This Filipino chicken adobo is tangy and slightly sweet with a deep, rich sauce that is perfect served over rice and enjoyed by the entire family. The chicken drumsticks are marinated and then slowly stewed on the stovetop, so there isn’t a whole lot of hands-on cooking required here either, which is always a plus!
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This native dish of the Philippines truly tastes like a piece of home, and like all Filipino stews, it delivers on warmth and comfort. If I ask my husband what he wants for a special meal, I can guarantee his response is going to be adobo 100% of the time. It’s his favorite dish of any kind, and this Filipino chicken adobo is no exception. It’s tangy and slightly sweet with a deep, rich sauce that is perfect served over rice and enjoyed by the entire family.
Adobo (when referring to this traditional dish from the Philippines) essentially means “to marinate,” and that’s exactly what you’ll do here with this Filipino Chicken Adobo. The marinade gets simply prepared with staples you likely already have in your pantry, like soy sauce and vinegar, plus a few more fresh ingredients, then slowly stewed with the chicken on the stove for the most tender and flavorful piece of meat. One of the things I love most about Filipino dishes, aside from the fact that they are incredibly tasty and steeped in tradition, is that they are so easy to make!
Looking for more Filipino dinner recipes? Be sure to check out our chicken arroz caldo recipe for the yummiest, good-for-the-soul comfort food you’ve ever had and our pancit noodles recipe for a quick weeknight dinner.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s easy – this meal is incredibly easy to make, which is always a huge plus in my book. Though it isn’t super quick, it requires very little hands-on time.
- It’s so delicious – there isn’t anything quite like the tangy, sweet, rich sauce that these drumsticks marinate and then stew in. Paired with white rice, it’s a simple, delicious meal!
- It’s family-friendly – this meal is always a crowd-pleaser, and we can guarantee that even the pickiest of eaters are going to love it.
Filipino Chicken Adobo Recipe Ingredients
All you’ll need here are ingredients for the marinade/sauce, chicken drumsticks, and, if you’re planning on serving alongside rice, your favorite white bag of white rice. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Soy sauce and vinegar – we highly recommend grabbing this soy sauce and vinegar combo pack from Amazon (if you can’t find the brand at your local grocery store). They’re traditional Filipino brands and make a difference in the taste of the finished dish!
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
- Use ketchup instead of brown sugar – feel free to swap a 1/4 cup of ketchup in for the brown sugar, if you’d like.
- Add more brown sugar – if you use regular white vinegar (vs. this traditional Filipino cane vinegar), you’ll want to use 2 tablespoons of brown sugar instead of 1 to get the same level of sweetness.
- Use a different cut of chicken – though not traditionally used, this recipe can also be made with chicken breasts or thighs. The recipe instructions remain the same!
How to Make Filipino Chicken Adobo
This recipe is incredibly easy to make! Follow along below for the full how-to.
Step 1: Combine the chicken, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, onion, brown sugar, bay leaves, and peppercorns in a bag and marinate for 1-3 hours.
Step 2: Heat a medium to large pot with a lid over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon neutral oil to the pot. Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade (reserve the marinade) and place in pan. Brown for 2 minutes per side.
Step 3: Pour the marinade into the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Step 4: Serve over white rice and garnish with green onions and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Use authentic ingredients – I mentioned this above, but it’s definitely worth calling out here too. I highly recommend grabbing this Datu Puti cane vinegar and soy sauce combo pack for the most authentic, traditional representation of this chicken adobo.
- Cook in the slow cooker – if you want to make this recipe in the slow cooker, go for it! This isn’t the traditional way of making it, but it’ll absolutely work. You’ll still want to marinate the drumsticks and brown them on the stovetop, but instead of letting the meat stew on the stovetop, you can transfer the browned drumsticks and marinade to the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.
How to Serve
Serve your chicken adobo over white rice and garnished with green onions! It’s simple and delicious. If you want to add a green veggie, you can absolutely add steamed green beans or steamed broccoli, but the most traditional way to enjoy the chicken is just alongside simple white rice.
How to Store and Reheat
Store any leftover chicken adobo in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To reheat, either pop a serving (of both rice and chicken) in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or heat your rice up separately and reheat the chicken adobo on the stovetop over medium heat for 8-10 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
This authentic Filipino adobo sauce is made with soy sauce, cane vinegar, lots of garlic, onion, brown sugar, bay leaves, and black peppercorns.
Filipino chicken adobo is savory, slightly sweet, and has a bit of tang. It’s an incredibly rich sauce that becomes almost glaze-like after stewing on the stovetop.
More Favorite Chicken Recipes
If you tried this Filipino Chicken Adobo or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Filipino Chicken Adobo Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken drumsticks
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup cane vinegar, can also use white vinegar, but see note below
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 bay leaves
- ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- White rice, for serving
- Green onions, sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Combine the chicken, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, onion, brown sugar, bay leaves, and peppercorns in a bag and marinate for 1-3 hours.
- Heat a medium to large pot with a lid over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon neutral oil to the pot.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade (reserve the marinade) and place in pan. Brown for 2 minutes per side.
- Pour the marinade into the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Serve over white rice and garnish with green onions and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
-
- Add more brown sugar – if you use regular white vinegar (vs. this traditional Filipino cane vinegar), you’ll want to use 2 tablespoons of brown sugar instead of 1 to get the same level of sweetness.
- Use ketchup instead of brown sugar – feel free to swap a 1/4 cup of ketchup in for the brown sugar, if you’d like.
-
- Use a different cut of chicken – though not traditionally used, this recipe can also be made with chicken breasts or thighs. The recipe instructions remain the same!
- Use authentic ingredients – I highly recommend grabbing this Datu Puti cane vinegar and soy sauce combo pack for the most authentic, traditional representation of this chicken adobo.
- Cook in the slow cooker – if you want to make this recipe in the slow cooker, go for it! This isn’t the traditional way of making it, but it’ll absolutely work. You’ll still want to marinate the drumsticks and brown them on the stovetop, but instead of letting the meat stew on the stovetop, you can transfer the browned drumsticks and marinade to the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours.
Nutrition
