The BEST Filipino Chicken Adobo Recipe & Video
Hi guys!
Today, I’m going to share one of my old but goodie recipes, The BEST Filipino Chicken Adobo!
I made this recipe 6 or 7 years ago, and a lot of my Filipino friends are making my adobo recipe now at their homes! That means a lot to me, and I’m very proud!
My Filipino chicken adobo definitely has my own touch, and I really believe it enhances the flavors even more!
It is so simple and easy to make; there is no excuse not to make my Filipino chicken adobo recipe at your home!
First thing first, you need to prepare chicken.
I highly recommend using bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and/or legs (or even cut-up whole chicken) for this recipe. If you are using boneless, skinless, or white meat, it will still work, but I can’t promise you the deep flavors and tender texture.
Heat a large Dutch oven or a dip pan over medium-high heat and add the cooking oil. Place the chicken thighs, skin side down, in the pan. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes or until the chicken skin is golden brown and crispy.
Meanwhile, let’s make the sauce!
I love using Filipino soy sauce and cane vinegar for this recipe or when I’m cooking Filipino food at home. I believe it gives the food a more authentic taste, but you can also use regular soy sauce and white vinegar for this recipe!
In a mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, sake, fish sauce, sugar, chopped garlic, lime zest, bay leaves, and black pepper. Stir until the sugar is melted.
Sake and lime zest are definitely my own twists on this Filipino chicken adobo recipe. If you don’t want to use sake, you can use water, and lime zest makes total sense with the dish’s tangy flavor!
Flip over the chicken and tap out about half of the fat from the bottom of the pan. If you want to keep the chicken fat, go ahead and spoon it out and save it for later use! It’s amazing for making fried rice or even simple fried eggs!
Pour the sauce mixture and bring it to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove the lid, and with a spoon, pour the sauce over the chicken to coat the chicken evenly with the delicious adobo sauce, about 5 minutes. It’s all done!
Garnish is not a traditional way to serve the adobo, but I personally love the freshness of the chopped green onion and cilantro, so the choice is yours!
Garnish or no garnish, all I know is they are DELICIOUS!!
Serve with warm cooked rice. Enjoy!
The BEST Filipino Chicken Adobo
- Total Time: 37 mins
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 4 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and/or legs
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 3/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup cane vinegar or white vinegar
- 1/2 cup sake or water
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1/3 cup chopped garlic
- zest from 1 lime or lemon
- 4 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- chopped green onions and cilantro for garnish, optional
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat a large Dutch oven or a dip pan over medium-high heat and add the cooking oil. Place the chicken thighs, skin side down, in the pan. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes or until the chicken skin is golden brown and crispy.
- Meanwhile, let’s make the sauce!
In a mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, sake, fish sauce, sugar, chopped garlic, lime zest, bay leaves, and black pepper. Stir until the sugar is melted. - Flip over the chicken and tap out about half of the fat from the bottom of the pan. If you want to keep the chicken fat, go ahead and spoon it out and save it for later use! It’s amazing for making fried rice or even simple fried eggs!
- Pour the sauce mixture into the pot and bring it to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.
- Remove the lid, and with a spoon, pour the sauce over the chicken to coat the chicken evenly with the delicious adobo sauce, about 5 minutes. It’s all done!
- Garnish is not a traditional way to serve the adobo, but I personally love the freshness of the chopped green onion and cilantro, so the choice is yours! Serve with warm cooked rice. Enjoy!
- Cook Time: 37 mins
60 comments
This is the way I prepare my adobo. I love the twist with the green onions! Will definitely try that next time
I made this last night and it was the bomb. I surfed the web for different adobo recipes and this was far the best with all those ingredients. Thanks for sharing. Will definitely make this again.
YES! Thank you for your feedback! so glad you found one of my recipes helpful!
Haven’t heard of or seen Filipino restaurant. I don’t think Filipino food is delicious nor popular. Thank you though.
