Fry

Filipino chicken adobo

January  1, 2010
5
1 Ratings
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

My New Year's cooking resolution is to reach back to my roots and cook at least one Filipino dish a week. So I'll start with one of my favorites: chicken adobo. One tip from my mother -- that I have not confirmed, scientifically -- is that once you've started heating the mixture, make sure not to stir the mixture until it has come to a boil. She says that the 'raw' taste of the vinegar will then burn off, making the vinegar flavor more mellow. I believe her. —crispywaffle

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Ingredients
  • 2 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (I like dark meat)
  • 1 cup palm vinegar or cider vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce (a light one like Kikkoman, not ‘Soy Superior’)
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
  • 5-6 whole cloves of garlic (I like to smash them slightly with the side of a knife)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions
  1. Combine and stir all the ingredients in a non-reactive pot or Dutch oven. Bring the whole thing to a simmer over medium heat. Do not stir the mixture, cover and simmer over medium low until the meat is cooked through, about 30 minutes for dark meat.
  2. When the meat is cooked through, remove it from the pot. Turn the pot with the sauce in it to medium high, and boil until the sauce reduces by about half and is quite thick. Remove from heat.
  3. Meanwhile, heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium high heat in a large saucepan. Add the chicken. If you have a splatter screen, use it. You can also cover it and just lift the lid when you need to turn the chicken pieces. Fry until they are crispy golden brown all over.
  4. Remove the chicken to a serving platter. You can either pour the sauce over directly, or use a strainer to strain out the bay leaves, garlic and peppercorns. Serve with steamed white rice.

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2 Reviews

janet.antene March 10, 2014
I like to experiment with different vinegars, too!
Jong November 19, 2010
try to add some coffee