Filipino Chicken Adobo is the national dish of the Philippines and may well become your new favourite Asian chicken dish! Just a few everyday ingredients I can practically guarantee you already have, it’s an effortless recipe that yields juicy, tender chicken coated in a sweet savoury glaze with little pops of heat from peppercorns.
This is a chicken thigh recipe and it MUST be made with thighs – no substituting with chicken breast!
Filipino Chicken Adobo
Filipino Chicken Adobo is one of the first chicken thigh recipes I shared way back in 2015 when I started this website. Back then, I boldly stated that this was my new favourite Asian chicken recipe even it was thoroughly disloyal of me to say that, being of Japanese background and all (Teriyaki, Karaage and Yakitori….to name a few….).
To be honest, I may have embellished a wee bit. Blinded by the excitement of discovering Chicken Adobo, how unbelievably easy it is for a dish that yields such incredible flavour,
Check out how sticky the sauce is! It truly tastes as incredible as it looks. And it’s SO EASY with just a HANDFUL of ingredients!
What you need
Filipino Chicken Adobo is the national dish of the Philippines and like all traditional dishes, there are many variations – including different proteins like pork and beef.
Fundamentally though, the key ingredients are the right balance of soy sauce, vinegar, black pepper and sugar that create an incredibly sticky glaze that has a depth of flavour like it’s been slow cooked – but it’s not!
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boneless skinless chicken thighs – cannot substitute with breast, need the fat to transform sauce into a glaze;
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soy sauce – all purpose or light soy sauce. NOT dark soy sauce (bottle will be labelled as such if it’s dark soy sauce);
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white vinegar – just everyday, plain white vinegar. Sub with any clear vinegar, including rice wine, apple cider, sherry vinegar;
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onion and garlic;
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peppercorns – or coarse cracked pepper;
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sugar – brown best, white ok;
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bay leaves – fresh or dried, not the end of the world if you don’t have; and
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green onion – optional garnish
How to make Filipino Chicken Adobo
And here’s how to make it. Basically, you marinate the chicken briefly, sear the chicken, then simmer it in the pan with the marinade for 25 minutes. It will look watery right up until the last few minutes, then all of a sudden, the liquid transforms magically into a syrupy glaze!
What Chicken Adobo tastes like
The glaze of Filipino Chicken Adobo is savoury and sweet with a hint of tang, with a distinct soy flavour. The garlic and onion creates a savoury base along with the bay leaves, and the peppercorns add little subtle pops of heat.
Don’t be afraid of the peppercorns in this! The spiciness is tempered from both the cooking time and the strength of the flavour of the sauce so it becomes a flavour enhancer rather than fiery spiciness.
And finally, the chicken itself. It’s incredibly tender, owing to the cook time. Chicken thighs only take about 6 to 8 minutes to cook on the stove, so simmering them in sauce for 25 minutes yields thighs that are so tender inside, it’s like you’ve slow cooked them for hours.
What to serve with Chicken Adobo
Rice to soak up the sauce is essential! Though if you’re counting calories, I can highly recommend Cauliflower Rice – pictured in the first photo in the post alongside Smashed Cucumbers for a seriously delicious dinner plate clocking in at a grand total of just 415 calories.
You may not use all the sauce this Filipino Chicken Adobo recipe makes. It is quite strong, so have a taste before dousing your entire plate with it.
As you can see in the photos, I do not hold back. 😂 – Nagi x
PS If you do have leftover sauce, don’t throw it out! That stuff is GOLD. I use it to make Filipino Chicken Adobo fried rice – just fry up cooked rice with chopped up pieces of this chicken, some chopped Asian greens and the sauce. The sauce is so flavoursome that you don’t need anything else!
Watch how to make it
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Filipino Chicken Adobo (Flavour Kapow!)
Ingredients
Chicken and Marinade
- 750g / 1.5 lb chicken thigh fillets , boneless and skinless (5 - 6 pieces) (Note 1)
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/3 cup (85ml) soy sauce , ordinary all purpose or light (not dark soy sauce, Note 2)
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 4 bay leaves (fresh) or 3 dried
For cooking
- 2 tbsp oil , separated (vegetable, canola or peanut)
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 small brown onion , diced
- 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) water
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp whole black pepper (sub 2 tsp coarse cracked pepper)
Serving:
- 2 green onions/scallions , sliced (garnish)
Instructions
- Combine Chicken and Marinade ingredients in a bowl. Marinate for at least 20 minutes, or up to overnight.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet over high heat. Remove chicken from marinade (reserve marinade) and place in the pan. Sear both sides until browned – about 1 minute on each side. Do not cook the chicken all the way through.
- Remove chicken skillet and set aside.
- Heat the remaining oil in skillet. Add garlic and onion, cook 1 1/2 minutes.
- Add the reserved marinade, water, sugar and black pepper. Bring it to a simmer then turn heat down to medium high. Simmer 5 minutes.
- Add chicken smooth side down. Simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes (no need to stir), turning chicken at around 15 minutes, until the sauce reduces down to a thick jam-like syrup.
