Cast Iron
Chicken Adobo with Rice
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52 Reviews
currybradshaw
April 15, 2020
I think either the salt or the soy sauce, otherwise, it's too salty. I've revised this recipe with one of either but not both. Ruins the taste if the chicken is way too salty. Broth generated is amazing though.
jstew52
May 24, 2018
Really tasty. I've not had this before. Cooked the thighs like duck - start in cold pan skin side down for about 30 mins. Best crispy skin ever! Ate that separately from rest of the dish.
Linda D.
April 22, 2018
Thank you, Jackie, we loved this simple and savory dish. I did not change a thing.
Jimmy J.
January 5, 2018
I live in the Philippines and this traditional recipe sucks. It's too salty and acidic, but for filipinos, they will eat it with tons of white rice. I use 1/3 cup of soy sauce and a 1/4 cup of vinegar. Then I throw in a can of coconut milk to balance it out. My filipina GF loves my adobo.
maam
January 22, 2017
Loved this... so easy and very inexpensive. The 2 different kinds of black pepper really made the dish. I used low sodium soy sauce and it wasn't too salty. I added a chopped green pepper to the rice in the last 5 minutes of cooking to add some vegetables with ease. Great combo will definitely make again.
HalfPint
February 25, 2016
Just wanted to comment on the saltiness of this dish. A lot of dishes from this area of the world (Southeast Asia-ish) are purposely more salty than they need to be because they tend to be served with rice. A lot of rice. It stretches the dish to generously feed a lot of people with a small amount of meat. In the end, the sauce is diluted when mixed with a bowl of rice and the saltiness is just right. Just my two cents.
hemptonv
November 30, 2015
Suuuuuper salty. I wouldn't recommend salting chicken beforehand. I will say this however, it's much better after a day or two in the fridge. Next time, I would only do 1/4 c. Soy. Thinking I would add the other 1/4c with balsamic. Just a thought.
Idalu
October 28, 2015
Delicious super easy recipe. There is no need to add salt, the peppercorn adds a je ne sais quoi so be generous.
chocolat
August 1, 2015
Made this just now for lunch. This is my first major chicken dish. It's amazing! Thanks :*
mike
May 29, 2015
if you dont finish all the chicken, you can try what i do. i get the leftovers out of the fridge in the morning, use a fork to debone meat, shred the meat , then using about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, i "re-fry" the chicken until all the juices dry up and the meat gets brown and crispy. Perfect with garlic fried rice and sunny side up eggs for breakfast.
Transcendancing
May 23, 2015
This was tangy and full of umami and delicious! I made a double batch for having people over for dinner, and didn't double the soy, added a little extra water and some extra garlic. It was delicious :)
BobM
March 25, 2015
Despite all other rave reviews, to me, this tasted like chicken braised in soy sauce, vinegar and water. I used skinless chicken breasts: could that variation have made all the difference between what others clearly love, and what I could barely eat?
Jordan
March 25, 2015
Possibly. Browning the chicken skin and then deglazing the pan not only creates deep flavors, but also adds extra fat content that helps emulsify the sauce.
Transcendancing
May 23, 2015
Meat-on-bones or meat with a higher fat content is important for this dish :) That said, I didn't use all the soy sauce when I made a double batch last night. I also used some extra garlic. You might find that thigh cutlets are a better choice than breasts as they're a darker meat and on the bone with extra fat but still really fleshy too.
Vinod
February 7, 2017
There is no reason to use breasts in a braised chicken dish, and I would say that skin is an essential ingredient for braising.
Bill R.
January 4, 2015
Made this tonight. Excellent! We've added this to our list of go-to chicken recipes. I doubled the amount of chicken (8 whole legs, cut into thighs & drumsticks) and used 1.5x everything in the sauce. The one change I made to the technique was to pour out the fat after browning the chicken and deglaze the bottom of the pan with the sauce ingredients before adding the chicken back in.
ricksyap
January 2, 2015
You should also try another adobo variation, it is called "chicken-pork adobo". Use pork belly, also put boiled egg while simmering.
Robert W.
