Cooking Chicken Adobo Recipe

There are many, many ways of cooking adobo. I've shared several with you in my pork adobo ginisa-style post; as well as my recipe for adobong spare ribs. For this post, let's go back to basic with a classic chicken adobo dish.

Read on for the full recipe.



Cooking adobo was actually one of the epic fails in the history of my cooking. If you haven't tried cooking adodo, let me tell you now that it is NOT a complicated dish. I just didn't have the knack for cooking back then. Now however, is a different era of my cooking escapade. I may still have screw ups every now and then; but the "wins" and new recipes I learn are definitely worth every effort in the kitchen. If you're a novice cook as I was before, I would like to assure you that you can only be better!

Going back to cooking adobo... Traditionally, adobo is cooked with soy sauce and vinegar. However, for this dish, I put in fish sauce, too. It'll make our adobo a little less dark.


Ingredients in cooking chicken adobo:
- chicken, cut into bits (breast part is preferred for lesser saturated fats)

- garlic, crushed and chopped
- onions, chopped
- fish sauce
- soy sauce
- vinegar
- salt
- whole pepper corns
- annatto or achiote (achuete in Tagalog), soaked in tap water

This adds color and a little texture to the sauce of the adobo. If you don't have achiote, paprika powder is a good alternative.

- bay leaves (optional)

- potatoes, cut in cubes (optional)

- cooking oil
- hot water


Steps in cooking chicken adobo:
1. Saute' the garlic in oil.
2. Fry the chicken when the garlic turns golden.
3. Season the chicken with salt.

4. Add the onions when the chicken starts to cook.
5. Season the dish with fish sauce.
6. Cover the pan and allow it to boil.
7. Add the potatoes.
8. Add a little water, whole pepper corns and bay leaves.
9. Pour in colored water (red/red orange) from the immersed achiote. Be careful not to include the seeds.

10. Season the dish with soy sauce, vinegar and fish sauce.

The baseline ratio for the soy sauce and vinegar is 1:1. If you want your dish to be more salty or sour, add more of the other according to your liking. I use the fish sauce in adjusting the saltiness of the dish since I don't like a very dark sauce.

11. Cover the dish. Let it boil under low heat.
12. Wait for the sauce to thicken. If you put to much water into the dish, open the lid a little to let some of the water evaporate.

13. Adjust the taste, according to your preference.
14. Serve with hot steamy rice.

In summary:

Chicken Adobo

5/5 stars

Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Cook time: 10-20 minutes
Total time: 10-30 minutes

Calories per serving: Low calorie
Fat per serving: Low fat

Ingredients

• Chicken
• Garlic
• Onions
• Fish sauce
• Soy sauce
• Vinegar
• Salt
• Whole pepper corns
• Annatto or achiote or achuete
• Bay leaves (optional)
• Potatoes (optional)
• Cooking oil
• Hot water

Cooking Directions

1. Saute' the garlic.
2. Fry the chicken when garlic turns golden.
3. Season the chicken with salt as you cook.
4. Add the onions.
5. Season the dish with fish sauce.
6. Add the potatoes.
7. Add water, pepper, bay leaves and the colored water from the achuete seeds.
8. Season the dish with soy sauce, vinegar and fish sauce.
9. Let the dish cook under low heat.
10. When the sauce thickens, make your final last adjustments.
11. Serve while hot.

Before ending this post, I would just like to note that we didn't use any MSG or artificial flavors or seasonings for this dish. What make this recipe simply appetizing are the salty-sour play of the vinegar and soy/fish sauce. Also, to add that umami zest you're looking for, add more of the garlic and onions.

Remember me when you cook!



About the Author: Beingwell loves simple home cooking recipes. She enjoys sharing her quick easy meals, including Filipino cooking recipes in this blog. 

Enjoy cooking like a pro!