If you want a tasty, comforting dinner that’s easy to make, try this Chicken Adobo recipe. This classic Filipino dish uses simple pantry ingredients and gives you juicy, tender chicken in a savory, tangy, and slightly sweet sauce that goes great with rice.
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This recipe is one of our favorites because it’s full of flavor and easy to make. It also fills your kitchen with a wonderful smell as it cooks.
How to make chicken adobo
First, gather your ingredients.
Ingredients
For best taste, always use the highest quality ingredients you have access to.
To make this chicken adobo recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
- Bone-in chicken (a mix of thighs and drumsticks), excess fat trimmed
- Kosher salt
- Garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- Dried bay leaves
- Whole black peppercorns
- Low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
- Distilled white vinegar
- Honey
- Worcestershire sauce
- Avocado oil
- Yellow onion, thinly sliced
- Water
- Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
- Cooked white rice, for serving
There are plenty of ways to customize this Chicken Adobo to fit your tastes or dietary needs. You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer something leaner or quicker to cook. For a gluten-free option, stick with tamari in place of soy sauce. No honey? Try using maple syrup or brown sugar instead. If you’re out of distilled white vinegar, apple cider vinegar will work in a pinch. And while avocado oil adds a nice neutral base, any cooking oil you have on hand will work. Want it spicier? Add a sliced chili or a pinch of red pepper flakes to the marinade.
Cooking chicken adobo
Chicken adobo is a simple recipe that can be made in just a few steps. Here is how to make it.
First, make the marinade. In a large zip-top bag or container, mix the salt, smashed garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, and Worcestershire sauce.
Add the chicken, seal the bag, and gently turn it to coat the chicken.
Put the bag in a 9×13-inch pan to catch any leaks, then lay it flat in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Flip the bag halfway through marinating. If you have time, marinate overnight for the best flavor.
Next, remove the chicken from the marinade, but keep the marinade for later. Heat avocado oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, place the chicken skin-side down and sear for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden and crispy. Flip and cook the other side for 2 minutes.
Then transfer the chicken to a platter.
Add the sliced onions to the same pan and cook until tender, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the reserved marinade, including the garlic and bay leaves, along with the water. Let it come to a simmer and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits from the bottom.
Return the chicken to the pan, skin side down. Bring it back to a simmer, then lower the heat, cover, and cook for another 10 minutes.
Remove the lid, flip the chicken so the skin faces up, and simmer, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (165°F to 175°F).
Take out the bay leaves, turn off the heat, and sprinkle some scallions on top.
Leftovers
Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Always use common sense and good judgment when it comes to leftovers, though! If something looks or smells funky, don’t eat it.
I hope y’all enjoy this chicken adobo recipe! Let me know if you try it.
More Chicken Thigh Recipes
- Crock Pot Chicken Thighs
- Grilled Chicken Thighs
- Baked Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Parmesan Crusted Chicken Thighs
- Braised Chicken Thighs
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Chicken Adobo
If you're looking for a flavorful, comforting dinner that doesn't require a ton of effort, you're going to love this Chicken Adobo recipe!
Ingredients
- 3 pounds bone-in chicken combination of thighs and drumsticks, excess fat trimmed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
- Cooked white rice for serving
Instructions
- In a gallon zip-top bag or large pan, combine the salt, smashed garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Add the chicken to the bag, squeeze out excess air, and move everything around so the chicken is coated in the sauce.
- Place the sealed bag on one side inside a pan (a 9×13 works well) and refrigerate for 2 hours, flipping halfway through so the chicken marinates evenly. You can also marinate overnight.
- Remove the marinated chicken from the fridge.
- Heat a large skillet with high sides over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat for 1 minute.
- Add the chicken pieces without the liquid, reserving the marinade. Place skin side down and cook for 8–10 minutes until golden and crisp. Flip and cook for 2 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a plate.
- Add the sliced onions to the empty pan and sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- Pour the reserved marinade, including the garlic and bay leaves, into the pan along with the water. Bring to a simmer and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Return the chicken to the pan, skin side down. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce to low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
- Uncover the pan and flip the chicken so the skin side is facing up. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 15–20 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165–175°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves, and sprinkle with sliced scallions.
- Serve with white rice and plenty of sauce.
Recipe Notes
Most recipes use white or brown sugar, but this version uses honey.
Chicken adobo is traditionally made with whole peppercorns. If you prefer, lightly crush them before adding.
Marinating overnight gives the best flavor if you have the time.
Use the widest large skillet you have so the chicken cooks in an even layer.
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