adobo is the spanish word for seasoning or marinade. typically made from pork or chicken or a combination of both, it is slowly cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, crushed garlic, bay leaf, and black peppercorns, and often browned in the oven or pan-fried afterwards to get the desirable crisped edges. this dish originates from the northern region of the Philippines. it is commonly packed for Filipino mountaineers and travelers. its relatively long shelf-life is due to one of its primary ingredients, vinegar, which inhibits the growth of bacteria and thus becomes a natural food preservative! in some parts of the Philippines, chicken is combined with pork to make Chicken-Pork Adobo. this variation is also quite popular in the Philippines. best served with a cold beer :D (just like how it is shown in the picture, preferably a bottle of San Miguel) or a glass of white wine.

Ingredients

1 kilo chicken, cut into serving pieces

or pork can also be used (as shown in the picture)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium size onion, sliced or chopped

1/3 cup vinegar

half cup soy sauce (the darker, the better)

half tsp black peppercorn, whole

3-4 pieces bay leaves

optional: 1 small tomato, and 2 potatoes both quartered and 1 tablespoon of sugar to even sour taste

Directions

I. marinate chicken or pork using all other ingredients for at least 1 hour.
if you want to have this dish more tasty, marinate chicken
overnight in the refrigerator. bring out from the refrigerator
at least one hour before cooking.

II. put chicken or pork with marinade in a saucepan.
bring to boil. then let simmer for 35 minutes or
until chicken/pork is tender.

variations: for more gourmet taste, use balsamic vinegar (about
half cup), rice vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.

in some cases, you might want to bake the chicken (if only using chicken) for at least 30 minutes (375 F), or fry the chicken until brown, before putting it in the sauce pan with the rest of the marinade and boil for 15 mins.

Comments

Comments: 10 | Add a Comment

raffy says :

yummy! love it with pineapple chunk.

Posted on: 20 June 2011 - 10:06am

Anonymous says :

I had a little Adobo Book that I gave to my mom (there's a hundred ways to cook it). The soy sauce and onion can be optional and it still tastes great. One of my favorite variations involved adding Del Monte chili ketchup (not the sweet one) near the end of the simmer. Or coconut milk. My mom sometimes adds hard-boiled quail eggs.

Posted on: 28 September 2009 - 4:46am

Yvonne says :

Thank you for this recipe!If you were to modify it, how would you do it?

Posted on: 19 August 2009 - 9:21am

Anonymous says :

Thanks for these recipes! I'll try this now..I've been to GenSan and had this and it was always wonderful hope I can make it as good as my hostess did :)...ok..close anyway...:)she is a great cook so I don't think I CaN top or even get it the same haha!

Posted on: 13 July 2009 - 2:24pm

2pr says :

ur most welcome! ;) its fairly simple recipe.. i guess u could make it way much better than ur hostess... gud luck!

Posted on: 16 July 2009 - 8:37pm

shantihhh says :

Everyplace I travel I ferret out the best food! Then learn to cook it. My motto is the best way to learn of a culture is via the cuisine! Wadering local markets, listening, learning, sharing.............. Shanti/Mary-Anne

Posted on: 2 May 2008 - 12:38am

2pr says :

that's true mary-anne, it is best eaten with a garlic fried rice. i'm surprised to know that you know that! and thanks for the comment. ^_^

Posted on: 1 May 2008 - 8:38am

shantihhh says :

I love adobo and yes it is truly the national dish of the Philippines. I make it using both pork and chicken together. I usually use skinless chicken thighs and pork loin. It is wonderful to eat with garlic fried rice, another fav in the Philippines and is often eaten at breakfast. Shanti/Mary-Anne

Posted on: 27 April 2008 - 2:31pm