Another Filipino food recipe, Adobo is the most popular dish among Filipinos I would say, both in the Philippines and abroad. It is, for many of us, a taste of home and although the name was taken from Spanish (as many Filipino words are), the cooking method is 100% Filipino. At the moment it is only considered the 'unofficial' national dish of the Philippines but measures have already been taken to make it official.
Adobo does not only taste good and easy to cook, it is also a practical dish as it keeps well for days even without putting it in the fridge (and for weeks if you do). And in the old days most households do not own a fridge and with the warm temperature it is easy for food to spoil, thus, cooking Adobo has become so common in every home and each one has their own version of it. Different kinds of meat, like pork, chicken, fish, seafood and even some vegetables can be cooked Adobo style, and the one constant ingredient is vinegar. Some ingredients also vary depending on one's preference or mood.
This recipe of Chicken Adobo, which is the more common than using other meat, is one of the version I learned from my Mama and is the one I prefer the most. Mostly because I love garlic and I also like my Adobo cooked longer than the sauce has really thickened and mostly absorbed by the meat.
Chicken Adobo (with Garlic)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken - cut into parts
- ½ cup coconut vinegar
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 medium onion - sliced
- 4 pieces bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorn
- 6 cloves garlic - minced
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
Instructions
- In a pot, combine all except the last two ingredients. Place the pot on the stove and cover with lid. Bring to boil at medium heat for about 20 minutes or until the meat is tender.
- Remove the meat from the pot and let the sauce simmer for a few minutes more (about 10 minutes) until the sauce is reduced to half.
- In a pan or skillet, sauté garlic in hot oil until browned and crisp. Add the chicken meat (without the sauce) and sear for a few minutes (about 2-3 minutes). Add the reduced sauce and simmer for another minute or two or until it get thicker.
- Transfer Chicken Adobo in serving plate and sprinkle with the roasted garlic if desired. Serve with hot steamed rice.
Hi, Bebs! If I want to make chicken and pork adobo, what would be the ideal cooking time in the pot? I compared your pork and chicken adobo recipes and I noticed that pork is supposed to cook longer in the pot. Is it gonna ruin the chicken if I cook it for the same amount as the pork?
That is correct, either you cook them together and take the chicken out once they are cooked thru and let the pork cook further, or add the chicken once the pork is almost tender.
Your adobo version is the best so far, taste like mum’s cooking. Feels like home. Thank u very much for sharing!
Awww...that is so nice of you to say, Tin!
I am new to cooking. And I'm really grateful I stumbled upon your site. I like how you simplified and made it easy to cook even for newbie like me. My wife loved every dish that I had tried from here. And I felt more encouraged to cook some more. I hope to see more recipes from you. Keep it up! God bless! Thank you so much! 😊
Thanks for the nice comment, Jarret. Glad that you are liking our recipes and there are lots here for you to try and a lot more to come.
Love LOVE the Filipino recipes of yours, appreciate you sharing 🙂
Do you have any more desserts, especially with cocoa - chocolate?
Hi Juls, have you tried the Champorado? I also have a recipe of Chocolate Crinkles.
Coconut vinegar is not available in my place, can I ask for a substitute of this?
You can use any vinegar actually. It will give a different flavor of course but it should be fine.
Oh my... this is soooo delicious. am craaaavvviiinnnggg 😀 Basta pagkaing Pinoy masarap 😀
I agree, Marion! Just had it yesterday and already missing it!
Hi, do you use the same measurements for adobong kangkong & adobong sitaw? Ty.
Hi Rachel, assuming that you are also adding pork (1/4 kilo), you may use the same measurements reducing the water to 1/2 cup. But the procedure is slightly different. You cook the pork first in oil until browned then add the liquids. Let it simmer until meat is tender and you add your string beans/sitaw or kangkong.