- If the sauce isn't thick enough, remove chicken onto a plate and let the sauce simmer by itself - it will thicken much quicker - then return chicken to the skillet to coat in the glaze.
- Coat chicken in glaze then serve over rice. Pictured in post as a healthy dinner plate (415 calories) with cauliflower rice and Ginger Smashed Cucumbers.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published February 2015. Updated January 2019 with brand new photos, step photos, video and most importantly, Life of Dozer section added!!
Life of Dozer
Dozer started 2019 the same way as he finished it – in the POOL!!
Amazing Recipe! I’ve made it 4 times and it’s definitely my favorite way to cook chicken thighs! My girlfriend loves it too. Thank you!
Hi Nagi.
This is fantastic, it reminds me of my trip to the Philippines.
They made it with pork (looked like pork belly) and I would like to make it.
Would I have to alter your recipe at all?
I’ve only tried to make adobo thrice and out of the 3, the two times I’ve followed this recipe my adobo’s always a winner. Thank you for sharing this! <3
Hi Nagi
I couldn’t stop ordering this when I was in The Phillipines, but it was always made with pork.
Would I have to alter anything using your recipe ?
Thanks
I made this for dinner and It was so delicious! Thank you!!!
I tried this in my pressure cooker. I added all ingredients, marinade ingredients too. I added 2 teaspoons of red chili flakke. I put all in pressure cooker. Pressure cooked 30 minutes, natural steam release. I then transfered into a pan to thicken sauce. This resulted in the chicken self shredding. Delish!
I must say that you are my “go to” resource person when I have to look up recipes. All the recipes Ive tried have delivered & impressed, just as you describe them; and I love how you simplify things. I can rely on your recipes anytime Nagi!
I’ve actually been cooking this recipe for the last couple of years. It’s definitely my go to! It’s so classic. The only things I’ve done differently is to use cane
Or coconut vinegar but these are very small nuances.
If I want to double the sauce but not double the chicken, should I double the marinade ingredients also? Or just leave as is and double the cooking ingredients?
Made this tonight. Totally a keeper recipe. I did however use all of the marinade to give it that full Filipino flavor. Will be making again
My wife and I are both Filipino and she is really the cook making all the dishes without measuring anything. I, on the other hand, need the measurements. There are many ways to make adobo, including adding ginger root, lemongrass or star anise. To me they’re all good, but my favorite is any version of the classic recipe, which this one is. Thank you, Nagi, for sharing it. My wife said it was super sarap!
Awwww thanks Gil! Happy cooking!! N x
My wife is Filipino and I am a chef been married for 47 years this recipe is excellent no need to adjust or use one cup of water and used chicken wings I did put some bitsin in it
Can you sub sugar with maple syrup? BTW your recipes are amazing!
Can this be made with a slow cooker and shredded as an alternative to pulled bbq chicken? I’m so tired of the standard bbq 🙁 If so, do you recommend any adjustments to the recipe?
I am sure that you can serve it shredded, Michelle, if you prefer it that way! N x
Amazing – prepared with no changes. I made it before and I am making it again. Pairs nicely with steamed white rice (or even buttermilk biscuits)! and a side of steamed brocolli/baby bokchoy. Filipino-american here and I think this might be better than mom’s adobo 😚👌…
Whooooo BIG CALL!! Don’t tell mum!! (Buttermilk biscuits is an interesting choice but I bet that’s totally yum!!) N x
This is the 4th time I made this delicious recipe but for some reason I couldn’t get it reduce this time. I even took the chicken out…. Any ideas?
I’m not sure why unless your chicken gave up more liquid for some reason. I would just remove the chicken and cook until it is the correct texture then add the chicken back in! N x
Thanks Nagi!
This is a very classic recipe for adobo. Thanks so much, Nagi
I had this issue too and I found out a wide pan worked better at reducing the liquid than something that narrows at the bottom like wok.
Thanks for that feedback Arthur! N x
This is a very classic recipe for adobo. However, I am really puzzled by the addition of a cup and a half of water. I just simmer the chicken the leftover marinade of soy/vinegar and even that needs to reduce at the end to make it more sauce-like. An extra 12 ounces of water would turn this into soup. ???
It is water, so it evaporates. You don’t want to add water and stir it only. You want to cook the water, so you are left with the adobo sauce.
I didn’t find the addition of water made the sauce watery. Mine evaporated nicely. I did add red peppers and mushrooms to incorporate veggies and steamed some broccoli. My kids love this dish 🙏
absolutely loved it! so quick! i barely had to do anything!
I cooked this for my Filipino family and my in-laws said that this is the best adobo chicken they have tasted. Thank you!
Recipetineats consistently delivers delicious and reliable recipes. Thanks so much, Nagi, you are a star!
Awwww Scott! I’m blushing!! N x
This was absolutely delicious. Thank you.
Mine didn’t reduce properly. Is it because I used a lid?
Yes, it needs to cook without a lid