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Adobo, the Spanish word for marinade/sauce/seasoning, is the immersion of raw food in a stock/sauce which may be composed variously of paprika, oregano, salt, garlic, and vinegar to preserve and enhance its flavor. The Portuguese variant is known as Carne de Vinha d’ Alhos.
This practice is native to Iberia, namely Spanish/Portuguese cuisines. It was created to preserve surplus meat in warmer months, facilitated through the use of adobos /marinades along with paprika, a substance with antibacterial properties. At the same time, the capsaicin in paprika permit fats to dissolve to the point of allowing tissue penetration, going deeper than the surface.
Adobo was widely adopted in Latin America and other Spanish/Portuguese colonies, including the Azores and Madeira. In the Philippines, the name adobo was given by the Spanish colonists to a superficially similar indigenous cooking method that also uses vinegar.
In Filipino cuisine, adobo refers to a common cooking process indigenous to the Philippines. When the Spanish first explored the Philippines in the late 16th century, they encountered a cooking process that involved stewing with vinegar. Spanish referred to this method as adobo, due to its superficial similarity to the Spanish adobo.
Filipino adobo is an entirely separate method of preparing food and is distinct from the Spanish marinade. The Filipino adobo has experienced many variations in terms of cooking style, stewing hours and deviation from meat (chicken, pork, fish or vegetables) . However, three basic ingredients remain: garlic, soy sauce and vinegar. A common variation of this dish involves adding spices such as whole black peppers (peppercorn) and bay leaves, as well as vegetables, such as carrots, potatoes, green peas, bell peppers, and button mushrooms. Chili peppers may be mixed in as well for a spicier flavor, and oyster sauce, along with soy sauce, for additional flavor.
Adobo is the national dish of the Philippines, and chicken adobo is among the most popular, common menu items at Filipino restaurants. I have had original Filipino adobo, which the flavors were too intense for my palate. Watching an episode of America’s Test Kitchen (TV program), I learnt to appreciate this tender and delicious dish, coconut milk’s richness tempers the powering acidity of the vinegar and salty soy sauce, bringing the sauce into balance for our general palate. Like me, if you enjoy tender chicken meat in a creamy, tangy, flavorful sauce, this is the dish!
Filipino Chicken Adobo / <em>Adobong Manok
Recipe by: Fae’s Twist & Tango (fae-magazine.com)
INGREDIENTS
• 1350 g/ 3 lbs or 8 bone-in chicken thighs, fats and excess skin trimmed
• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 can / 400 ml/ 13.5 oz unsweetened coconut milk – light coconut milk may be substituted
• 180 ml/ 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 8 garlic cloves (or more), peeled and kept whole
• 4~5 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper (it will not make the sauce hot)
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced (optional for garnish)
DIRECTIONS
◊ Marinate chicken with soy sauce, in a large bowl. Refrigerate for at least 30~60 minutes.
◊ Remove chicken from soy sauce and place skin-side down, in a medium-size, deep, non-stick fry-pan. Keep soy sauce in the bowl for next step.
◊ Place fry-pan over medium-high heat and sear chicken, only the skin side, until skin is fully browned, 8~10 minutes.
◊ While chicken is browning, in the bowl with the soy sauce, add coconut milk, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, pepper and stir.
◊ Transfer browned chicken to a dish and discard fat in the fry-pan. Return chicken to fry-pan, skin-side down, add coconut milk mixture, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Flip chicken, skin side up, and continue to cook, uncovered, until chicken is done, at least for 20 minutes and until sauce has thickened.
◊ Option: Garnish with sliced green onion and serve over rice.
~ Tayo’y magsikain (formal) Kainan na! (informal) • Let’s eat ~
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Please note a comment made by RenxKyoko in the message section below, for more on this dish/recipe!
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So, what’s cooking in your kitchen?
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One of my favorites !
Hi Fae! I’m never going to be able to taste this
but I need to chime in and add : the Carne de Vinha d’ Alhos was brought to Goa by the Portuguese where it transformed (with local ingredients) into the Pork Vindaloo!
