Chicken Adobo (Make‑Ahead Filipino Braise)

Name: Chicken Adobo (Make‑Ahead Filipino Braise)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Filipino
Ingredients: 2.5 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs; 1 tsp kosher salt; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 8 clove garlic; 1 cup soy sauce; 0.5 cup white vinegar; 1 cup water; 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns; 3 piece bay leaf; 1 tbsp brown sugar; 1 small onion; 2 piece scallion

A classic Filipino braise of garlicky, tangy-salty chicken that improves after resting. It refrigerates and reheats well, making it ideal for weekday meals.

AI image

1 hr 20 min

start to finish

20 min

hands on

Easy

difficulty

servings

6 servings

Ingredients

2½ lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighsabout 6 medium thighs
1 tsp kosher saltfor seasoning
1 tbsp vegetable oilor other neutral oil
1 small onionsliced (optional)(optional)
2 piece scallionthinly sliced for garnish (optional)(optional)

For the braise

8 clove garliccrushed
1 cup soy sauceuse low-sodium if desired (240 ml)
½ cup white vinegar120 ml (cane or distilled)
1 cup wateror low-sodium chicken stock (240 ml)
1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
3 piece bay leaf
1 tbsp brown sugarpacked

Contains soy, gluten. Cooking for an allergy? Check the label on every packet you use — brands differ, and we can only tell you what the recipe calls for.

Roughly, per serving

360 kcal30g protein5g carbs22g fat

An estimate, not a lab analysis.

Method

Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels and sprinkle all over with the kosher salt.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Brown the chicken in batches, skin-side down first, until deeply golden (about 6–8 minutes per side); transfer browned pieces to a plate.
Add the crushed garlic (and sliced onion, if using) to the empty pot and cook, stirring, until fragrant and softened, about 1 minute.
Pour in the soy sauce, vinegar and water, then add the whole peppercorns, bay leaves and brown sugar and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
Return the chicken to the pot, arranging skin-side up, bring the liquid to a gentle simmer uncovered.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered until the chicken is cooked through and tender, about 30 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium-high and simmer uncovered until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly and coats the chicken, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the chicken and sauce to a shallow container and let cool to room temperature.
Cover and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Reheat individual portions in a skillet over medium heat, spooning sauce over the pieces, until heated through (about 6–8 minutes); alternatively reheat in the microwave 2–3 minutes.

Worth knowing

This dish tastes better after a day in the fridge because the flavors meld—plan to make it a day ahead for easiest weeknight meals.
For gluten-free, substitute tamari for the soy sauce (keep in mind sodium levels).
Use white or cane vinegar; if you prefer a milder tang, use 1/3 cup vinegar and 2/3 cup water, but the classic punch comes from the 1:2 vinegar-to-soy balance.
To freeze: cool completely, place in an airtight container and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Serve over steamed rice and spoon plenty of sauce on top. Leftover sauce is great stirred into fried rice or drizzled over roasted vegetables.

Make it yours

Cooking without dairy, without an oven, for someone who won't touch chilli, or for six instead of four? Have the recipe rewritten around it — quantities, steps and all.

Meal prepOne panBudget

Watch someone make it

A different recipe for the same dish, by a cook who has spent years on it.

Filipino Chicken Adobo Traditional RecipePanlasang Pinoy

More Filipino cooking

An original Restaurant Pro recipe — our own composition in the idiom of Filipino cooking, not any restaurant's recipe.