Filipino Chicken Adobo is the national dish of the Philippines and may well become your new favourite Asian chicken dish! Just a few everyday ingredients I can practically guarantee you already have, it’s an effortless recipe that yields juicy, tender chicken coated in a sweet savoury glaze with little pops of heat from peppercorns.
This is a chicken thigh recipe and it MUST be made with thighs – no substituting with chicken breast!
Filipino Chicken Adobo
Filipino Chicken Adobo is one of the first chicken thigh recipes I shared way back in 2015 when I started this website. Back then, I boldly stated that this was my new favourite Asian chicken recipe even it was thoroughly disloyal of me to say that, being of Japanese background and all (Teriyaki, Karaage and Yakitori….to name a few….).
To be honest, I may have embellished a wee bit. Blinded by the excitement of discovering Chicken Adobo, how unbelievably easy it is for a dish that yields such incredible flavour,
Check out how sticky the sauce is! It truly tastes as incredible as it looks. And it’s SO EASY with just a HANDFUL of ingredients!
What you need
Filipino Chicken Adobo is the national dish of the Philippines and like all traditional dishes, there are many variations – including using different proteins like pork and beef.
Fundamentally though, the key is the right balance of soy sauce, vinegar, black peppercorns and sugar that creates an incredibly sticky glaze with a depth of flavour like it’s been slow cooked – but it’s not!
boneless skinless chicken thighs – cannot substitute with breast, need the fat to transform sauce into a glaze;
soy sauce – all purpose or light soy sauce. NOT dark soy sauce (bottle will be labelled as such if it’s dark soy sauce);
white vinegar – just everyday, plain white vinegar. Sub with any clear vinegar, including rice wine, apple cider, sherry vinegar. Vinegars can vary in their acidity, so if using substitutes start with less (see recipe notes);
onion and garlic;
peppercorns – or coarse cracked pepper;
sugar – brown best, white ok;
bay leaves – fresh or dried, not the end of the world if you don’t have; and
green onion – optional garnish
How to make Filipino Chicken Adobo
And here’s how to make it. Basically, you marinate the chicken briefly, sear the chicken, then simmer it in the pan with the marinade for 25 minutes. It will look watery right up until the last few minutes, then all of a sudden, the liquid transforms magically into a syrupy glaze!
What Chicken Adobo tastes like
The glaze of Filipino Chicken Adobo is savoury and sweet with a hint of tang, with a distinct soy flavour. The garlic and onion creates a savoury base along with the bay leaves, and the peppercorns add little subtle pops of heat.
Don’t be afraid of the peppercorns in this! The spiciness is tempered from both the cooking time and the strength of the flavour of the sauce so it becomes a flavour enhancer rather than fiery spiciness.
And finally, the chicken itself. It’s incredibly tender, owing to the cook time. Chicken thighs only take about 6 to 8 minutes to cook on the stove, so simmering them in sauce for 25 minutes yields thighs that are so tender inside, it’s like you’ve slow cooked them for hours.
What to serve with Chicken Adobo
Rice to soak up the sauce is essential! Though if you’re counting calories, I can highly recommend Cauliflower Rice – pictured in the first photo in the post alongside Smashed Cucumbers for a seriously delicious dinner plate clocking in at a grand total of just 415 calories.
You may not use all the sauce this Filipino Chicken Adobo recipe makes. It is quite strong, so have a taste before dousing your entire plate with it.
As you can see in the photos, I do not hold back. 😂 – Nagi x
PS If you do have leftover sauce, don’t throw it out! That stuff is GOLD. I use it to make Filipino Chicken Adobo fried rice – just fry up cooked rice with chopped up pieces of this chicken, some chopped Asian greens and the sauce. The sauce is so flavoursome that you don’t need anything else!
Watch how to make it
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Filipino Chicken Adobo (Flavour Kapow!)
Ingredients
Chicken and Marinade
- 750g / 1.5 lb chicken thigh fillets , boneless and skinless (5 – 6 pieces) (Note 1)
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/3 cup (85ml) soy sauce , ordinary all purpose or light (not dark soy sauce, Note 2)
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp white vinegar , see Note 3
- 4 bay leaves (fresh) or 3 dried
For cooking
- 2 tbsp oil , separated (vegetable, canola or peanut)
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 small brown onion , diced
- 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) water
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp whole black pepper (sub 2 tsp coarse cracked pepper)
Serving:
- 2 green onions/scallions , sliced (garnish)
Instructions
- Combine Chicken and Marinade ingredients in a bowl. Marinate for at least 20 minutes, or up to overnight.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet over high heat. Remove chicken from marinade (reserve marinade) and place in the pan. Sear both sides until browned – about 1 minute on each side. Do not cook the chicken all the way through.
- Remove chicken skillet and set aside.
- Heat the remaining oil in skillet. Add garlic and onion, cook 1 1/2 minutes.
- Add the reserved marinade, water, sugar and black pepper. Bring it to a simmer then turn heat down to medium high. Simmer 5 minutes.
- Add chicken smooth side down. Simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes (no need to stir), turning chicken at around 15 minutes, until the sauce reduces down to a thick jam-like syrup.
- If the sauce isn't thick enough, remove chicken onto a plate and let the sauce simmer by itself – it will thicken much quicker – then return chicken to the skillet to coat in the glaze.
- Coat chicken in glaze then serve over rice. Pictured in post as a healthy dinner plate (415 calories) with cauliflower rice and Ginger Smashed Cucumbers.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published February 2015. Updated January 2019 with brand new photos, step photos, video and most importantly, Life of Dozer section added!!
Life of Dozer
Dozer started 2019 the same way as he finished it – in the POOL!!
Cooked this tonight. Both my husband and I loved the flavours. I managed to reduce the sauce but could not get it to caramelise. I subbed white vinegar with white wine vinegar so not sure if that was where I went wrong. Nonetheless, it tasted really good. Will cook it again. Thanks Nagi.
Hi Kim, just try a slightly higher heat and reduce the sauce for slightly longer 🙂 N x
This chicken is just amazing. so full of flavour!
I’m so glad you love it Julie! N x
Hi, I love your recipes and all of them have been delicious and a repeat in our household dinner menus. I saw this recipe and would love to try, But wanted to see if I could use Tamari sauce as a substitute or will it not be the same? Thank you 😊
Hi Sheryl, yes I imagine it will work exactly the same – I hope you try it and love it! N x
Thanks Nagi, we used Tamari and still super delicious!! We love all of your recipes always so tasty! x
I made this tonight and I’m not sure what happened, but the sauce never got sticky. It wasn’t even getting thick, so I added a bit of cornstarch/water to thicken up just a little. I had doubled the recipe to have extra sauce, but maybe I shouldn’t have? I made your smashed cucumbers, too – those are really good. Love the dressing!
Hi, I want to make this recipe but I only have chicken legs. How can I change the recipe to make this work?
Hi Nicole, legs as in the drumsticks or Maryland cut?
drumsticks
Hello,
As a 50% Filipino living in Boston, I grew up eating my mothers delicious adobo chicken. The problem was, I could never replicate my mothers dish (mom is responsible for the previously mentioned 50%) and I tried many times, only to be reminded by my wonderful family it was clearly not my mothers. I had my doubts when I saw this recipe, but thought I would give it a try. It came out fantastic. I was still reminded that it “was not Gramma”, but was told it was my best attempt yet. The sugar was a different twist, but I thought it worked well ( I may go a bit lighter on the sugar next time). My next challenge is to do it again and invite my mother over!
Hi Nagi! I want to double this recipe for my family of 6 (large appetites!). Can I cut the thighs into pieces before marinating and then follow the recipe cooking it in one large pot? Hope you are well, stay safe.
Sure can Nathan, I hope you love it!
Lordy this was amazing! Only problem was the lack of leftovers 😂 Another one for regular rotation. Thanks Nagi!
I know this problem all too well! N x
We just had it for dinner it’s very tasty. This would be my permanent recipe for chicken adobo..
I’m so glad you loved it Remi!! N x
Hi there! Sorry if it’s been asked and answered, but if I’m using chicken drumsticks instead, should I add 2 1/4 cups of water (1 1/2 the recipe calls for + 3/4 you said to add) or should I just put 3/4 cup of water? Thank you!
WOW! This recipe is so good! So much flavour and so easy to cook! Highly Recommended!
Thanks so much for the great feedback Mark! N x
Who would have thought imparting so much flavor on chicken would be so easy and fast? I let it marinate for only the 20 min instead of overnight and it was still very flavorful. What a delicious, simple way to make chicken. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
Hi, this looks delicious! Would red wine vinegar work as a sub for the white vinegar?
Hi Deb, cidar vinegar or rice wine vinegar would be a better sub here – N x
Thank you for sharing your recipes. Can I use chicken breast instead?
Hey Nagi!
Planning to make this tomorrow! Does cooking the chicken thighs in the sauce for so long not dry out the chicken?
Btw, I’ve LOVED every recipe of yours that I tried. You’re the best!!
Hi Roma, I talk about this in the recipe notes – N x
Hi Nagi,
Used chicken thighs 🙂 As always, your recipe is a winner. Hubby and son liked it, just need to let the sauce simmer next time.
Thanks again.
Such a quick meal yet so delicious. I was scared that the vinegar and soy sauce were too much but turned out GREAT
Wahoo, I’m so glad you stuck with it Shifa! It’s definitely meant to have a big flavour punch! N x
Can you substitute soy sauce with something else? For people with soy allergy?
Hi Arpita, coconut aminos are the best sub for soy sauce if you have a soy allergy and can’t have Tamari 🙂 N x
This is now our go to adobo recipe ! Thank you !
I love hearing this Arlene, thanks so much!! N x
I just wanted to include a rating since I forgot to with my last comment
Thanks so much Trenton! N x
I love this recipe. I’ve made it probably 6-7 times and am making it a regular in my cooking.
I’m so glad you love it!! N x
If I’m using bone in thighs does that mean add an additional 3/4 cup of water to recipe or instead of the 1 1/2 cups?