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Chicken Adobo – Pilipino Delicacy

Cooking Method , ,
Cuisine
Courses
Difficulty Intermediate
Time
Prep Time: 30 min Cook Time: 30 min Total Time: 1 hr
Servings 2
Best Season Suitable throughout the year
Description

Chicken Adobo is probably one of the most interesting chicken dishes I have tasted so far. What I love about it is that it is soooo easy to make that I think anybody can try this recipe. Moreover, it has very, very few ingredients and the results are exquisite. It's tangy, salty, sticky, garlicky, sweet - it has everything you need!

Now, I have to tell you something that people on the internet will not tell you about Adobo Chicken - it's incredibly salty! This is why I would recommend you to use low-sodium soy sauce or reduce the quantity with at least 20ml if you don't have one. Otherwise you'll end up with a salty mess which cannot be eaten. But why is there so much soy sauce used?

Due to the tropical climate, Filipino people had to find ways of preserving food years before. If we take a look at the ingredients used in Adobo, we'll notice 3 major elements which are believed to prolong the life of meat: vinegar, black pepper and a lot of salt (soy sauce).

Still, why is it called Adobo? Sounds pretty Spanish, right?

Oh, that's because the Philippines was invaded by the Spanish in the 16th century, a time in which they observed their cooking methods. This is how they named this chicken "Adobo", because that means "marinade" in Spanish.

Ingredients
  • 3 Pieces chicken thighs
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 50 milliliters low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon jaggery/brown sugar
  • 20 milliliters vinegar
  • few black peppercorns
Instructions
  1. Start by marinating the chicken. Add the soy sauce to the chicken,together with the vinegar and 3 garlic cloves. Mariante for 30 minutes or overnight.

  2. After marinating the chicken, heat a pan and sear the chicken on each side for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the pan and start making the sauce.

  3. Add a little bit of oil to the pan and then add the onion. Sautee for 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the remaining marinade, 150 ml of water, sugar and the black pepper and bring to a boil.

  4. Once it starts boiling, add the chicken and cook it for 20 minutes, flipping them on the other side.

  5. After 20 minutes, you are left with a sticky sauce and a juicy chicken. Serve the chicken with steamed jasmine rice, extra black pepper and spring onions. 

    Enjoy!