Recipe of the Week: Chicken Adobo

One of my favorite Filipino recipes is adobo, which is Spanish for “marinade” or “seasoning.” The soy-vinegar-based seasoning works well with pork, fish, vegetables, and especially chicken. Serve this dish with steamed white rice.

Serves 4 to 6

Adapted from Cooking Meat

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, cut into 10 pieces
10 garlic cloves, smashed with the side of a knife
3 bay leaves
1 Tbsp cracked black pepper
1½ cups white vinegar
1 cup water
¾ cup soy sauce

Method:

1. Place the chicken in a large pot. Add the garlic, bay leaves, pepper, vinegar, and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

2. Pour in the soy sauce, cover, and simmer until the meat easily pulls away from the bone, about 30 minutes.

3. Place your oven rack in the center of the oven (it mustn’t be directly below the broiler), then preheat the oven to broil. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Remove the chicken from the pot and place each piece on the baking sheet, skin side up. Pat the skin dry with a paper towel.

4. Over medium heat, reduce the liquid in the pot to 1 cup. Discard the bay leaves, skim any fat from the surface, and remove from the heat. Set aside.

5. Broil the chicken, rotating the pieces regularly, until they’re nicely caramelized, about 5 minutes.

6. To serve, arrange the chicken on a platter and pour the sauce over top.

Note: I like the bite of white vinegar in this recipe, but you can substitute cider vinegar, as many Filipino cooks do, or if you want to be super traditional, cane vinegar.