Filipino Chicken Adobo


Tangy and saucy with an intense fusion of coconut and delicate green onion flavors, this meaty chicken dish an updated version of a favorite Filipino dish, chicken adobo.  Bone-in chicken thighs are marinated in soy sauce, browned in a skillet and then simmered in a coconut milk, vinegar and herbed sauce with whole garlic cloves. The result is quick well-seasoned chicken dish that produces a flavorful brown sauce that hugs and clings to the chicken.


In addition to it being a comforting classic, the best part of this dish is that it takes very little active cooking time, making it a great candidate for those last-minute weeknight meals.


Filipino Chicken Adobo 
Recipe from Cook's Illustrated via Tomatoes on the Vine
Ingredients:
  • 8 (5-7 ounce) bone in chicken thighs, trimmed 
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce 
  • 1 (13 1/2-ounce) can coconut milk 
  • 3/4 cup cider vinegar 
  • 8 garlic cloves, peeled 
  • 4 bay leaves 
  • 2 teaspoons pepper 
  • 1 scallion, sliced thin 
Method
  1. Toss chicken with soy sauce in large bowl. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Remove chicken from soy sauce, allowing excess to drip back into the bowl. Transfer chicken side down, to 12-inch nonstick skillet (I used a cast iron skillet); set aside soy sauce. 
  2. Place skillet over medium-high heat and cook until chicken skin is browned, 7 to 10 minutes. While chicken is browning, whisk coconut milk, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, and pepper into soy sauce. 
  3. Transfer chicken to plate and discard fat in skillet. Return chicken to skillet skin side down, add coconut milk mixture, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Flip chicken skin side up and continue to cook, uncovered, until chicken registers 175 degrees, (I just cooked it for about 15 minutes). Transfer chicken to platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil. 
  4. Remove bay leaves and skim any fat off surface of sauce. Return skillet to medium-high heat and cook until sauce is thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken, sprinkle with scallions and serve over rice.
Serves 4 

25 comments:

Gloria Baker said...

Look really delicious Christine!!

Fun and Fearless in Beantown said...

This looks really lovely and simple to make!

Belinda @zomppa said...

This is definitely my kind of dish! So flavorful. The chicken looks so tender!!

Andrea@WellnessNotes said...

This looks & sounds fabulous. I never cook with coconut milk, but I'll have to change that! Love that the dish is easy. It's going on my "list!"

Elizabeth said...

I love dishes with chicken and rice!

Emily said...

i think coconut milk makes any dish wonderful. :)

From the Kitchen said...

What a delicious melding of simple ingredients to create a spectacular dish. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

Best,
Bonnie

Catherine said...

Dear Christine, this looks beautiful!! What a marvelous dish...I love all the flavors!! Blessings for a beautiful weekend my dear, your friend, Catherine xo

Nisrine said...

I have heard of how good adobo is but never had it. The recipe seems easy. Thank you!

chow and chatter said...

looks great a dish I keep meaning to make

Mari Nuñez said...

Hola Cristine, This a great dinner dish! I love the fact it has some coconut milk, together with the seasoning and veggies, I'm sure it makes a great tasting sauce.

Hugs

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

I love the simplicity and the sophistication of this recipe. The coconut milk and the cider vinegar sounds like a delicious sweet and tangy flavor!

Lisa said...

This sounds heavenly. I used to live in Saipan and ate lots of Filipino food and miss it very much, particularly the noodle dish now I am forgetting the name...thank you for this delicious one.

White Hot Oven said...

You've inspired me for certain, this looks like a dish I need in my life. Thanks for sharing!

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

I love cooking with chicken thighs and this sounds like a delightful recipe to try! Beautiful flavors.

Delicious Dishings said...

I remember editing this recipe (started working there too late to sample it). Sounded so good... I definitely want to try it at some point!

Barbara said...

I love it when so many fabulous flavors and beautiful dishes result in so few ingredients, making it easily doable for everyone. This is perfect, Christine!

El said...

It looks like you made another perfectly elegant dish. Stunning.

tasteofbeirut said...

I keep promising myself we'll make this dish especially because two members of our household are filipinos! Love this!

nancy at good food matters said...

Hmmmm---sounds divine. simple, and completely different from the usual suspects, when preparing chicken. love the combination of sweet-savory-sour elements coconut milk and cider vinegar, especially!

Sara McCarty said...

YUM! This looks delicious. I've never made anything with bone-in chicken thighs, but I'm sure my husband would LOVE it if I did. This looks amazing.

Reeni said...

This sounds so incredibly flavorful! I am smitten with it - I am a sucker for the coconut milk!

lisa is cooking said...

"Simmered in coconut milk" always gets my attention. I love that this is simple enough to make on a weeknight too.

Shoutforfood said...

Your recipe sounds so much more flavorful!!

OysterCulture said...

Your version sounds delicious and so different than mine which is heavy on the vinegar. I cannot wait to try it.