This mouthwatering Filipino Chicken Adobo has garlic, onions, pineapple juice, vinegar, peppercorns, bay leaves, soy sauce and brown sugar
Simple ingredients, but a superb dish
Here we are in the second month of winter, and it’s the perfect time for some delicious and comforting Chicken Adobo. Just when we thought the rainy spring season was over, we’re seriously wrong! It’s been raining all weekend with no signs of slowing down. Our pool was overflowing and threatening to flood, so my husband, Tomi, had to drain it a few times.
We had one boring weekend stuck at home. To make matters worse, my 2-year-old, Kai, is sick again. Kai and I have been sick for months and haven’t had a break! We suffered from cold after cold, and now who knows what he’s got. He’s restless, grumpy and not eating much, but has no fever. We’re praying he won’t get worse, but we’re monitoring him closely.
The last few nights Kai has slept with me, and to accommodate this, Tomi slept on the couch. Sleeping with a toddler is the best thing because there are endless bear hugs and Eskimo kisses. However, there’s also a downside. I got violently kicked in the stomach, smacked in the face and painfully had my hair pulled several times throughout the night. Of course, none of this was intentional on his part as he was sleeping, but man, it wasn’t fun!
So what to cook when we’re sleep-deprived and we know it’s going to be a crappy weekend? Chicken Adobo, of course! A dish that is so flavourful that it has my mouthwatering just the thought of it.
Even Kai loved this Chicken Adobo dish, and who could blame him? Juicy boneless chicken thighs covered in a sauce made with garlic, onion, pineapple juice, soy sauce, vinegar, bay leaves, peppercorn and brown sugar. I’m totally sold and you will be too when you taste how good this is!
More simple and delicious Asian recipes to try:
Three Cup Chicken
Spicy Korean Chicken Wings
Pork & Clams Stir-fry
Viet inspired Quick Pho
Filipino Chicken Adobo
My family and I have this Chicken Adobo frequently because we love it! Not only does it require just a few simple ingredients, but it’s also budget-friendly and simple to make. Add this tasty Chicken Adobo to your midweek dinner, and I’m confident that it’ll quickly become a firm family favourite!
Chicken Adobo is a quick Filipino stew that doesn’t take hours to develop intense flavours. We marinate the chicken for a short time, sear and cook it with a delicious savoury sauce. There are many variations of this dish, but this is my absolute favourite because it has the magic ingredient: pineapple juice.
I love using pineapple juice instead of just water in my Chicken Adobo because it provides the dish with natural sweetness and gives a subtle tang. Pineapple juice isn’t a pantry staple, so if you don’t want to go out and get some, simply add another tablespoon of vinegar to the recipe and swap the pineapple juice with water. In saying that, I honestly think it’s worth a trip to get that pineapple juice!
The soy sauce gives the chicken its incredible colour and adds salty and savoury goodness. The vinegar and brown sugar give the dish a delicious hit of sweet and sour flavours.
Some people prefer their Chicken Adobo very saucy and others prefer it thick and sticky so it clings to each piece of the chicken. Like most times, I want the best of both worlds, so something in between is perfect for me! The good news is you can choose the consistency of your sauce. A thick and sticky sauce just needs to be cooked a little longer.
Ingredients for Chicken Adobo
Chicken thigh fillets – I used boneless and skinless chicken thigh fillets. Breast fillets would also work in this recipe, but the chicken will be slightly drier. Bone-in thigh cutlets or chicken pieces will work, but they take longer to cook.
Pineapple juice – I got my fresh pineapple juice from the chilled section of the supermarket. You could also make your own.
Light soy sauce or regular soy sauce but avoid the dark or sweet soy sauce varieties, as these are not interchangeable.
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How to make Chicken Adobo
Step-by-step guide with photos
Place the chicken along with all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl. Stir to mix and leave to marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Shake off the excess marinade from the chicken back into the bowl and reserve the marinade for later. Fry the chicken on each side for 2 minutes untouched. The chicken should be brown on the outside but not cooked on the inside. You might have to do this in two batches depending not the size of your pan. Remove all the chicken from the pan and place them on a plate for later.
In the same frying pan, add the onions, garlic and bay leaves and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Then add the pineapple juice, water, peppercorns, brown sugar and the reserved marinade into the pan. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes uncovered.
Transfer all the chicken back into the pan along with any liquid from the chicken. Cook chicken on each side untouched for 15 minutes (total of 30mins). The sauce should’ve thickened within the cooking time, but if you like a thicker sauce, remove the chicken onto a plate and stir-fry the sauce on high heat until it has thickened to your liking. Garnish with spring onions.
Leftovers– Allow the chicken to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer the chicken into a sealed container and store it in the fridge. It’ll be good for up to 3 days.
I’ve used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
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Cheers – Cat T
Chicken Adobo
Ingredients
- 800 gm chicken thigh fillets (or 6 fillets, skinless & boneless) (NOTE 1)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil (or any neutral oil)
- 1 small brown onion (diced finely)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 4 dried bay leaves
- 1 cup pineapple juice (NOTE 2)
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp whole black peppercorn
- ¼ cup sliced spring onions (scallions, green onion)
For the marinade:
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 4 tbsp light soy sauce (or regular soy sauce) (NOTE 3)
- 3 tbsp white vinegar
Instructions
- Place the chicken along with all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl. Stir to mix and leave to marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Shake off the excess marinade from the chicken back into the bowl and reserve the marinade for later. Fry the chicken on each side for 2 minutes untouched. The chicken should be brown on the outside but not cooked on the inside. You might have to do this in two batches depending not the size of your pan. Remove all the chicken from the pan and place them on a plate for later.
- In the same frying pan, add the onions, garlic and bay leaves and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Then add the pineapple juice, water, peppercorns, brown sugar and the reserved marinade into the pan. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes uncovered.
- Transfer all the chicken back into the pan along with any liquid from the chicken. Cook chicken on each side untouched for 15 minutes (total of 30mins). The sauce should've thickened within the cooking time, but if you like a thicker sauce, remove the chicken onto a plate and stir-fry the sauce on high heat until it has thickened to your liking. Garnish with spring onions.
