How Do You Make Chicken Adobo From Scratch?

If you’re looking for a delicious entree and are interested in branching out into different kinds of cuisines, chicken adobo is an incredible option to consider. Delicious and saucy, chicken adobo is a traditional dish from the Philippines that’s full of flavor and an appealing option for large family gatherings or a simple date night at home with your partner or spouse. While you can use the marinade on seafood and pork, chicken thighs or drumsticks are generally the more traditional option.

As an indigenous dish of the Philippines, it’s important that you follow an authentic Filipino chicken adobo recipe if you’re going to attempt to make chicken adobo at home. For example, without the right vinegar, you’re likely to struggle to recreate the perfect flavor profile. That’s because there are actually a few different types of vinegar that are commonly used in Filipino cooking since vinegar was used to help preserve food and keep it fresh for a longer time amidst the climate of the Philippines. 

Coconut vinegar or cane vinegar are two of the most common options for Filipino adobo, although you can substitute white vinegar or cider vinegar as well. While it’s always good to read up on and follow a good recipe like the one from Happy Feets and Paws, the following tips and tricks will be good to keep in mind as you work to prepare your first batch of Filipino chicken adobo.

Gather your ingredients.

As you can tell from the previous discussion about the different types of vinegar, the ingredients you use to create your Filipino chicken adobo matter. Thus, it’s crucial to get the right ingredients in order to make a dish that truly shines. You’ll want to start with chicken, of course, and many people prepare their adobo chicken with hardboiled eggs and chicken liver as well. Of course, just cooking chicken alone isn’t enough to impart your dish with the delicious flavors adobo is known for. You’ll also want vinegar, garlic, onion, bay leaves, and sugar, too.

Prepare your marinade.

While the above ingredients are important to cooking your adobo, you’ll also want to make sure you have everything on hand for the right marinade. Some ingredients you’ll use in the cooking process as well as in the marinade, while some items you’ll want from the kitchen are just for making the adobo sauce. For example, you’ll want to keep garlic, bay leaves, and vinegar for the marinade as well as cooking, but you’ll also need to use soy sauce (also known as Shoyu), peppercorns, and a medium-sized lemon, too. You’ll want to make sure that your meat gets marinated for at least an hour or overnight before you cook it.

Cook the adobo.

Once you’ve gathered everything and marinated your chicken breast, it’s time to cook your adobo! Start by adding a few tablespoons of cooking oil to a plan and then after heating it up add your chicken. You’ll want to make sure that each side fries for about five or ten minutes in order to ensure that your chicken is partially cooked on each side. 

After you’ve browned the chicken, add the other ingredients to your pan and then put the chicken back in. It may help to use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken, too. For chicken, you’ll want the internal temperature to reach 165 degrees in order to know it’s fully cooked. Another tip to follow when you’re cooking chicken adobo is to make sure that you’re not crowding the pan. Having too many proteins in your pan at the same time can draw the heat and make it take longer to cook your Filipino adobo.