This past weekend, I saw the effects of the chicken wing shortage that was reported earlier this year.
I was all set to grill wings for a last-minute July 4th/Birthday gathering, but one look at the Trader Joe’s meat department derailed my plans. Brooklyn Fare didn’t have wings either. Or Associated Supermarket. Forget shrimp. Chicken wings may be this season’s most sought-after commodity.
What every store had, however, was plenty of chicken thighs. At ridiculously low prices. It’ll set you back $1.99/lb for “natural, hormone-free” chicken, and just a bit more for the organic, free-range variety. Legs and thighs may be awkward to pass around while sipping a beer outdoors or pretending to care about the World Cup, but are perfect for a braising dish I like to make even in the summer.
I posted a recipe last year for pork adobo. But it is the chicken version that I make again and again (and again and again.) I first learned to make this Filipino chicken adobo from an ex-roommate. Certain friends have gotten sick of it after the 20th time, so now I learn to space out my cooking of it. Instead of twice a week, I’ll indulge in my craving twice a season.
But with the wing shortage and chicken thigh abundance spreading across the country, chicken adobo will make a comeback as my go-to comfort food dish. First of all, who doesn’t like braised chicken? (Heartless people, that’s who.) Second, the 30 minutes of braising will give your kitchen this wonderful cidery, soy aroma, and make it smell like a rustic hearth somewhere in the vicinity of the Spice Islands (just imagine). Third, the dish tastes even more amazing reheated. Like tonight. When I blast the AC and rewatch the first season of Mad Men.
Chicken adobo + Don Draper & Co. circa 2007. An evening of revisiting old friends.
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Chicken Adobo
Serves 4
1 1/2 to 2 pounds chicken legs or thighs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped or
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white or apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons honey
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. With a paper towel, pat the excess moisture from the chicken on all sides (otherwise, watch out for splattering oil when you sear the meat.) In a large wok or skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken on one side until the skin is light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken over and sear the other side for another 5 minutes.
2. Add the onions over the chicken. Pour the vinegar, soy sauce, and water over everything and bring to a simmer. Add the honey, bay leaf, paprika, and pepper. Allow everything to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Enjoy the aroma.
3. Serve hot over rice and vegetable sides.
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More chicken recipes:
Spicy Chicken in Black Bean Sauce
Spicy Wok-Fried Chicken with Chili (Lazi jiding)
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve never had Chicken Adobo before! It sounds quite interesting… but mainly it’s the name that amuses me :P
Wei-Wei
A nice hot plate of chicken adobo laddled over a steaming bed of white rice…. Yum! Vinegar and Soy Sauce are simply a kismet combination! :)
Although I have never put honey in my recipe… But with it being so good in my oriental sauces, I am sure its a wonderful addition.
I ADORE chicken adobo!
This chicken dish looks fantastic. Great photo!
I have not had adobo since leaving the Philippines almost a year ago, I forgot how much I miss it. Thanks for this recipe, I’m going to try it out next weekend!
I made this tonight and we all enjoyed it! My 4 y/o asked for seconds. It is a nice, uncomplicated recipe for chicken adobo compared to others I have seen….and it delivers.
thanks!
Jen – Thanks! So glad you enjoyed it. I agree…the simplicity is what makes me go back to it again and again.
Hmm…your adobo version seems a bit *sweet* with the addition of honey. Most versions from the Philippines have more vinegar than soy sauce and no sweetener. Then again, there are as many versions of adobo as there are Filipino cooks. My grandmother alone cooks up five different versions on top of the regular recipe from our town!
If I’m not mistaken, your version is closer to that which many here call “Chinese adobo,” because of the addition of sweeteners (honey and onions) and the abundance of soy sauce.
The addition of paprika isn’t quite common, although in the port city of Batangas, they color their version with fresh turmeric which gives it a ’60s bright orange hue!
There’s white adobo from Pampanga which has no soy sauce at all. There is “Southern” adobo which has coconut milk and green chilies. There is kalamansi adobo which substitutes the juice of the local lemon (kalamansi) for vinegar. And also tomato adobo.
One last thing, one traditional way of serving this is to top it over steamed white rice then wrap it in banana leaves. Sides include diced ripe tomatoes and sauteed shrimp paste. Cheers!
Hi Diane!
What a simply delicious recipe! I would love to feature it on my site http://www.canigettherecipe.com with full links and credits back to you if you are keen! Please let me know. All the best!
Just made this last night! The flavors came out nice and tangy, and you’re right, perfect for leftovers the next day!
