Chicken Adobo

for the Pixel Potluck

This recipe is a simplification of the chicken adobo my grandfather learned to make in the Philippines many many many years ago. Though it is different than the original recipes, this is the kind that my mother has always made and the name stuck.

This recipe is scalable, meaning that as long as you have equal parts water, vinegar, and teriyaki, the combined flavor will be the same. Feel free to alter these ratios to your taste, but I recommend starting here. This particular ratio makes for a very zingy, vinegar-tasting broth that my whole family loves.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Serves: 12? (its a lot)

Ingredients

  • 4 cups white vinegar
  • 4 cups Kikkoman teriyaki sauce
  • 4 cups water
  • 18 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
  • white rice (amount varies wildly based on how much rice you eat and how many people you're serving, so cook however much is appropriate to feed your party)

Instructions

  1. Pour vinegar, teriyaki sauce, and water over chicken in large stock pot. The broth mixture should cover the chicken completely. Cover with lid.
  2. Heat broth and chicken on medium-high until the broth has reached a high boil. The goal is to heat it up without burning the vinegar. If you do, you'll smell it. Though the meal does still have a vinegary scent if done properly, so don't worry if it does smell some.
  3. Once it is boiling, bring the heat down to low to simmer the broth for the next 1.5 to 2 hours. Stir and turn the chicken about half way through to make sure it is cooking evenly.
  4. When there are about 20 minutes left on the broth, start cooking the rice your preffered method (i.e. rice cooker, pot, etc.).
  5. Ideally, after 2 hours, the chicken should be light brown on the outside and pull apart easily with a fork. Once you have reached this point, remove from heat.

Serve chicken over rice with as much or as little broth as you like. I love it with the broth, so mine always comes out rather soupy which then absorbs into the rice. This recipe is very flexible, so you can experiment and add spices and vegetables to make it more like traditional adobo, make it your own, or you can enjoy it in all of its vinegary, soupy goodness. I hope that you love it, from my family to yours.