Ann,
What a terrible statement. I hope someone gives you a hug today. Maybe you should try different things in life; it might surprise you to what you’ll find. Be kind and open.
Jennah
I was making adobo wrong my whole life and didn’t know it until I made your recipe. This is one of the tastiest dishes I have ever had in my life and it’s part of our meal rotation often. The house always smells so good when it’s cooking.
Glad to hear that you liked my recipe!
Ann. I assume you are locked up in a cage somewhere and only allowed to eat one style of food. Too bad. All cultures have delicious food even if you aren’t familiar with it.
Would like to know the name of your soy sauce?? I heard that its different from chinese type, is it? Can’t wait to try your recipe, looks good to me. Thanks ?
Oh, Ann. If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say – or write – anything at all, especially when you’re just being mean and not helpful.
Ann…Just saw this and giggled. Filipinos and restaurants–with Michelin Stars!–are all over the place, like globally. It’s now 2024, have you come out from under your rock? Filipinos ALL OVER YouTube…
By the way, this Adobo recipe is da BEST!
@ANN: I am a Filipino and most of our American friends here love Filipino food. Yes, there isn’t much restaurant here, maybe because Filipinos just dont have the funds to start a business or there might be one where you’re located but small and not a chain. You might want to try this recipe first before making assumptions that they’re not good. Just saying. Every country in this world has something good to offer when it comes to food. So don’t be too quick to judge. ? As what our parents always say “try it first before you say no” ? Adobo is a staple food and this is the first food we have our guests try. ?
Thank you! This makes me very proud. Ann sounds like an internet troll and uneducated. Filipino food is amazing. Adobo is my favoritt and my Norwegian friends loves it too. Can’t wait to make your recipe. Love your food and recipe and Great video, pics and blog!
I second Vincent! Just made this and it’s delicious! Thank you very much for sharing!
Thank you so for sharing. This is delicious! I’m Filipina and made this for my mom. She loved it so much that she helped herself to a second helping. She planning on having it for lunch tomorrow as well. BTW, I used an instant pot. Sauté setting to brown the chicken then added the rest of the ingredients. Then cooked on manual setting for 15 minutes & let NR for 15 minutes. I can’t wait to try this recipe again but cooking it as you did. Keep the recipes coming. You’re the best! Thanks.
Thank you for sharing your Instant pot instruction for this recipe!! I know lots of people will appreciate!!!
Hi! Can I use Mirin instead of sake?
Made this and the ONLY thing I changed was step 1: I cooked the thighs in duck fat instead of oil.
Oh! I don’t know what’s up w/your 5-star rating system, it won’t let me click on 5-stars, only 4, but it’s-a-5 for me
Aw I’m sorry /: we will work on the fix immediately!
I’m Filipina and adobo is one of my favorite, I recommend putting ginger, Taste better with ginger when you cook chicken adobo. I don’t put fish sauce because soy sauce is already salty, but everyone has there own tasting i respect how you cook and what you put in your adobo.?
Thank you for your feedback! I have to try it that way one time.
This recipe is pretty spot on! I grew up making adobo. I was taught to use apple cider vinegar and never used sugar so I omitted. I always tried to find the measurements because my grandma would always eyeball the amounts ?
How much ginger do you put in?
This recipe sounds great. Is there in alternative to saki if we don’t have that?
Any cooking white wine should do. If you do not want to consume alcohol at all in your cooking, you can just use water instead.
I’m curious about the brand of soy and fish sauce you used in the video. Is this a Filipino brand? Where can I buy this brand?
I did use a Filipino brand, you should be able to find them in your local asian grocery store.
Very good recipe!!! Ginger and green onions are great compliments with the chicken…
Thank you!
I m definitely going to try out this recipe. It looks so delicious! Can you Can you do a new Chicken Adobo video soon?
ANN….That wasn’t very nice at all. If you personally don’t like Filipino food then so over the recipes. Im not sure where you live but there are Filipino restaurants around. I prefer to live in areas with larger more diverse populations so I can’t speak as to what you’ve seen near you
Hi. I have never made adobo that was a success until I made this one. Finally can say I make adobo. Also question, will the recipe also work if I use pork instead of chicken?
