Easy Chicken Adobo

My first, and fortunate, taste of home cooked Filipino food was prepared by my friend, Erlinda, about 25 years ago.  She and her husband, Amador, are skilled in their kitchen, and over the years I’ve enjoyed their lovingly prepared dishes.

Just ask me sometime about a fond memory of a potluck Sunday brunch with their Filipino friends I had the pleasure to attend during a visit with them.  I still think about the papaya and red pepper pickles their pastor brought to the feast.  He achieved the vinegar-sweet-spicy profile that made for a perfect condiment for pretty much everything I loaded onto my plate.

Chicken Adobo is one of the most popular of Filipino dishes, and there are as many variations as there are cooks.  It’s no wonder as the relatively few ingredients pack a punch of flavor, and many are pantry staples.  In a few short minutes you can assemble the marinade/sauce ingredients, add chicken pieces, and be on your way to a meal fit for weeknights or special occasions.

I love the soy sauce-vinegar-garlicky flavors, punctuated by plenty of bay leaves, black pepper and a bit of chile heat.  What my taste buds are not so fond of are overly sweet versions. The beauty of this simple recipe is you can easily adjust the ingredients to your liking.

For the most satisfying outcome, do use your favorite brands/styles of soy sauce and vinegar.  If you like the taste in other uses, it will be fine here. If you know you’re sensitive to salt, dial back on the soy sauce, or use a low-sodium version.  Similarly, if the notion of vinegar sends you into a pucker, reduce the amount, or choose a milder style such as rice vinegar.  Similarly, go on down the line of the short list and adapt away!

A concern I hear often about chicken adobo is its high salty or vinegar taste.  One of the ways I avoid this is to limit how much I reduce the braising liquid to make the sauce.  Obviously reducing the sauce concentrates the flavors, a good thing.  But too much and savory quickly heads towards too salty.

And here’s a bonus:  This recipe scales beautifully if cooking for a crowd! Just switch the stove top braising to a 350* F oven.  For best results I would keep the chicken pieces in one layer.  Using whole, bone-in chicken thighs will be a saving grace as they are very tolerant of long cooking times as well as reheating, if preparing in advance.

I adapted this from local Berkeley-ite, Kate Williams

Easy Chicken Adobo

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Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  

• 6 whole chicken thighs bone-in and with skin
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup vinegar distilled white, rice, or apple-cider variety
• 1/ 4 cup fresh garlic coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon neutral flavored oil sunflower, peanut, etc.
• 3 whole bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 whole serrano or jalapeno pepper minced for the marinade, to taste
• 2 stalks fresh green onions sliced for garnish

Instructions

 

• Prepare the marinade/sauce by combining all ingredients in a large, non-reactive bowl (glass or stainless steel). Stir to mix well. Add the chicken pieces and mix to ensure the chicken pieces are completely coated in marinade. Return to the refrigerator and marinate at least two hours, stirring to redistribute the marinade at the midway point of total marinating time.
• When ready to cook, select a wide, shallow pan or deep skillet that has a tight-fitting lid. Transfer the chicken to the pan skin side down, then add the remaining marinade. Add enough water if needed to bring the liquid to at least a 1/ 4 to 1/ 3-inch depth.  
• Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, then cover and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes. Turn the chicken over and then cover and simmer for another 10 minutes.
• Uncover the pan, increase the heat to high, and return the sauce to a boil. While occasionally turning and basting the chicken, continue boiling the sauce, uncovered, until it is reduced by about half and thickens so that it will coat the chicken; bout 5 – 7 minutes.
• Here I add a quick, extra step to crisp the chicken skin. Place the chicken, skin-side up, on a foil-lined sheet pan. Broil for 3 – 5 minutes. Watch it closely, taking care to avoid burning. Time under the broiler will depend on how close to the broiler, and how intense the heat.  
• Garnish with sliced green onions and sliced jalapeno peppers, to taste.

  Serve the chicken and the sauce with steamed rice.