Hi Radhika! Isn’t that fascinating! Vinha d’ Alhos = Vindaloo! I love vindaloo but don’t know the precise ingredients… I can imagine now! There must be vegetarian vindaloo, right? I am going to look into its recipe! Always please, comment and share your wisdom with the rest of us even if it is not a vegetarian dish. (It is like me not consuming alcohol!) Hugs, 😀 )))
Don’t think there is a veggie Vindaloo. The vinegar got substituted for tamarind in Goa and the dish became Indianized, like so many others. We’ve had a long history of colonisation….so a lot of food came and got adapted to local ingredients and tastes! Food history is so fascinating!
I am certain that colonizers learned and took a whole lot more from India.
Hi Fae, I got to know Chicken Adobo through blogging and as you can guess I did a sous-vide version. I made a version without coconut milk and didn’t think it was too strong — I loved it actually and I should prepare it again. Thanks for reminding me
That is great, Stefan! I look forward to your post and to learn from it. 😀
This is the recipe. You can use the same proportions when simmering instead of using sous-vide.
http://stefangourmet.com/2012/04/01/chicken-adobo-sous-vide/
Hi Fae, I feel like I have learnt something each time I read one of your posts. I had never heard of adobo before. Always good to have a “lazy dish” in your repertoire!
I thought I didn’t know much about Pilipino food, but if the three basic ingredients remain: garlic, soy sauce and vinegar, then Im pretty much eating Pilipino at least twice a week. The chicken looks and sounds delicious, I would make it any day. You must know I live on Coconut milk by now? Have a lovely weekend, Fae and thanks for visiting me!
Beautiful dish, as always!
Your coconut milk based chicken sounds good. I enjoyed learning the facts about paprika that I didn’t know…nice post.
Simple to make and it looks very delicious! Thanks Fae, have a great weekend
This looks so delicious! What a great dish!
Ms. Fae, it is indeed the Philippines’ national dish, but here’s something you ought to know… that’s what Filipinos cook when they feel very lazy. Also, no two adobos are the same. They are cooked so many ways. The one with coconut milk is common in southern Philippines where almost all dishes have coconut cream in it. The Philippines is the biggest exporter of coconut products in the world… You’re right, the coconut cream tempers the strong taste of the vinegar.
The basic ingredients of Filipino adobo are garlic, vinegar, bay leaves, peppercorns and soy sauce. If you want coconut cream in it, soy sauce is not added.
It is also common to have chicken and pork combined. For some reason, the dish tastes better.
Also, and this is important… adobo tastes so much better one day after. That’s why, we cook it the day before. That’s the secret.
Sweet and Smart RenxKyoko!
I was waiting for your comment! I appreciate and am grateful for your input!
You made clear what I was wondering and wanted to know about this dish.
I am including a note in the post for the Readers to read your comment.
Thank you! Salamat! 😀 Fae.
That looks so good Fae!
How interesting. I love the vinegar is one of the marinade ingredients. Have got to try this sometime soon. Informative and awesome post as always Fae!
I love filipino chicken adobo! It’s so flavorful and fabulous over rice. Coconut milk is a new twist for me as I have never seen it in most recipes but it sounds delish!
I grew up on this dish! Yum!
You always teach me new things Fae. This dish sounds wonderful, one I’m sure to make soon!
This looks incredible. Thanks for the history of the dish. I cook with adobo flavors quite often for Latin American cuisine and didn’t really know its provenance. I didn’t realize what made paprika so flavorful and strong. Wonderful recipe!
Oh, Fae! Looking at those chicken is such a torture esp at midnight! I am so hungry now and they look moreish and tasty!
Another great recipe Fae. I still need to make the meatballs too. This weekend I”m making them
Thanks, Fae for explaining adobo to me, very well! I didn’t had a clue what it was! This adobo chicken dish looks so appetizing & is just looking so tasty too! Delicious!