Chicken adobo recipe | Good Food

A casserole dish with chicken adobo

2 tbsp vegetable oil
plus a splash if needed
2 chicken legs
(about 600g)
2 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
(about 300g)
65g garlic
finely chopped (about 1½ bulbs)
1 small onion
finely chopped
90ml coconut or cider vinegar
90ml light soy sauce
2 bay leaves
10 whole black peppercorns
small pinch of light brown soft sugar
2 spring onions
thinly sliced
steamed jasmine rice
to serve

Method

step 1
Heat the oil in a pan over a high heat and sear all the chicken, skin-side down, until caramelised, about 3-5 mins. Turn over and sear the other side for 2-3 mins, then remove from the pan and set aside on a plate. (The chicken doesn’t need to be cooked through at this point.)
step 2
Reduce the heat to medium and add a splash more oil if the pan seems dry. Fry the garlic until it begins to brown and becomes fragrant, about 2-3 mins. Stir in the onion, then cover and cook for 3-5 mins until softened, stirring occasionally. Return the chicken to the pan, skin-side down, and increase the heat to high. Add the vinegar, then bring to the boil and cook until the liquid has reduced by a quarter, about 4-5 mins. The vinegar should smell fragrant and slightly sweet, rather than raw and acrid.
step 3
Add the soy sauce, boil for 2-3 mins, then add the bay leaves, black peppercorns and sugar. Cover and simmer over a low heat for 10-12 mins. Gently stir, turn the chicken over and continue to cook for 6-10 mins, covered, until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Let the adobo rest in the pot for at least 5 mins before seasoning with black pepper and serving topped with the spring onions alongside steamed jasmine rice. Leftover chicken adobo will keep chilled for up to three days.