Chicken Adobo. A delicious tender braised chicken dish with a garlicky soy vinegar sauce that is savoury and tangy.
Easy & Ready in 30 minutes!
My chicken adobo recipe is easy to make and only requires 8 ingredients! It’s the type of dish where you throw everything in a pot or pan to set it and forget it! I will show you how to cook chicken adobo with visuals and a video below.
No marinating time required
There is no marinating time required in this recipe! It will only take 30 minutes!
What does chicken adobo taste like?
The chicken thighs are so juicy and tender because they are seared and simmered in a delicious brown sauce over low heat. The soy and vinegar sauce with the black peppercorns, onion and garlic give this dish its signature savoury tangy garlicky taste.
Popular in the Philippines
This homemade chicken adobo is popular in the Philippines and pairs deliciously with steamed rice and leafy greens. Chicken adobo and rice is probably one of the most iconic dishes in Filipino cuisine. It's so widely popular for good reason because it's simple, delicious yet the flavours really hit the spot thanks to the salty tangy taste.
What is Adobo Chicken made of?
This basic chicken adobo recipe is made of bone in chicken thighs (or drumsticks), soy sauce, vinegar, lots of garlic, black peppercorns, bay leaves and onions. The onions are not traditional but offer incredible flavour so I highly recommend adding.
Ingredients of Chicken Adobo
For this recipe, you’ll need the following chicken adobo ingredients:
- skin-on bone in chicken thighs
- regular soy sauce
- white vinegar
- garlic
- whole black peppercorns
- bay leaves
- yellow onion
- vegetable oil, any neutral tasting oil
How to make Chicken Adobo
Below are brief steps with visuals to show you how to make easy chicken adobo recipe. Please scroll down to the recipe card below to find full instructions and details.
In a pan or pot set over medium heat, add oil. Followed by sliced onions and cook until translucent.
Move the onions aside and place chicken thighs skin side down. Allow the skin to brown, about 3-5 minutes. Do not constantly move the chicken around or it won't brown well.
Pour in soy sauce, garlic, black peppercorns, bay leaves and lastly white vinegar. Do not feel the need to mix the sauce, as the bubbling action will do that for you.
Bring to a boil. Then cover and reduce to a rolling simmer or low-medium heat for 10 minutes.
Uncover the lid and flip the chicken over so the skin is facing up. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Uncover the lid and continue to simmer for 3-5 minutes so the sauce can thicken a bit. Remove off heat to serve & enjoy!
Cooking Tips
Below are tips on making the best chicken adobo recipe:
Use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
This will offer the best and deepest flavour to this dish thanks to the skin and bone.
Onions are not traditional but highly recommended
Onions are not traditional to this dish but they offer such an incredible flavour that I always add some.
Brown the chicken skin first
When you brown the chicken first, this gives the chicken skin more flavour especially when it’s cooked with the onions.
No need to mix sauce after pouring in vinegar
After I pour in the vinegar, I do not mix the vinegar into the soy sauce. The bubbling action will do the job for you.
Flip chicken over mid way
This allows for the chicken to be evenly cooked and marinated in flavour, on both sides without disintegrating the skin.
FAQ
Below are frequently asked questions about this Filipino chicken adobo:
Is adobo Filipino or Mexican?
It is Filipino.
Can I use dark or light soy sauce in replacement?
No, dark or light soy sauce won’t be salty enough for this recipe. Please use regular soy sauce.
Can I use chicken drumsticks?
Yes!
Other recipes you may like!
If you enjoyed my Filipino chicken adobo recipe, you may like these recipes:
Soy Hoisin Chicken Thighs
Dakbokkeumtang Korean Chicken Stew
Soy Maple Glazed Chicken
Chinese Five Spicy Honey Chicken
Chinese Chicken Potato Stew
Try it!
Well, I hope you give my Chicken Adobo a try! It always excites me when you make my recipes and I hope this is one you try and most importantly, enjoy.
Sharing is caring
If you enjoyed my homemade chicken adobo recipe, please share it with your family and friends or on social media! Take a picture of your re-creation and make sure to tag me @ChristieAtHome in your feed or stories as I would love to see it!
Did you enjoy it?
If you genuinely enjoyed my recipe, please leave a 5-star review. I would greatly appreciate it 🙂
Take care,
Christie
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Easy Tender Chicken Adobo
Ingredients
- 4 skin-on bone in chicken thighs
- ¼ cup regular soy sauce not light or dark soy sauce
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 1 ½ tbsp garlic minced
- ½ tsp whole black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ yellow onion sliced
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil any neutral tasting oil
Instructions
- In a 8-inch pan or medium size pot set over medium heat, add oil. Once oil is hot, add onions and cook until translucent.
- Move the onions aside and place chicken thighs skin side down. Allow the skin to brown. Do not move the chicken after it hits the pan, this will prevent your chicken from properly browning.
- Pour in soy sauce, garlic, black peppercorns, bay leaves and lastly white vinegar. Do not mix the sauce - the bubbling action will do that for you.
- Bring to a boil. Then cover and reduce low-medium heat or a rolling simmer for 10 minutes.
- Uncover the lid and flip the chicken over so the skin is facing up. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Uncover the lid and continue to simmer for 3-5 minutes so the sauce can thicken a bit. Remove off heat to serve & enjoy!
NOTES
Wow this was so good and easy to make. I had it with some rice and leafy greens as suggest and it really hit the spot.
What an absolutely delicious dinner idea! I've never heard of chicken Abodo until now, but it looks like it has a great combination of ingredients and flavors. Thanks for sharing this!
The chicken look SO tender Christie! It will be a big hit at my house, thanks for sharing!
I love how this dish takes hardly any prep... and the flavors are dynamite! It's the perfect chicken dinner for a busy weeknight.
Incredibly delicious and so easy! I’ve never had success cooking bone in thighs but this recipe is practically fool proof! I was skeptical that just soy sauce and white vinegar could make a tasty sauce, but it turned out to be one of the best things I’ve ever made! I chopped rather than minced the garlic (recipe says minced but video shows chopped) and served with rice and broccoli. The onions become deliciously jammy and the chicken is tender and juicy. Can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow!
Thank you so much Emma for your kind review! I'm so happy you enjoyed my recipe! It's amazing how sometimes less is more when it comes to food 🙂 Have a lovely day!
Thank you for easy adobo recipe. Awesome for a handicap with disabilities because everything was well written and so easy to follow 🤗
Thanks for making my recipe Edessa, so glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Happy my recipe was easy to follow.