Chicken Adobo. A delicious tender braised chicken dish with a garlicky soy vinegar sauce that is savory and tangy made with everyday ingredients. Great as a main dish. Ready in 30 minutes!
What is Chicken Adobo?
Chicken adobo is a delicious tangy, savoury Filipino chicken dish. The tender chicken is cooked in a soy vinegar sauce with aromatics and I love serving it over steamed rice with veggies. The dish originates from the Philippines. The word "adobo" is derived from the Spanish word "adobar", which means "marinade" or "sauce" in English. When the Spanish came to the Philippines in 1521, they observed the Filipinos preserving and marinating their meat in vinegar in claypots and they decided to call this technique "adobo". Hence the name "chicken adobo". It's now an iconic dish in the Philippines. I absolutely adore this Filipino dish as it pairs so amazingly with steamed rice, especially with that tangy savory sauce. I often make this when I have some bone-in skin on chicken thighs.
Ingredients
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Skin-on Bone-in Chicken thighs: I highly recommend dark meat bone-in chicken with skin on. This yields tender chicken pieces.
- You may also use boneless skinless chicken thighs or bone-in chicken like chicken drumsticks or chicken legs.
- If you use chicken breasts, please only cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 F and allow the residual heat to carryover the cooking process.
- Neutral oil: any flavorless oil like avocado oil, peanut oil, grapeseed oil, vegetable oil or canola oil. I would avoid using olive oil due to its heavier scent.
- Yellow onion, white onion, or red onion
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce of your choice.
- White vinegar, cane vinegar or coconut vinegar for a more authentic taste: You may also substitute with rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar as a last resort.
- Garlic: Filipinos like to add lots of garlic to this dish for flavorful chicken.
- Black whole peppercorns: This is one of the key flavoring ingredients for this simple recipe. It is iconic to Filipino Adobo.
- Bay leaves: Adding a bay leaf is another signature ingredient to this dish. It adds a subtle bitter flavor to help prevent a dish from tasting too heavy.
How to make Chicken Adobo
Cook Onions
On your stove top bring a large skillet or large dutch oven to medium heat, add oil. Followed by sliced onions and cook until translucent.
Brown the Chicken
Move the onions aside and place chicken thighs skin side down. Allow the skin to sear until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. The best way to brown chicken is to not touch it after you place it in the pan. If you constantly move the chicken around, it won't brown well.
Add Seasoning
Pour in soy sauce, garlic, black peppercorns, bay leaves and lastly white vinegar. For best results, do not stir the sauce as this prevents the acid from fully evaporating. This is a tip that I learned.
Simmer the Chicken
Bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Then cover and reduce to a rolling simmer or low-medium heat for 10 minutes.
Flip Chicken Over
Uncover the lid and flip the chicken over so the skin is facing up.
Finish Cooking the Chicken & Simmer Sauce
Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes.
Uncover the lid and continue to simmer for 3-5 minutes so the sauce can thicken a little bit. Remove off heat to serve & enjoy!
Storage & Reheating
This dish will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Leftovers taste even better the next day as the sauce really soaks into the meat.
To reheat this dish, reheat on the stove top in a pan over medium heat until the chicken is hot through. You may add some water to help loosen the sauce. Or you can microwave the dish for 2-3 minutes until hot.
Expert 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 flavor to this dish, thanks to the skin and bone. Also, dark meat is often juicier and more tender than white breast meat.
- Brown the chicken skin first. When you brown the chicken first, this gives the chicken skin more flavor especially when it’s cooked with the onions. To ensure you get a nice browning on the skin, after placing the thighs skin side down, do not move it around. Moving it around will prevent your skin from browning properly.
- Do not mix the sauce. After pouring in the vinegar, do not stir the vinegar into the soy sauce. The bubbling action will do the job for you. In fact, many Filipino households advise this tip as it helps to burn off the acid in the vinegar in the bottom of the pot. If you mix the sauce, it could create different results.
FAQ & Substitutions
Can I marinate the chicken beforehand?
Yes, if you wish, marinate the meat night before in the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and black peppercorns for additional flavor. When you go to cook the chicken, brown the chicken first as instructed and then pour the reserved marinade into the pan and add the remaining ingredients.
Substitutes for Soy Sauce
If you're gluten-free or prefer not to use soy sauce, feel free to use other alternatives such as tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce of your choice. I would not suggest substituting with fish sauce as it has a different profile and it's fishier.
