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Chicken Adobo

Chicken Adobo is the national cuisine of the Philippines and might become your new favourite Asian chicken meal! With only a few common ingredients that I'm almost certain you already have, this simple recipe provides juicy, delicate chicken covered in a sweet flavourful glaze with small flashes of heat from peppercorns.
Prep Time10 minutes
Active Time45 minutes
Marinate time20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: dinner
Cuisine: asian
Keyword: Chicken Adobo
Yield: 4

Materials

  • 3 bay leaves
  • 4 tsp whole black peppercorns
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1.5 lbs bone-in/skin-on chicken thighs and 1.5lbs skin-on chicken wings/drumettes
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup shoyu soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup lager beer
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 5 garlic cloves peeled and smashed

Instructions

  • Place a dutch oven over med heat and toast the bay leaves and peppercorns until fragrant and the bay leaves have a nice sheen(3-4min).
  • Remove spices and crush 3/4 of the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle.
  • Pour the oil in the dutch oven and brown chicken in batches, skin side down, until golden brown and fat has rendered (6-8min).
  • Wiggle chicken from time to time to make sure the skin doesn't stick. Place all the chicken on a plate as you work the batches. Once done, pour out all but 1 tbsp of oil.
  • Return the pot to the stovetop over low heat and pour in the vinegar, shoyu, beer, brown sugar, garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add the chicken and any juices and move heat to med-high, to bring to a low boil. Lower the heat to med-low, cover and cook for 45min, flipping the chicken halfway through.
  • Remove the lid and simmer for 15min. Remove the chicken and place skin-side up on a baking sheet.
  • Turn the heat to high and let the sauce reduce to half (5-6min).