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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Recipe Rating





117 Comments

  1. Shawna Kinsman says:

    If you can get the Filipino cane sugar vinegar you should. It turns out much better than regular distilled white vinegar. I found Flipino vinegar with hot peppers in the bottle. It adds just a hint of spiciness, yummm!

    1. Bee Yinn Low says:

      Sounds good.

  2. Smiley face says:

    Just made this recipe
    It was very good and
    Different thanks for sharing
    I will be making this again

    1. Bee Yinn Low says:

      Awesome

  3. BobB says:

    It’s a 5 star …not that it is exceptional gourmet …but it’s a delicious meal everyone at the table will enjoy …and, it’s easy to make.

    I think I will be making this routinely (maybe with some variations.) Highly recommended!

    Thanks again for another wonderful recipe Bee!

    BobB (aka Roberto)

    1. Bee Yinn Low says:

      Thanks!

  4. Voxdeo Ibrado says:

    5 stars
    Even though I know how to cook adobo, it always amazes me to see all these “marinate the meat recipes”, this is an authentic one and I was very pleased to see, that there still are people who pass on the authentic recipe.

  5. Jackie says:

    Chicken adobo was a fan favorite in my house growing up. My mother is from Cebu, City. I have learned to cook some of my favorite Filipino recipes from being in the kitchen with her. You and my mom cook this dish the same exact way and it’s absolutely delicious. My mom has passed away but her memory and good food lives on. It’s so nice to see others embrace their culture and share with others too.

  6. Kathleen says:

    I grew up eating adobo as a regular meal in mom’s rotation but didn’t appreciate it as a child, My grandfather taught mom to cook. He immigrated from the Philippines as a young man. I added a dash of fresh grated ginger and I was back in his kitchen. I LOVE the particular blend of sweet, sour and salty that Filipino food offers. What more could you ask for?! Thank you so much for the recipe. Can’t wait to try your Pancit.

    1. Admin says:

      Thanks for your support.

  7. Fiona Cordingley says:

    Thanks for the great recipe. It is so tasty and easy to make, especially on busy work days! I double the amount of soy sauce (low sodium) and vinegar because we like more sauce. This is a regular meal now in our home :)

    1. Admin says:

      Thanks!

  8. Maria Soor says:

    Hi Rasa,
    My German mom cooked lots of Asian dishes for my Filipino stepdad. In her adobo, she used more soy sauce, a bit less white vinegar, a bit of sugar to balance the vinegar, ground allspice and then added water to cover the meat (along with the garlic, pepper, bay leaves). This was cooked at high heat until the liquid boiled down to leave a good amount of rich sauce. I have tried it without the sugar and allspice, but much prefer it with. Would that be a specific, regional dish with those added ingredients as they are not included in any of the adobo recipes I have seen?

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Hi Maria, I am not sure but whichever you love the best. Your version sounds amazing!

  9. Dana says:

    Absolutely delicious, fixed this for dinner tonight and we enjoyed the tender chicken so much. First time I have eaten this dish and will make it soon again.

    1. Rasa Malaysia says:

      Awesome!

  10. Khayri R.R. Woulfe says:

    Recommended to eat chicken adobo with more sauce to reduce its oil. Also try adding oranges and chocolate.