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Adobo

Widely considered to be the unofficial national dish of the Philippines, adobo consists of large pieces of chicken, pork, or both, cooked in soy sauce and vinegar, seasoned with bay, garlic, and pepper, and stewed until the sauce is thick. Though the name adobo is derived from the Spanish word adobar (meaning "to marinade"), the cooking process is unique to the Philippines.

Recipe Servings: 4

Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour 25 minutes
Total Time
1 hour 30 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (240 ml) vinegar
  • 1 cup (240 ml) water
  • 6 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tsp (10 ml) salt
  • ½ tsp (2.5 ml) ground black pepper
  • 1 lb (453 g) chicken, in serving-size pieces
  • 2 lbs (907 g) pork, cubed
  • Soy sauce, to taste
  • Vegetable oil, as needed for cooking
  • Cooked rice, as needed for serving

Directions

  1. Place vinegar, water, garlic, salt, bay, and black pepper in a large, nonreactive casserole dish.
  2. Bring mixture to a boil.
  3. Add chicken and pork, return mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
  4. Add soy sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.
  5. Remove meat from pan.
  6. Increase heat and boil the sauce, stirring, until thick.
  7. Remove sauce.
  8. Add vegetable oil to casserole and brown the meat, adding additional oil as needed to prevent sticking.
  9. Once meat is fully browned, drain oil, and return sauce to pan.
  10. Cook sauce just until heated through.
  11. Serve adobo hot with rice.