Chicken Adobo

Method

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1. Marinate the chicken with the soy sauce, half the garlic, the peppercorns and bay for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

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2. Lift the chicken out, reserving the marinade, and pat it dry.

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3. Heat the oil in a heavy pan and brown the chicken skin-side down for 6 minutes until deeply golden. Turn and brown 3 minutes more. Lift out.

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4. Add the remaining garlic and the onion if using and fry 3 minutes.

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5. Return the chicken, pour in the reserved marinade, the vinegar and the water.

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6. Bring to the boil and let it boil for 3 minutes without stirring — this is the traditional step that cooks off the raw vinegar sharpness.

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7. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 30 minutes, turning the chicken once.

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8. Uncover, add the sugar, and raise the heat. Reduce for 12 to 15 minutes, spooning the sauce over the chicken, until it is dark, syrupy and clinging.

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9. Serve over rice with plenty of the sauce and a scatter of spring onion.

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Chef’s Tips

• Do not stir during the first few minutes of boiling. It is a small superstition with a real basis in letting the acid volatilise.
• Cane vinegar or coconut vinegar are the authentic choices; cider vinegar is the best supermarket substitute.
• Adobo is famously better the next day, and better again the day after.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Out of spring onion? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.

Pairing Suggestions

• Plenty of steamed rice
• A fried egg on top, for breakfast
• A cold San Miguel

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerate up to 5 days — the acidity preserves it — and freeze 3 months. Reheat gently.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.