Filipino Chicken Adobo

Chicken thighs simmered slowly in soy sauce, cane vinegar, garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves, then reduced to a dark, sticky glaze. It's the definitive Filipino comfort dish: tangy, salty, garlicky and utterly moreish. One pan, minimal effort, huge flavour.

Adobo is the Philippines’ unofficial national dish, and every family swears by their own version. The magic is in the balance: sharp vinegar against salty soy, mellowed by garlic and bay, all clinging to fall-apart chicken. Don’t stir the vinegar too early and you’ll get a clean, bright tang rather than anything harsh. It only gets better the next day.

Ingredients

• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs — about 1kg; drumsticks also work
• 120ml light soy sauce
• 120ml cane or white wine vinegar — Filipino cane vinegar is ideal; cider vinegar is a fine sub
• 1 whole garlic bulb, cloves peeled and lightly crushed
• 4 dried bay leaves
• 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns, lightly cracked
• 1 tbsp soft brown sugar — optional, to balance the tang
• 250ml water
• 2 tbsp neutral oil, for browning
• 1 small onion, sliced — optional

Method

1. Combine the chicken, soy sauce, crushed garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves in a bowl and leave to marinate for 15 minutes while you prep. Lift the chicken out and pat the skin dry, reserving the marinade.
2. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pan or casserole over a medium-high heat. Brown the chicken skin-side down until deeply golden, 4-5 minutes, then turn and brown the other side. Work in batches if needed so the pan isn't crowded.
3. Add the onion, if using, and let it soften for a minute in the rendered fat. Pour in the reserved marinade along with the water, then tuck the garlic and bay back in.
4. Now add the vinegar but do not stir. Bring to a gentle simmer and let it bubble undisturbed for 5 minutes to cook off the raw, sharp edge.
5. Stir once, then part-cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes, turning the chicken halfway, until the meat is tender and cooked through with no pink at the bone.
6. Uncover, stir in the sugar if using, and turn the heat up. Reduce the sauce for 8-10 minutes, spooning it over the chicken, until it's dark, glossy and lightly clinging.
7. Taste and adjust: a splash more vinegar for tang or a little soy for salt. Serve piping hot over steamed rice with plenty of sauce.

Serve it with

• Steamed jasmine or long-grain rice
• A fried egg on top
• Garlic fried rice (sinangag)
• Pickled or steamed greens
• A wedge of lime

Why this works

Adding the vinegar and leaving it to simmer untouched drives off its harsh acetic bite while keeping a clean sourness, and the slow braise lets soy and garlic penetrate the meat before the final reduction turns everything into a glaze.

Common swaps

• Use chicken drumsticks or a mix of thighs and wings
• Cider vinegar in place of cane vinegar
• Coconut milk stirred in at the end for adobo sa gata
• Pork belly chunks instead of chicken, simmered longer
• Tamari for a gluten-free version

Common mistakes to avoid

• Stirring the vinegar in straight away, which leaves a harsh raw-acid taste
• Skipping the browning step, so the skin stays pale and flabby
• Boiling hard the whole time, which dries out the chicken before the sauce reduces
• Over-reducing until the sauce turns oversalted and sticky

Storage, freezing & reheating

Storage: Cools and keeps beautifully in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container; the flavour deepens overnight.

Freezing: Freezes well for up to 3 months. Cool fully, freeze in the sauce, and defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Reheating: Reheat gently in a pan over a low-medium heat with a splash of water until piping hot throughout, spooning the sauce back over the chicken.

Allergen notes: contains Soya, Gluten. Always check individual product labels.

Estimated nutrition

Per serving, estimated from typical ingredient values — not a substitute for precise dietary calculation.