Filipino Chicken Adobo

When you think of the Philippines and the Filipinos, food will certainly be one of the things that will come into your mind (aside from Manila, Manny Pacquiao, and Charice! ;) ) And what’s a Filipino meal without the delicious and warm “adobo”. It’s every Filipino’s favorite! And definitely the most cooked dish for the family.

Actually, there are lots of ways to cook adobo and lots of stuff that you can make it with. There’s chicken adobo, pork adobo, chicken-pork adobo, there’s adobo with eggs, adobo with pineapple chunks, and a whole lot more! The variety of adobo recipes just proves that people are constantly changing and “perfecting” it.

The recipe that I will share today will feature the BASIC adobo recipe. This is the recipe that my mom taught me. J And here we’ll be using chicken meat.

What you will need:

1 whole chicken, cut into serving pieces, bones intact

1/2 head garlic, peeled and crushed

1 large onion, sliced

1 tsp. peppercorns

4 bay leaves

3 tbsp. brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup cane vinegar

3 cups of water

3 tbsp. oil

Salt and pepper to taste

The How-to:

Put all the ingredients into a large pot, and mix them well.

Cook under medium heat and bring into a boil for approximately 30-45 minutes or until chicken is cooked and tender and the sauce is thick. After that, add oil and mix it with the chicken.

You can choose to “adjust” the flavor by adding some more spices used for this recipe’s ingredients or you can add stuff to put a twist in your adobo! All time favorites would include hard boiled eggs cut in slices, pineappled tidbits, and coconut milk. J

Adobo is best when served hot and with steaming white rice. A soda would complete this delectable warm meal! J

Remember to wash the chicken well!