This adobo recipe looks good and is making my mouth water! One thing that you might want to try is to “sear” the chicken after braising it (which is the more traditional way of making adobo). It’s kinda backwards than western style cooking but I think it makes the chicken more ooey-gooey.
I’m glad to see Filipino food in non-Filipino kitchens!
Hey you! Thanks for the inspiration. I will defo try it out, it looks great, makes me slobber just by having a look at the pic. Did you take it yourself? Oh, and what do you recommend to accompany the chicken? Maybe rice with some cooked vegetables?
Definitely rice for soaking up the rich sauce. As for the vegetables to go with this, some of my favorites are broccoli, Chinese broccoli, or spinach.
Oh my god, this is so good. I made it w/ boneless skinless chicken breasts, which I usually find so boring and dry, but this recipe made them delicious. I used onions instead of garlic and it came out really nicely – the onions were so good, almost tasted like caramelized onions. Also, the honey was the perfect touch. Did not taste “sweet” at all – perfect amount of tang. Thank you so much!
I read somewhere that the sear at the end makes much more sense. It is a myth that searing before cooking retains moisture. And searing at the end creates that nice goo you are talking about. Especially for this recipe because you want the chicken to soak up all the sauce. I think if you sear it first, the ability to absorb sauce is just a tiny bit less. But like you said, it is the “western way,” and I doubt you will find many recipes that say to sear at the end.
Great recipe, though!
In ever tried this before but have always heard of the infamous chicken adobo and it’s addictive qualities. I’ve tried this recipe and I brown the hell out of the chicken so that the skins can still be a bit crispy after the liquid is added. Needless to say, this recipe shows up on my dinner table a few times in the month. Thanks!
I never thought of using honey as a sweetener. It looks delicious! I have a selection of adobo recipes, some are exotic.
Have a look here adobo recipe
Hi Diana,
I was wondering what is a good substitute for bay leaves? I currently do not have any at hand and couldn’t find any at Trader Joes tonight. Any suggestions? Thanks!
~ can’t wait to try this recipe out!
Susy – Don’t worry. Although there isn’t really a substitute for bay leaf (it has a very muted, unique flavor), you can just leave it out. The chicken adobo is just as tasty without it, and half the time I also leave out the bay leaf. If you’d like, you can add a sprinkling of Mrs. Dash, which is what a friend from Guam used to do. There are a lot of different ways to make adobo; the most important is the soy sauce, vinegar, and sweetener. Hope that helps!
Hi Diane,
I second Paoix’s comment about featuring Filipino food in a non-Filipino kitchen. Somehow, Filipino foods are not altogether as popular as other Asian cuisines and I am not really sure why. Anyway, I would like to include another version of adobo (whether it is pork or chicken) my grandma used to make in the Philippines. Of course, her adobo recipe just consists of meager ingredients: your choice of meat, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaf, and ground pepper. Like any other grandma, she never measured her ingredients and the adobo always turned out perfect! She would let everything simmer until the sauce thickens. Then she takes the sauce out of the pan (reserved for later) and puts the meat back in the pan until it becomes brown and crispy, and almost sticking to the pan. Once browned and crispy, she puts the meat on a plate then starts scraping off the pan. She puts cooked rice in the same pan, now mixed with meat scrapings. Not only did we have adobo, we also had fried rice adobo! Some of us kids preferred the “dry” adobo (crispy) and some didn’t, and that was why she always reserved the sauce – it was for the picky cousins who liked their adobo saucy..
Hello,
I bought chicken thighs and drumsticks today and had a hankering for adobo so I tried your recipe which I had earmarked back in 2010! Oh MY goodness, is it ever amazing. I let it simmer a little longer than you had suggested, an extra 20 minutes and it created this lustrous sauce which I poured over the rice. I wish it made more sauce though; any suggestions for making more sauce without adding lots of soya sauce?
Thanks again!
Love the comments on this post! Sam Sifton did say that if you want to start a fight among Filipinos, ask them how to make adobo. A number of purists will definitely object to the sweetener and some recipes’ addition of coconut milk (gasp!). An open cooking mind must be kept, and the coconut milk is actually an interesting addition. Thanks for this post. Knowing you make adobo makes it necessary to add you to my blogroll (found your site looking for chinese tea eggs). All the best!
Hi, Thanks for the great ideas on your site. As for adobo–have you ever tried making it with coconut vinegar and achuete/adobo powder (as opposed to paprika)? It really takes it to the next level! I learned that trick from an Auntie at Pike Place Market in Seattle…