Adobo, the National Dish of the Philippines
The key to this tender, braised chicken and pork belly recipe lies in finding the proper balance between sweet, sour, and salty. I learned a version of this recipe for the first time in Culinary School in upstate New York. After the adobo was finished, we delivered a plate of it to one of the chef instructors whose family was from the Philippines. I remember him exclaiming: “This dish should be more sour—add more vinegar!” If you ever want to befriend someone from the Philippines, try making them this fantastic dish.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2.5 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 10 oz pork belly, cut into 1.5” cubes
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 Tbsp whole black peppercorns
- 1 head of garlic cloves crushed and skins removed
- 3 tsp fresh ginger, finely minced
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar, or more to taste
- 2 cups chicken stock
Instructions
- Quickly brown the chicken thighs in the vegetable oil in a saute pan on high heat.
- Remove chicken thighs from the pan and add them to a Dutch oven or stew pot.
- Deglaze the saute pan with a splash of chicken stock and add the deglazing liquid to your stewing pot.
- Add remaining ingredients to the stewing pot and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Reduce heat to low, and cook for roughly 2.5 hours, until the chicken is fall-of-the-bone tender.
- Season the liquid with additional soy sauce or brown sugar if desired.
- Serve hot, over white rice.
Notes
This dish is great for feeding a family, and tastes even better the next day.
You can make a variation of this recipe using coconut milk instead of chicken stock—this is wonderful to eat as well.
You can make a variation of this recipe using coconut milk instead of chicken stock—this is wonderful to eat as well.