Description
When your adobo chicken hits the table, everyone knows dinner is going to be special because the sauce clings to each piece with deep, savory flavor that comes from simmering chicken in vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic until it becomes tender and rich. The two techniques that matter most are using both dark and light soy sauce for better balance and letting everything braise low and slow so the chicken absorbs all that goodness without drying out.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 2 lbs chicken
Seasonings and aromatics:
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1 head garlic
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
Cooking liquid and fat:
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil in your pan over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes until it shimmers, then add your minced garlic from 1 head and let it turn golden brown, which takes roughly 1 minute.
- Place your 2 pounds of chicken pieces into the pan and let them cook for about 5 minutes on each side until they develop a light golden color.
- Pour in 1/2 cup of soy sauce and 1/2 cup of vinegar, stirring everything together so your chicken gets coated.
- Add 1 cup of water, 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns, and 3 bay leaves to your pan and increase the heat to bring everything to a boil.
- Once it reaches a boil at around 212 degrees Fahrenheit, reduce your heat to low and let it simmer gently for 30 minutes until your chicken becomes tender when you pierce it with a fork.
- Taste your dish and sprinkle in a pinch more salt or soy sauce if you feel it needs it, then serve your adobo chicken hot straight from the pan.
Notes
- Brown your chicken properly in step 2 because it develops flavor that makes the whole dish taste deeper and richer.
- Don’t skip the simmering time; those 30 minutes let the chicken absorb the soy and vinegar flavors so each piece tastes tender and well-seasoned.
- Taste the sauce before serving and adjust the soy sauce or vinegar based on what your palate prefers, since different brands have varying salt levels.
- For a vegetarian version, replace the chicken with firm tofu or potatoes and reduce simmering time to 15-20 minutes since they cook faster than meat.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Simmered Chicken
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Filipino
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 324 kcal
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 1385 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 1 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 38 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg