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Savory delicious Filipino Chicken Adobo is so simple! Made with common pantry ingredients, this is the perfect dish for busy days, the depth of flavor may just amaze you!
Sometimes the simple things are the best! That is the case with this classic Filipino dish- simple ingredients that deliver incredible flavor.
Boneless skinless chicken thighs are the best choice for Chicken Adobo. The thighs marinate in a simple vinegar soy marinade along with garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaves. The chicken is browned, and then the marinade is poured back in and simmered until reduced into a delicious syrupy glaze. Savory umami flavor with a delicious tanginess and hint of sweetness.
Table of Contents
What we love about this!
One of the many things we love about this Chicken Adobo is that it makes excellent leftovers, even eaten cold; very convenient to tuck into wraps, or add to salads or sandwiches.
This Chicken Adobo pairs perfectly with Asian Cucumber Salad and Jasmine Rice. Such a satisfying dinner; we think you will crave it often!
Ingredients In Chicken Adobo
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken thighs– Thighs are the way to go in this dish. We use skinless and boneless for ease. As they simmer in the marinade, they just get more tender and juicy. You could cook bone-in legs and thighs.
- Vinegar– white vinegar, white wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar all work. The flavor may slightly differ but not in a major way.
- Maple syrup– or use brown sugar, coconut sugar, or something with that caramelly note is good.
- Peppercorns– these are added whole! They soften and disperse flavor while cooking. When you bite into them, they just give a slight spice. Fun!
- Chili pepper– not traditional but gives such a nice balance to the salty, sour, and sweet flavors.
- See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How To Make Chicken Adobo
STEP ONE– In a shallow bowl mix together vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and maple syrup. Add chicken and let marinate for 1-3 hours.
STEP TWO– Heat up a pan with just enough oil to coat the bottom. Drain the chicken, reserving the marinade, brown the chicken in the hot pan about 3 minutes per side.
STEP THREE– Add the reserve marinade back into the pan. If using a chili pepper add that in. Simmer the chicken in marinade uncovered until it almost completely reduces, about 15-20 minutes. The chicken will be dark and glazed.
Top with green onions and serve!
Chicken Adobo FAQS
Chicken thighs marinated in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, black pepper and bay leaves. Then it is browned and simmered in the marinade.
Derived from the Spanish word adobar, meaning marinade or pickling sauce, this tangy sauce was first recorded in 1613 when the Spanish first explored the Philippines.
This is where the magic of the chicken thighs comes in; the longer they cook, the more tender they get.
What To Serve With Chicken Adobo
More Recipes You May Enjoy
We are excited for you to try this chicken! Let us know what you think.
Enjoy, 💛Tonia
Love this recipe? Please let us know in the comments and leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below the recipe card.
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Chicken Adobo
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
- Category: main, chicken
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Filipino
Description
Savory and tangy with a hint of sweet, Chicken Adobo is quick and easy to make, and bursting with flavor! Perfect for weeknight dinners.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs, skinless and boneless
- 1/4 cup white vinegar (see notes)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed or finely minced
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoons black peppercorns or 1/2 teaspoon coarse ground pepper.
- 1 tablespoons maple syrup or use brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 Fresno chili pepper or jalapeño, sliced thin or use pepper flakes
- 2 green onions, sliced for garnish
Instructions
- In a shallow bowl mix together vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns and maple syrup. Add chicken and let marinate for 1-3 hours.
- Drain the chicken, reserving the marinade. Heat up a pan with just enough oil to coat the bottom., brown the chicken in the hot pan about 3 minutes per side.
- Add the reserve marinade back into the pan. If using a chili pepper add that in. Simmer the chicken in marinade uncovered until it almost completely reduces, about 15-20 minutes, more if needed. The chicken will be dark and glazed.
- Serve with green onions.
Notes
Chicken Adobo pairs so perfectly with Asian Cucumber Salad and Jasmine Rice.
White vinegar, white wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar all work. The flavor may sightly differ but not in a major way.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 large thigh
- Calories: 113
- Sugar: 4.9 g
- Sodium: 475.1 mg
- Fat: 2.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 9.1 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 12.8 g
- Cholesterol: 52.5 mg
Keywords: chicken adobo, chicken adobo recipe, adobo chicken, filipino chicken, filipino chicken recipe, filipino adobo
Cooking for Two: 2~7oz thighs skinned but bone-in. Per recipe and served with Silvia’s Pinto Beans (Chipotle in Adobo variant) with rice. A match made in heaven!
★★★★★
Perfect Jim!
Made with cubed firm tofu and it was great!
★★★★★
Oh cool Laren! Thanks for sharing.
Delicious!! The subtle flavors for the bay leaves and peppercorns + added spice from jalapeno is excellent. Will be adding this to regular cooking routine!
★★★★★
So happy you enjoyed!
My (picky) 14-year-old son gave it a 9.8, which is hard to come by. My husband said it’s definitely in the top 10 of meals I’ve ever made. I did the cucumber salad and jasmine rice as suggested. Simple, easy ingredients, perfect for a weeknight.
★★★★★
Awesome- great to hear! Glad everyone enjoyed it!
Made as written and all I can say is HOW?! How on earth does every recipe on this site make us swoon?! Seriously. 10/5 stars. Highly recommend. Might double the sauce next time so we can slop it on the rice too. Amazing, thank you!
★★★★★
Haha 🥰 so nice to hear this Carolin! Good idea on the sauce.
I have not made this yet – looks delicious – may I sub Coconut aminos for the soy sauce? Thank you!
Yes, you may want to omit the maple syrup.
A suggestion for chicken Adobo.
Thighs should be boneless otherwise its impossible to brown both sides.
I’m 91 and I optimistically save many of your delicious sounding recipes but I know, full well, that I will probably never have the energy to prepare them. But when I do I enjoy every mouthful. Thank you.
Thank you Sheila!
Oh wow – I cannot wait to make this. My mouth is watering just looking at the photos. I love all your recipes – they are so easy to follow and so creative. I’ve made quite a few of them. Thank you!!!
Thanks so much Donna! Let us know how you like it.
Do you slice/crush the garlic, or put it in whole? Thank you.
Oh thanks Caroline, crushed or finely minced. I noted the recipe.:)