Substitutes for White Vinegar
If you don't have white vinegar, these other vinegars can work as a replacement:
- cane vinegar
- coconut vinegar
- apple cider vinegar
- rice vinegar
I would not suggest replacing with balsamic, red or black vinegar.
Can I make this dish spicy?
Yes, this can be a spicy dish by adding some red pepper flakes, red chili flakes or chili peppers. I would suggest starting with ½ teaspoon and add more as needed at the end after your sauce has simmered.
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Tender Chicken Adobo
Ingredients
- 4 skin-on bone in chicken thighs
- ¼ cup regular soy sauce
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoon garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ yellow onion sliced
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil any neutral tasting oil
Instructions
- In a medium size pan, around 8-inches, on 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 for a few minutes. 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. For best results, do not stir the sauce as this prevents the acid from fully evaporating. (At this point, the sauce will taste very tangy due to the vinegar, but be patient and allow the following simmering process create a tasty well balanced sauce).
- 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!
Suggested Equipment & Products
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Linda
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.
Kat Gloves
This was the fastest, easiest AND tastiest chicken dish I've ever made.... for my Filipino friend. He was really impressed... and so was everyone! Thanks so much!
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Kat! So glad you and your Filipino friend enjoyed it!
Never Ending Journeys
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!
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
The chicken look SO tender Christie! It will be a big hit at my house, thanks for sharing!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
I love how this dish takes hardly any prep... and the flavors are dynamite! It's the perfect chicken dinner for a busy weeknight.
Emma
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!
christieathome
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!
Edessa
Thank you for easy adobo recipe. Awesome for a handicap with disabilities because everything was well written and so easy to follow 🤗
christieathome
Thanks for making my recipe Edessa, so glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Happy my recipe was easy to follow.
Ann
Hi Christie, I have only had light or dark soy sauce.May I know what is regular soy sauce?
christieathome
Hi Ann, regular soy sauce is your all-purpose soy sauce that doesn't indicate the words "dark", "light" on the label. It's usually labelled as "Soy Sauce". The one by Kikkoman or Yamasa are great. You can also sub with low sodium soy sauce to taste after the sauce has reduced. Hope this helps!
Rick
I've had chicken adobo many times, several times IN the Philippines.
This delicious recipe took me back to Manila!! For such a simple dish it sure delivers a powerful punch in the taste department.
Thank you Christie for sharing this amazing recipe with us!!
Rick
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe Rick! I am really really happy to read my recipe takes your back to Manila! That is music to my hears. Have a lovely day!
Laura
I made this it came out nice I thought it still had a slight acidic taste even though I didn’t mix it, very nice 8.5/10.
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Laura! Yes, this dish traditionally has a tangy acidic taste but if you prefer it more savoury, you can add equal parts soy sauce and vinegar and that should help make it more savory than tangy.
Alyssa
Perfect recipe, just how my Grandma used to make it.
christieathome
Thanks for making my recipe, Alyssa!! So glad you enjoyed it and that it tastes like how your Grandmother used to make it!
Joseph
really good, fast, simple recipe! coming from a filipino
christieathome
Thanks for making my recipe, Joseph 🙂 Happy to hear it's approved!
Alison
Will make again! Tasty easy to make... awesome..
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Alison! So glad you enjoyed it!
Bounty
I tried your chicken adobo recipe it was nice thanks
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Bounty! Glad you enjoyed it!
Vanessa Retuta
Is there no water to be added?
christieathome
Correct, it's not necessary.
Hilary O'Donnell
This is so simple and very tasty. Thanks Christie!
christieathome
The pleasure is all mine Hilary! Thanks so much for making my recipe and glad you enjoyed it!
Toni
Easy and perfect! I grew up in a neighborhood where all my teen/tween friends made this at home before their parents came home from work as a part of their daily chores. I doubled the sauce for my husband who likes to pour a lot on his rice!
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for this kind review, Toni! Loved reading personal connection you have to this dish 🙂
Wanjiku
Loved the recipe and it was pretty easy to follow. Thank you so much!
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe and glad to hear that it was easy to make 🙂
Tom
I cooked it. It's very good.
christieathome
Thanks so much for leaving a positive review, so glad you enjoyed it Tom!