Adobo is just one of the many traditional dishes that hail from the land of the three stars and the sun. There are a ton of dishes from the Philippines that I love dearly; Adobo is one of them. Adobo has a diverse set of flavours that bounce off the walls of your mouth with each bite.
Upon the first bite, you are likely to notice a sour taste, but you get the hit of the sweet part of the sauce no later than your next bite. If you think that is where it halts, then you are in for a treat. The perfect addition to this dish is the whole peppercorns. Normally this is the last part of the bite that hits your senses.
Adobo is no doubt a triple threat. I cannot think of many dishes that give you sour, sweet and spicy all in one bite where it works. This dish does that and does it well.
The best part, is that it is such a simple concoction to make!
Let's get into how I like to make it!
I should probably clarify that although I have a large group of Filipino friends, none of them helped me with this recipe. There are common additions to the dish then I have made alterations to it to make it my own.
First, you are going to want to marinate the chicken thighs for 2 - 24 hours. In the marinade, I put in vinegar, soy sauce/coconut aminos, bay leaves, garlic, brown sugar and pepper..,and a couple of secret ingredients (shhh).
Once you are ready to cook this masterpiece, put a tbsp of oil in a frying pan, turn the temperature to medium-high and fast fry each side of the chicken for about 1 minute per side. The goal is not to cook the chicken here, but only to brown the sides and let some of the flavours into the pan.
Note: Remember not to throw away the marinade when you are taking the chicken from it, it will be going back in the pan soon.
While the chicken is browning, it is time to gather some of the other ingredients. Set aside some whole peppercorns as well as some brown sugar to add to the simmering pot shortly.
Note: If you have not yet got the rice started, now would be a great time to get it going.
Now cut up an onion and cloves of garlic as they are going to the pan next.
After the chicken has been in the pan for about 2 minutes, set them aside on a plate. It is now time to get that Adobo sauce going.
Grab the marinade that you had set aside and dump it all in the pan with whatever juices remain from the chicken cooking.
Immediately after that, toss the cut-up onions and garlic into the mixture and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Note: Through the entire process, you want the bay leaves to be in the pan.
At this point, you can toss the brown sugar and peppercorns as well.
Now get the chicken back into the pan with all of the juices. Place the chicken skin side down and turn the stove to medium-high heat.
I cook each side for 15 minutes and do not touch the pan aside from flipping them at the halfway point. Leave the pan uncovered.
I use this time to do the clean up.
The goal for the consistency of the sauce is nearly a jam-like thickness. Depending on the amounts of other ingredients for your particular batch, you may be left with too much or too thin of a sauce. In this case, I was doubling the recipe so I was left with more than desired sauce at the end if the cooking process.
To thicken it up, take the chicken out when the time is up, and cook the sauce at the same heat, constantly stirring. It will thicken up in no time!
Congratulations! Your Adobo is finished.
I like to chop up some green onions for garnish on top.
On many occasions, I have heard Filipinos say that you can "Adobo anything". I have personally tried Chicken and Pork Adobo but nothing else. With the explosion of flavours that the dish provides, I can visualize this sauce complimenting a variety of different proteins.
Thanks for reading!
