Filipino Crispy Chicken Adobo

Whenever I come across videos or articles of foreigners trying out Filipino food, Adobo will always be one of the top 5 most tried out food from the Philippines. Mainly because it’s kind of the “national dish”, well it’s not official, but it has always got the attention of people.

Let me give a brief background of this beloved “national dish” of the Philippines.

Filipino Adobo came from the spanish word Adobar, which means “sauce”, “to marinade”, or “seasoning”. Mainly the dish is consisted of any kind of protein marinated in garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, and black peppercorns. The meat is simmered in it’s own marinade until it’s cooked.

Another thing about Adobo is the preparation and ingredients for the dish varies in different regions, and also varies on the tradition of the family making the dish. So there is no actual right and wrong recipe as long as you stick to the template which is protein marinated in garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, and black peppercorns.

So if you want to try your take on Filipino Adobo, go ahead just go with the template and add your own twist to it. Like what I did to this Crispy Chicken Adobo.

Crispy Chicken Adobo Recipe

Serving: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken thighs + legs
• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 1 cup of soy sauce
• 1 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar (you may use white vinegar)
• 3 -4 tbsp of brown sugar
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• 2 star anise
• 2 bay leaves
• Pinch of black peppercorns
• 1-2 tbsp of tapioca starch (you may use corn starch)
• 4 tbsp of water

Procedure:

Part 1: Chicken Prep

Rub the chicken with salt and rinse with running water.

In a pot, add the chicken broth, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, black peppercorns, star anise, and bay leaves. Let it boil.

Add the chicken in the pot and adjust heat to medium. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Once done, get the chicken from the broth, pat the skin with a kitchen towel to get rid of excess water from the skin.

Place the chicken in the fridge for the skim to dry a little bit more. Don’t put a lid on the container.

Part 2: The Sauce

Using the same broth where you boiled you chicken, fish out the garlic, bay leaves, and star anise.

Let the broth simmer again.

While waiting for the broth to simmer, In a bowl, add the tapioca starch and water and stir until the starch is completely dissolved.

Add the starch mixture in the broth and stir until the consistency is thicker. You’ll know when it’s ready if the sauce covers your spoon and it’s not runny.

Part 3: Fry up that chicken!

Get your chicken from the fridge and pat it again with a kitchen towel to get rid of excess moisture in the skin

Heat up the oil to 165 degree celsius, then drop the chicken in the oil.

Fry until the skin is crispy enough to your liking.

Serve with rice and the sauce.

Enjoy!

–Halle