Chicken

Chicken Adobo with Okra and Sunchokes

by:
May 10, 2012
3.7
3 Ratings
Photo by ivoryhut.com
  • Serves 2-4
Author Notes

This chicken is a real wonder.It fits this 52 $ bill in so many ways! Adobo packs the most punch for the least amount of effort- of any chicken dish I can think of. And cheap? In my book, that means no expensive ingredients.Yep, you start with chicken thighs, a less expensive cut of chicken, and then all you need is vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaves, garlic and black pepper! I am a real acid lover in food, and my favorite thing about this dish is the vinegar punch coupled with the salty depth of the soy sauce , punctuated by the full flavor of mellow cooked garlic, the spiciness of black pepper, and the floral herbiness of the bay leaves. Each batch I make yields extra sauce- which I freeze and add to the next Adobo (like a sourdough starter.) Because the sauce has alot of reduced chicken juices and collagen, each batch of Adobo is increasingly flavorful. The inclusion of okra and sunchokes makes it hit all the nutritional bases , once it is served over rice or another grain.



LeBec Fin

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • canola oil
  • 2 pounds chicken thighs, skin-on, bone- in, trimmed of excess fat pockets and extra skin
  • 1 cup white vinegar *
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/3 cup kikkoman soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
  • 6 bay leaves,cracked
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons cold water
  • 1/2-3/4 pound whole okra pods, washed, optional
  • 1/2 pound sunchokes sliced 1/4 inch thick into rounds, cut in half, optional
  • 1-2 cups cooked grain like short grain brown rice, wheatberries, red qiunoa
Directions
  1. In a pot/pots big enough to hold the chicken in one layer, heat some oil. Beginning with skin side down, sear chicken in a little hot oil til lightly browned on both sides, just a few minutes. Add vinegar through garlic , and, if you choose to use them, okra pods and sunchokes (push them down into the sauce.) Bring to a low simmer, partially cover and cook 15 minutes.(Make sure it doesn't boil.) Taste and add more soy sauce or vinegar as needed for balance.Uncover, turn thighs over, re-cover partially and simmer about 15-30 minutes til chicken is done and clear juices run out of center of meat when pierced with skewer.The meat should easily separate from the bone. Remove chicken, okra and sunchokes from pot and keep tented.
  2. Pour sauce into a fat separating measuring cup and pour the sauce back into the saute pan, discarding the chicken fat left in the bottom of the separator. Sometimes, the sauce will be thick enough at this point, but if not: In a bowl, whisk water into cornstarch until it forms a smooth paste (no lumps.) Add a little more water if paste is too thick. Pour half of paste into pan sauce,whisking to combine thoroughly. Bring to boil, stirring, and turn down to low simmer. Sauce should coat back of spoon; if not, add more cornstarch paste, bring to another boil and turn down to simmer. Remove the chicken skin, add thighs and/or vegetables back into pan and spoon sauce over til chicken is hot. Turn heat off and serve on bed of rice or other grains, with abundant sauce.
  3. *Over the years, I have tried many variations of Adobo, but I prefer the balance of the recipe I have developed here. Fyi, you can substitute cider vinegar or cane vinegar 1 for 1, but sherry and balsamic vinegars are too strong to substitute 1 for 1. Because this is the Philippine national dish, there are thousands of variations. Most recipes use 1:1 vinegar to soy sauce; some use more water; some use coconut milk. The same recipe can also be used with pork chops.
  4. Leftover sauce freezes well and is rich with chicken juices and collagen. It can be re-used in a new batch, adding ingredients as needed or water to thin.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Betty Ann Quirino
    Betty Ann Quirino
  • BoulderGalinTokyo
    BoulderGalinTokyo
  • wssmom
    wssmom
  • LeBec Fin
    LeBec Fin
My eating passions are Japanese, Indian, Mexican; with Italian and French following close behind. Turkish/Arabic/Mediterranean cuisines are my latest culinary fascination. My desert island ABCs are actually 4 Cs: citrus, cumin, cilantro, cardamom, and GARLIC! I am so excited by the level of sophistication that I see on Food52 and hope to contribute recipes that will inspire you like yours do me. I would like to ask a favor of all who do try a recipe of mine > Would you plse review it and tell me truthfully how it worked for you and/or how you think it would be better? I know many times we feel that we don't want to hurt someone's feelings, but. i really do want your honest feedback because it can only help me improve the recipe.Thanks so much.

7 Reviews

JohnL January 3, 2014
I think I learned to make this dish from the Time-Life Good Cook series (Poultry) and one thing they do differently that I very much like is to crisp the chicken skin AFTER it has simmered (first I simmer the chicken until cooked, then remove and pat the chicken dry. Then, in a skillet over plenty of heat, sauté chicken briefly in a little oil until it browns and crisps the skin). Then I drizzle the sauce around My personal touch to put my adobo over the top, I like to garnish it with chunks of fresh pineapple to really set the whole thing off. And sometimes I strew a few sprigs of cilantro around the platter. It looks beautiful the gold pineapple against the dark sauce, the sweet against the tart (my recipe calls for dark soy--1 part dark soy to 4 parts white wine vinegar and no water) and the optional cilantro if you like it adds great flavor bursts and a touch of green. Haven't made this in many years, but I'm getting hungry for it as I type! Thanks for posting and reminding me of this delicious dish.
 
LeBec F. January 4, 2014
john i'm not a pineapple fan but cilantro is heaven for me- great idea!
 
JohnL January 4, 2014
I rarely eat pineapple, but I really like it in Adobo. I also enjoy some pineapple in Chinese Sha Cha Beef. Are you familiar with Bull Head brand barbecue sauce from Taiwan? If you like really bold flavors like adobo, Bull Head sauce will rock your world.
 
Betty A. May 16, 2012
Oh my goodness! I love both mangoes and adobo, the Filipino version! I must make this recipe soon. Thanks for sharing.
 
BoulderGalinTokyo May 11, 2012
Yes, this is a MUST TRY! Just smell the fragrance--although I was surprised to find it doesn't use adobo sauce (silly Colo me).
 
wssmom May 11, 2012
Wow, I must try this!
 
Tarragon May 11, 2012
Yum, this looks great!