Chicken Adobo

4.59 from 325 votes
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Chicken Adobo - crazy delicious Filipino Chicken Adobo recipe made in one pot. Chicken Adobo is a perfect dinner for the entire family.

Chicken Adobo made in one pot.
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Chicken Adobo Recipe

Chicken adobo is one of the most popular Filipino recipes, other than lumpia and pancit.

There are many ways to cook adobo, for example: you can make it with a slow cooker or crock pot chicken adobo, but cooking it on the stove top with a skillet is quick and easy.


What Is Chicken Adobo

Authentic adobo chicken thighs with adobo sauce, ready to serve.

Chicken Adobo is a Filipino chicken recipe that is well loved by many people.

The ingredients are chicken, bay leaves, black peppercorn and bay leaves. You can use any parts of the chicken: breasts, thighs, legs or wings.

I used chicken thighs for this recipe and yields tender, moist, fall-off-the-bone chicken.

You can use a pot, pan, skillet, slow cooker or an Instant Pot to make this recipe.


Adobo

This recipe is from The Adobo Road Cookbook.

It’s an authentic adobo recipe and yields delicious and amazing results. The seasonings consist of soy sauce and Filipino white cane sugar vinegar. You can also use distilled white vinegar.


How To Make The Best And Authentic Filipino Adobo

  • Brown the chicken thighs in the broiler for 3–5 minutes.
  • Use whole black peppercorns.
  • Reduce the sauce until it is almost completely evaporated; the chicken will then begin to fry in its own fat.
  • For more sauce, double the amount of soy sauce and vinegar.

Chicken adobo makes a perfect dish for weeknight dinner as the cooking process is so easy. I just love it that everything gets done in one pot and the ingredients are everyday ingredients that you can get easily in any store.

There is no need to marinate the chicken; the chicken soaks up the sauce while cooking in the pan.


Frequently Asked Questions

How many calories per serving?

This adobo recipe is 332 calories per serving.

Adobo is a popular cooking style in the Philippines with pork or chicken.

What To Serve With Chicken Adobo

This meal is best served with steamed rice. For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.

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4.59 from 325 votes

Chicken Adobo

Chicken Adobo – crazy delicious Filipino chicken adobo recipe made in one pot. Chicken Adobo is an easy dinner for the entire family.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 people
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Ingredients  

  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup white Filipino cane vinegar, or distilled white vinegar
  • 6-8 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of a knife and peeled
  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs

Instructions 

  • Place the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, black peppercorns, and bay leaves in a large, nonreactive sauté pan. Nestle the chicken thighs, skin side down, into the pan.
  • Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Then, cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Turn the chicken over, cover again, and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
  • Uncover the pan and increase the heat to high, bringing the sauce back to a boil. While occasionally turning and basting the chicken, continue boiling the sauce, uncovered, until it reduces by half and thickens slightly, about 5–7 minutes.
  • Serve the chicken with steamed white rice.

Video

Notes

Watch the cooking video on this page for step-by-step guide.
While the sauce is reducing, you may transfer the chicken thighs, skin side up, to a foil-lined sheet pan. Brown the chicken thighs underneath the broiler for 3–5 minutes. Use freshly ground black pepper instead of whole peppercorns.
For a “drier” chicken adobo, you can reduce the sauce until it is almost completely evaporated. The chicken will then begin to fry in its own fat that is still left in the pan.
For a saucier adobo, double the amount of soy sauce and vinegar.
To make this adobo as an appetizer, use 2 lbs (1 kg) of chicken wings instead of thighs.
Recipe Source: The Adobo Road Cookbook.

Nutrition

Serving: 6g, Calories: 332kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 142mg, Sodium: 652mg, Potassium: 339mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 0.2g, Vitamin A: 119IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 24mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Please rate and comment below!

About Rasa Malaysia

Bee is a recipe developer and best-selling cookbook author, sharing easy, quick, and delicious Asian and American recipes since 2006. With a strong following of almost 2 million fans online, her expertise has been featured in major publications, TV and radio programs, and live cooking demos throughout the United States and Asia.

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117 Comments

  1. Judy says:

    Easy and delicious. I love the flavor- any ideas on creating something similar for my vegetarian family?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Hi Judy. You can substitute the chicken with tofu or seitan for a vegetarian option.

  2. Ginny says:

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious! This dish has become a regular rotation for our family. It’s quick, easy to make, and even my pickiest eater loves it. Thank you for sharing!

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      That’s lovely! Thank you for your comment.

  3. essie says:

    can i use rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar in place of the cane vinegar

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Hi Essie. Yes, you can substitute it with rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

  4. Erik says:

    5 stars
    I’m making this as I write. My mom used to make this when I was a kid, but she always added fresh ginger to the recipe, so I used some ginger that my wife grew. I also added a little rough-chopped onion. The grocery store sent me ‘skin off’ thighs, so I added some butter to replace the lost fat. I put in 4 bay leaves, but otherwise, added 1/2 cup of dark soy sauce and 1 cup of distilled white vinegar, the garlic and peppercorns. The smell is heavenly and sure brings back the memories of my childhood. Thanks so much!

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Awesome! I’m very glad that the recipe worked well for you.

  5. Pam says:

    Can chicken breasts be used as I do not eat anything but that?
    Thank you

    1. Bee Yinn Low says:

      Yes, you can use chicken breast.