Filipino Chicken Adobo, Prep 5min - Cook 42min - Serves 4-6

Filipino Chicken Adobo,
Prep 5min - Cook 42min - Serves 4-6


This recipe for Filipino adobo is salty, vinegary, and incredibly easy to make. It’s also a great jumping-off point for making a version of your own that your whole family will adore. 

Why You’ll Love It

• Browning the chicken in the pan first adds an extra savory flavor to the finished adobo. It’s a step that many other recipes skip, but trust me — it’s 100% worth it.

• Toasting the garlic, bay leaves, and black peppercorns in the fat left in the pan helps release their flavors and allows them to permeate the sauce. Again, more flavor!

• Oyster sauce is what sets this recipe for Filipino adobo apart — it adds body and an umami-rich flavor that’ll make you want to use up every last bit of the sauce. 

• The skin is actually crispy! Because chicken adobo is simmered, you usually lose out on crispiness. I solve this by broiling it quickly. 
  

Key Ingredients in Filipino Adobo

• Chicken. I’m partial to chicken drumsticks in my Filipino adobo (it’s how I mostly ate it when I was growing up), but it’s equally great with bone-in chicken thighs. You can go all in on one or the other, or use a mix. 

• Seasonings. Garlic, dried bay leaves, and whole black peppercorns form the flavorful foundation of this dish. I call for 5 cloves of garlic here, but it’s really just a starting point. The same goes for the bay leaves and black peppercorns — you can always add in more. 

• Soy Sauce. The addition of soy sauce makes this version of adobo (known as Adobong Itim or black adobo) the one most people are familiar with. I keep Silver Swan soy sauce, a Filipino brand, on hand primarily for making adobo. It’s thinner in body, darker in color, and tastes just like home. 

• Vinegar. Similar to my preference in soy sauce, I recommend using cane vinegar when making adobo. It’s the most commonly used vinegar in the Philippines. Made from fermented sugarcane syrup, its mild flavor perfectly complements the adobo. 

How to Make Filipino Adobo

1. Sear the chicken. Pat your choice of meat dry with paper towels, season with salt, then sear in a Dutch oven (or large heavy-bottomed pot) until browned all over. Transfer chicken to a plate. 

2. Make the adobo. Toast garlic cloves, dried bay leaves, and whole peppercorns in the residual oil, then add water, soy sauce, cane vinegar, and oyster sauce, scraping any brown bits on the bottom. Return chicken to the pot and simmer until cooked through. 

3. Broil the chicken. Place the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil until browned. 

4. Serve with rice. Pile rice onto a plate, add a chicken piece or two, then drench everything with sauce.