Filipino Chicken Adobo

Learn How to make Filipino Adobo with this easy Filipino Chicken Adobo recipe. Adobo Filipino chicken is tender chicken marinated in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and ginger and is a popular dish in the Philippines. 

What Is Filipino Adobo?

Filipino Adobo is one of the most popular dishes served in the Philippines. It’s not just a dish, but also a style of cooking where meat is first browned and then simmered in a rich and flavorful marinade consisting of soy sauce, vinegar and seasonings.

This Filipino Chicken Adobo Recipe is loaded with authentic rich Asian flavors. It’s not only delicious but so easy to make. It is the perfect addition to liven up your repertoire of go-to chicken dinner recipes.

Filipino Adobo is rich and flavorful, but the amount of time and effort that goes into making this dish is surprisingly minimal. The marinade, which also becomes the sauce for this dish, consists of only a few simple ingredients that are easily found in grocery stores. 

Filipino Adobo Recipe

• Chicken. We use 6 chicken thighs (about 1-1/2 pounds), skinless and boneless (don’t substitute for chicken breasts)
• Aromatics. We mince a couple of shallots and garlic cloves to simmer with the chicken in the sauce.
• Oil. We use a little oil to brown the chicken and saute the aromatics in.
• Marinade. The marinade doubles as a sauce that the chicken is marinated and simmered in. 
• Onion. We use a little chopped green onion for garnish.

Find printable recipe with measurements below.

For The Adobo Filipino Marinade

This recipe was my mom’s go-to marinade for chicken adobo. Not all Filipino Adobo recipes call for ginger, but it adds so much flavor that I can’t imaging making it without.

• Soy sauce
• Vinegar
• Ground ginger
• Brown sugar
• Whole garlic cloves                                                                                                                                                                                                         

How To Make Filipino Adobo

To make this Filipino Adobo we start by whisking together the ingredients for the marinade, then we marinate the chicken in the fridge for roughly 20 minutes. The rest is easy and comes together in about 20 minutes.

• Marinate chicken. Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a medium-sized bowl or a glass baking dish and add the chicken thighs and cover the bowl or dish with plastic wrap. Marinate the thighs in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
• Cook chicken. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, add marinated chicken and brown on both sides, cooking for roughly a minute on each side, or until  it is lightly browned. Transfer the chicken to a plate or bowl and set aside while we reduce the marinade to a sauce.
• Simmer sauce. Using the same skillet, add minced garlic and shallots and saute for about two minutes. Pour the refrigerated marinade into the skillet and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about five minutes, or until the marinade reduces to a sauce.
• Finish cooking chicken. Return the chicken back to the skillet and simmer in the sauce for about 20 minutes, flipping occasionally to evenly cook the chicken. The sauce will reduce and become even thicker.
• Enjoy. Serve the chicken over a bed of rice and drizzle sauce over the top.

What To Serve With Filipino Adobo

I like to serve Filipino Adobo with white rice or basmati rice and some steamed broccoli, but you could serve it with brown rice, cauliflower rice, Quinoa or a salad like this Asian Cucumber Salad or a simple Romaine Salad.

Tips For Making Adobo Filipino

• Boneless chicken thighs work best for this recipe because they are more flavorful than breasts and they absorb more of the marinade which makes for amazing melt-in-your-mouth tender chicken thighs.
• For the vinegar, use white vinegar or you can use an unseasoned rice vinegar.
• A mild flavored oil works best, so choose avocado oil, canola oil, safflower oil or a vegetable oil.
• Some recipes for Adobo Filipino don’t brown the chicken before simmering in the sauce. We find that the chicken tastes better when lightly browned first.
• Some recipes don’t call for ginger, but I can’t imagine making it without any ginger. Ginger adds so much flavor but isn’t overpowering.
• Alternatively, you can marinate the chicken in the refrigerator overnight instead of just 20 minutes, then grill it on a grill or open-fire barbecue. While the chicken is grilling, heat the marinade in a saucepan and cook for 15 minutes or until it has thickened and reduced to a sauce. Serve the grilled chicken over rice and drizzle the sauce over the chicken and rice. This was how my mom always made Filipino Adobo Chicken, and she made it often during the summer months. Grilling the chicken adds a delicious smokey flavor. You can also cut the chicken into pieces before marinating, then skewer them with vegetables on skewers for kabobs.

Looking For More Chicken Dinner Recipes?

• Lemon Chicken Piccata
• Easy Parmesan Crusted Chicken
• One Pan Chicken Shawarma
• One Pan Italian Chicken
• French Chicken Stew
• Chicken Continental
• One Pot Spanish Chicken
• Chicken Fajita Casserole
• Easy Chicken Fajita Bake
• Mexican Style Shredded Chicken

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Yield: 6 Servings

Filipino Adobo

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Learn How to make Filipino Adobo with this easy chicken Filipino Adobo recipe. Filipino chicken adobo is tender chicken marinated in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and ginger and is a popular dish in the Philippines. 

Ingredients

• 6 chicken thighs (about 1-1/2 pounds), skinless and boneless (don't substitute for chicken breasts)
• 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed and finely minced.
• 3 tablespoons avocado oil (or vegetable, canola of safflower oil)

For The Adobo Filipino Marinade

• 3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup white vinegar 
• 2-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (5 tablespoons) light brown sugar
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole

Instructions

1. Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a medium-sized bowl or a glass baking dish and stir so the sugar absorbs in with the liquids. Add the chicken thighs to the marinade. Cover the bowl or dish with plastic wrap and marinate the thighs in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, add marinated chicken and brown on both sides, cooking for roughly a minute on each side, or until  it is lightly browned. Transfer the chicken to a plate or bowl and set aside while we reduce the marinade to a sauce.
3. Using the same skillet, add minced garlic and shallots and saute for about two minutes. Pour the refrigerated marinade into the skillet and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.
4. Return the chicken back to the skillet and simmer in the sauce for about 15-20 minutes, flipping occasionally to evenly cook the chicken. The sauce will reduce and become even thicker. If the sauce isn't thickening well, remove the chicken from the skillet and simmer the sauce for an additional 5 minutes.
5. Serve the chicken over a bed of rice and drizzle sauce over the top.

Notes

Tips For Making Adobo Filipino

• Boneless chicken thighs work best for this recipe because they are more flavorful than breasts and they absorb more of the marinade which makes for amazing melt-in-your-mouth tender chicken thighs.
• For the vinegar, use white vinegar or you can use an unseasoned rice vinegar.
• A mild flavored oil works best, so choose avocado oil, canola oil, safflower oil or a vegetable oil.
• Some recipes for Adobo Filipino don't brown the chicken before simmering in the sauce. We find that the chicken tastes better when lightly browned first.
• Some recipes don't call for ginger, but I can't imagine making it without any ginger. Ginger adds so much flavor but isn't overpowering.
• Alternatively, you can marinate the chicken in the refrigerator overnight instead of just 20 minutes, then grill it on a grill or open-fire barbecue. While the chicken is grilling, saute the garlic and shallots in a saucepan, then add the marinade and simmer for 15 minutes or until it has thickened and reduced to a sauce. Serve the grilled chicken over rice and drizzle the sauce over the chicken and rice. This was how my mom always made Filipino Adobo Chicken, and she made it often during the summer months. Grilling the chicken adds a delicious smokey flavor. You can also cut the chicken into pieces before marinating, then skewer the pieces with vegetables for kabobs.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 284Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 137mgSodium: 1348mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 31g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations. See full disclaimer on About page.