I think it’s safe to say that adobo is the national dish of the Philippines. Filipinos often refer to themselves as Pinoy, hence the phrase Pinoy comfort food.There are so many variations on this dish and it can be made with chicken or pork. I find that both are equally good, but chicken is a personal favorite.

It’s a bit like a stew and a bit like a fricassee, but it is not difficult to make and is fairly quick to table. Ideally, you should marinade the meat overnight to really infuse the flavors.

Ingredients

3 lbs of Chicken Thighs, bone in skinless or Chicken Breasts boneless, cut in large pieces.
1/2 cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
3/4 cup Cider, Rice or Distilled Vinegar
1/2 cup Water
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
8 cloves of Garlic, peeled, crushed and loosely chopped
4 Bay Leaves
1 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper
1 tsp whole Black Peppercorns
1 Onion, sliced

Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, water, ground black pepper and garlic and mix together. Pour over the chicken pieces and marinade overnight. If you are in a rush, try to marinade for at least 2 hours.

Then pour chicken and marinade into a sauce pan and add all remaining ingredients. Bring up to a boil and reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Remove cover and simmer for an additional 30 minutes. 

If you would like a thicker sauce, remove the chicken pieces and reduce the sauce and then add back the chicken and serve over rice. If you want to be very authentic, serve with garlic rice. You can make this by cooking the rice as normal and while the rice is cooking, just sauté some sliced garlic in oil and pour over the prepared rice and serve.