October 3, 2014
I've tried this recipe twice...it's delicious but a little too much soy sauce for my taste. Second time around I reduced the soy sauce to 1/3 cup and 1/2'd the water with white wine. Much better flavor for my taste buds. Also, instead of browning the chicken first, I cooked all at once, removed chicken and crisped for about 10 minutes in a hot (400°) oven and then about 10 minutes more under the broiler. Much easier and less cleanup for weeknight dinner. Joseph and Mom loved it. Gonna try with pork shoulder next.
Jordan
August 26, 2014
Thank you, Jackie, for this great recipe! I made it last night and it was absolutely delicious! I used four chicken thighs with the skin on. Per the other comments, I did not salt the chicken ahead of time and still found the dish to be very well seasoned. I cooked the chicken in a covered dutch oven for 30 minutes, and then uncovered the dish and cooked for an additional 15 minutes. After removing the chicken from the pot, I let the sauce separate, skimmed off the fat and then brought the sauce up to a boil and allowed it to reduce for a couple of minutes. After the sauce had reduced, I strained it through a fine mesh strainer to remove the garlic and peppercorns and then poured it over the chicken. I served it with a side of farro and it was great. I will definitely be making it again!
ECMotherwell
August 13, 2014
Totally delicious! I made this with pieces of boneless chicken breast (it was what I had on hand). Also, I forgot the minced garlic, and have NO doubt it will be even better next time. One note: I love the saltiness, but think the salt on the chicken may make it a little saltier than need be. Will forego that next time, and will maybe add to taste at the end. Many thanks to Jackie V for such a great, FAST recipe!
oscea
August 12, 2014
This is a wonderful recipe - very tasty and easy. While I do like the concentrated flavor and sticky texture of other more traditional adobo recipes, this one is great because it leaves you with plenty of sauce to accompany the rice. When I put the chicken back in, I threw in 3 smallish-medium cubed eggplants, which melted into the dish nicely. Also, to pack some more vegetable matter into our diet, I layed a head of romanesco on top of everything and steamed in for the final 15-20 minutes of the total cooking time. Thanks for the wonderful recipe - I will try coconut vinegar next time!
Christine H.
August 2, 2014
I did not like this at all. The vinegar taste was overpowering. Guess it's not my kind of dish.
oldkitcheninflatbush
June 10, 2014
A Filipino restaurant makes this but, they use rice vinegar, add coconut milk and reduce the sauce. I've made it that way. It's always a huge hit.
Kevin F.
May 25, 2014
2x this recipe (2.5x for chicken, or 5 lbs) and it was a huge hit. Used cider vinegar. For Rice, basmati. Wife and two kids (9 and 7) loved this. It is really quite easy and something that 1. will be added to the rotation and 2. a dish that is quite easy when guests come around.
Took a suggestion from a review and strained the solids from the broth. Made is simple to pour on top of the chicken and rice. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Took a suggestion from a review and strained the solids from the broth. Made is simple to pour on top of the chicken and rice. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Jaxmccaff
May 8, 2014
I made this for dinner last night. Echoing what others have said, it was super simple and super delicious. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs which cut the cooking time down to about 30 minutes. I served it with quinoa instead of rice. All in all, a keeper!
BakerK
April 23, 2014
This dish was absolutely fabulous! As other readers recommended, I omitted salt (It is still plenty salty) and let the dish cook uncovered for the final 15 minutes. I highly recommend for an easy and delicious weeknight meal.
Kim W.
April 23, 2014
Just tried this..so easy, so simple..most importantly, SO GOOD! I love the recipe's simplicity, few ingredients, and big flavor.. The hubby is going to love this.
Dustin
April 2, 2014
Signed up just to review this. Fantastic. Made it tonight for the wife and I, both loved it. Used the legs and the wings, didn't have peppercorns so I subbed capers, added in some dried mushrooms, mixed it up on the vinegar by adding half white/half cider/ and a bit extra pomegranate vinegar. Skipped the salt, didn't miss it. I just crushed the garlic instead of chopping it. Super easy, super flavorful. This will be a standard.
amandawilkins
March 26, 2014
I made this for my husband, who is Filipino, and he said it had excellent flavor and was less greasy than traditional adobo. I made a few tweaks to cut down on the greasiness: I browned all the chicken with the skin on, and then removed the skin from half the pieces before adding them into the sauce. After the 45 minutes of stewing, I removed the chicken and poured the sauce through a strainer into a measuring cup, waited a few minutes for the sauce to separate and skimmed off the fat. This had the added bonus of straining out the bay leaves and peppercorns--an unpleasant surprise if you mistakenly bite into them! Next time, I may reduce the sauce further before staining, just to thicken the consistency, but it's not an essential step--it was excellent as is! I'll be adding this recipe to my regular repertoire.
