- Dairy free
- Egg free
- Lactose free
- Nut free
- Peanut free
- Sesame free
- Shellfish free
- High in protein
Succulent chicken marinated in a tangy yet rich soy garlic sauce, this Philippines-inspired dinner dish is one your family will love.
- Serves4
- Cook time40 minutes
- Prep time10 minutes, + marinating
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (60ml) rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup (55g) brown sugar
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3cm piece fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tbs soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 8 Coles RSPCA Approved Australian Chicken legs
- 1 long red chilli, thinly sliced
- 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
- Steamed jasmine rice, to serve
Nutritional information
Check ingredient labels to make sure they meet your specific dietary requirements and always consult a health professional before changing your diet. View dietary information here.
Percentage Daily Intake information on our recipes is calculated using the nutrition reference values for an average Australian adult.
Method
Step 1
Combine the vinegar, sugar, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and pepper in a jug. Use a large sharp knife to cut two slits in each drumstick. Place the drumsticks in a large shallow bowl. Pour over vinegar mixture and gently toss to evenly coat. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 mins or overnight to develop the flavours.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 180°C. Heat 2 tsp of the oil in a large heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken to the frying pan and cook, turning once, for 6 mins or until golden brown all over. Transfer to a 23cm x 30cm baking dish (or just big enough to fit the chicken in a single layer). Repeat with remaining chicken. Add vinegar mixture to same pan and bring to a simmer. Pour over the chicken.
Step 3
Bake, basting chicken occasionally with pan juices, for 35-40 mins or until chicken is cooked through.
Step 4
Sprinkle with sliced red chilli and spring onion. Serve with rice.
Recipe tip
COOK. STORE. SAVE.
Clever storage: Leftover unpeeled ginger can be stored in a resealable bag in a crisper drawer in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Chicken adobo recipe
Chicken adobo is considered by many to be the unofficial national dish of the Philippines. It’s a vinegary, savoury-sweet, braised chicken recipe, packed with a ton of garlic. The sauce is an umami flavour bomb, and it seeps into the chicken so that every part of it carries that amazing savoury flavour. In Filipino households, adobo is almost always eaten with steamed fluffy rice. There’s no one right way of cooking adobo. Different families pass down different recipes. Some prefer adobo dry, some like it saucy so they can douse their rice with the tasty sauce. Some add paprika or bay leaves to the sauce. Eating adobo the next day is common and encouraged, as the sauce becomes sweeter and more concentrated over time. Make this as a comfort weeknight meal, or take it to your next gathering or potluck. Or do as the Filipinos do and take a pot with you to the seaside or to the park for an outdoor lunch. Read on to learn how to cook chicken adobo.
How to make the best chicken adobo recipe
Choose Filipino cane vinegar if you can. If not, rice wine vinegar and cider vinegar are good options.
Choose chicken with skin on for extra flavour.
Add dry bay leaves to your sauce to deepen the adobo sauce flavours.
If you want, you can replace the black pepper with whole black peppercorns for a stronger aroma.
The ratio of vinegar to soy sauce can be adjusted to suit your taste preferences. Use water to dilute the flavours if needed, or try the recipe with less soy sauce and vinegar to start, and add more to taste.
Storing and serving adobo chicken
Serve your adobo with white or brown rice, garlic rice, fried rice, fried noodles or vermicelli. Round out the table with a stir fry of veggies or a plate of chopped tomatoes. You can store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge. To freeze, transfer the adobo to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container, and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Love this recipe?
Once you’ve tried adobo, you’ll want to eat it again and again! Serve this recipe for adobo chicken with Tasia and Gracia’s long-life noodles with mixed mushrooms and greens, last-minute fried rice or Thai chicken and vermicelli salad.
