

2. Make the Adobo Base

• Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the garlic to the pot and sauté for about 30 seconds until fragrant, being careful not to burn it.
• Add the soy sauce, vinegar, water/stock, whole black peppercorns, and bay leaves to the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil. Crucially, after adding the vinegar, DO NOT STIR immediately. Let it come to a full boil without stirring; this allows the harsh acidity of the vinegar to cook off.
• Once boiling, you can stir to combine the sauce.

3. Simmer the Adobo

• Return the seared chicken pieces to the pot. The liquid should partially submerge the chicken; add a splash more water if necessary.
• Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is very tender.

4. Reduce the Sauce and Finish

• Remove the lid. If the sauce is too thin, increase the heat to medium-high and let the sauce boil and reduce for another 10-15 minutes, or until it thickens to a syrupy glaze.
• At this stage, stir in the optional brown sugar to balance the flavors and help with the glaze.
• Taste the sauce and adjust the balance if needed: add a little more vinegar for tang, or a splash more soy sauce for saltiness.

5. Serve

• Discard the bay leaves. Serve the chicken adobo hot, spooning the thick, flavorful sauce over the chicken and a generous amount of plain steamed white rice.

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Tips & Variations

• Marinating: While this recipe skips a long marinade in favor of searing and simmering, you can marinate the chicken in the soy sauce, vinegar, crushed garlic, and peppercorns for 1 hour or even overnight for a deeper flavor. If you marinate, you can skip the initial garlic sauté and use the marinade liquid as the sauce base.
• Chicken Cuts: While dark meat is recommended, you can use bone-in, skinless pieces, or even boneless skinless thighs (reduce the simmering time slightly).
• Dry Adobo: For a drier, more glazed finish, cook the sauce down even further until it almost completely coats the chicken.
• Coconut Milk: For a creamier, richer sauce, some regional variations add coconut milk. You can substitute half of the water/stock with unsweetened coconut milk for the last 15-20 minutes of simmering.