Lorianna G.
March 20, 2014
Made this a few nights ago using boneless chicken thighs, and it came out great! I will definitely be making it again. I also took the tip others mentioned about taking the lid off teh last 15 min (I just placed the lid ajar) and the sauce came out a great consistency. Next time, I may omit the salt since the soy sauce is plenty salty already.
Beverly R.
March 19, 2014
As a Filipina, I can say this is my favorite Filipino dish. I skip the pan frying & just put everything into a big pot. A couple of changes, no need for extra salt w/ soy sauce and rather than add olive oil, I leave the skins on the thighs (but remove half way so it isn't all greasy). I use white wine vinegar too for a milder taste. I use more water too to ensure that the chicken is well covered. It reduces quite a bit if you cook it long enough. Doesn't work well with chicken breasts & definitely needs to have the bones in. Also, it does make a great slow cooker dish but keep in mind not leaving the skins in the whole time - maybe if you just used half w/ skin on.
phyllis
March 8, 2014
I cooked this tonight using a mix of boneless and pieces of chicken with bones, all white meat. I followed the recipe pretty much as is except I added some chili peppers. Leaving the lid off for 15-20 minutes makes a huge difference in concentrating the flavors. Just prior to serving, I added a squeeze of lime. The dish is very tasty and I will definitely cook it again. Thank you.
Donna C.
March 5, 2014
Take the cover off and simmer for the last 15 mins. turning the chicken as well, this will help to give the chicken the colour you are looking for. Be careful not to scorch the sauce, you may need to add an ounce of water if it gets too thick. I removed the skin before frying and it was perfect!
MR
March 8, 2014
It's nearly impossible to brown skinless chicken because it's the fat in the skin that is undergoing the chemical reaction to brown. If you use skinless chicken legs you are losing a lot of flavor. Here's some more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Browning_(partial_cooking)
GSmodden
March 5, 2014
This was very tasty. I used skinless chicken legs and thighs. But my chicken didn't come out as nicely browned as in the picture. Is that because I used skinless chicken so the meat didn't absorb as much of the sauce or because I didn't brown the chicken long enough?
Zensister
March 4, 2014
This tastes exactly like the adobo I beg my coworkers to bring to potlucks instead of lumpia.
Donna C.
March 4, 2014
I have made chicken adobo before but never been to happy with the results. Usually all you can taste is too much salt, this recipe I omitted the salt on the chicken before frying and used sodium reduced soy sauce apple cider vinegar and 2 Tbsp. of honey.
Could have doubled up on the sauce though. Best recipe so far for chicken adobo!
Could have doubled up on the sauce though. Best recipe so far for chicken adobo!
lunch_jr
March 4, 2014
Yes I agree. The salt with the soy sauce can be too much. Like you, I have omitted the salt and used reduced sodium soy sauce with great results.
Priscilla L.
March 3, 2014
Other than that, the recipe looks absolutely mouth watering and I can't wait to try it!
Priscilla L.
March 3, 2014
No, no, no! Please do not rinse your chicken before using it! There is absolutely no reason to rinse chicken and you are only increasing your chance of cross contamination by rinsing. I know that's the way our Mothers did it, but according to the most recent health and safety guidelines, chicken should never be washed.
lunch_jr
March 3, 2014
This is very similar to my lovely Filippina moms recipe, which is my ultimate comfort dish. Her version is super saucy and thick by way of adding quartered potatoes for starch, while also reducing and adding more liquid to taste. If you have time, reduce a couple times- you wont be sorry. I also like to add some cayenne to make it spicier. That sauce+sticky rice...mmmmmm
Anthony B.
March 1, 2014
I served this with the roasted fennel and orange salad also on this website and brown rice--totally yummy
Rick H.
February 27, 2014
My most favorite Philippino dish, next to pork adobo When i cook I also add an ancho pepper (canned) and it adds a nice kick. But this is excellent as is.
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