Yes! That should be just fine!
I made this dish tonight and everyone loved it! Even more than the traditional Filipino style adobo. Thank you so much for sharing your recipes.
Thank you for enjoying my recipes! (:
Me too! I used to eat adobo at a little Filipino restaurant in Seattle and your recipe brings me back to my college days. I do cook it for nearly an hour to make it fall off the bone but that’s the only change I make!
Seonkyong – all the way from Australia. Like all your recipes this one is also brilliant. I added red chillies for a little bit of heat. Wash it all down with a good beer!!!
YES!!!
I have tried different adobo recipes. Some with tomatoes, onions, brown sugar, more soy sauce or more vinegar, with ginger, with potatoes, but this one by far is one of the best ? the sake makes a difference. Thank you for this recipe!
My wife loves this recipe, she stated that this is the only way now she wants her chicken adobo done! I’m gonna marinate chicken and then use the same sauce to cook it in. Ginger? Hmmmm, I wonder what the taste will bring out? Thank you
Where did you get you our measuring cups? They’re lovely!
Loved this recipe and so does my family. I had the same problem leaving 5 stars as this is definitely 5 star cuisine.
Made this for my daughter and her family when they came to visit. My daughter, who truly is an excellent cook, loved it so much that she licked the plate before she loaded in the dishwasher. ? I guess that speaks for itself. Thank you Seonkyoung.
I am Filipino and proud. That comment by Ann was pretty offensive to me. She does definitely need a hug and a dose of tolerance.
Why would somebody watch a video on Filipino cooking if you don’t like it ? Thank you for the Awesome recipe everybody truly loves it.
Thank you so much for your feedback! Glad you enjoyed my recipe (:
This is definitely one of my favorite Filipino chicken adobo recipes! Even though it isn’t the “traditional” way of making it, it is definitely one of the best tasting! Thanks Seonkyoung. What brand is your Dutch oven?
This is the best adobo I have made, wont be making it any other way! It’s delicious, my picky eaters gobbled it up!
Perfect recipe. Thank you so much. This was my first time making adobo and I will certainly be making your adobo recipe again and again.
I dry brined my chicken with some kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper two days in advance which helped with the texture and flavor.
So glad I could help!
Soooo yummmy ! I just made this tonight! It was so good. First time I made Filipino food. I made it with from scratch mashed potatoes. Love this recipe ?
So delicious!
5 Stars. I saw the dish on YouTube and had to make it. I made it for a Filipino friend who loved it. I did follow the recipe and used Datu Puti vinegar, soy sauce, and fish sauce. I’m glad I used the Filipino fish sauce because I think a Thai or Chinese version would be to strong or salty respectively. I did not use the sake; however, I will next time. This recipe is simple and quick to prepare. Chop some green onion, cilantro and limes to garnish. The flavor adds to the dish. Will make it repeatedly.
I make my Adobo with coconut milk and ginger try that one too! But for now, I’ll try your recipe.
Ma’am!!!! Let me tell you! I made this dish last night and it was such a hit! My husband even said it was competing with his all time favorite dish bistec encebollado. The only thing I did differently than the recipe was use water instead of sake, boneless chicken breast (his preference) cut into chunks, and I let it simmer with the lid off for like 15 minutes instead of 5. Thank you so much for making it easy for me to make delicious meals for my family.
Made this recipe last night. It reminded me so much of the adobo my former roommate’s mother, who is Filipino, would make for us. Very, very good! Will make this again and again!
I tried your recipe tonight I had been using a different adobe Chicken recipe but I like yours better. The zest gives a very nice flavour. I also added some jalapeno pepper for a touch of heat .
Delicious and so easy! My mother in law is from manilla and she says this took her back to her childhood.
Thank you so much for the recipe
OMG YAY! That means so much to me! Thank you so much for the support!
Have you ever attempted this in the crockpot?