Filipino Chicken Adobo Recipe

A light pink plate with a cooked chicken leg in a dark sauce next to a serving of white rice and garnished with sliced green onions and a lime wedge.

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Filipino Chicken Adobo Recipe

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!

Prep Time5

Cook Time35

Inactive Time1

Total Time1 40

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Filipino

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: Servings

Author: Melissa Guevara

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!

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.

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