Adobo Chicken- A Filipino Classic

Sunday Dinner Plate- Adobo Chicken with Bacon and Bay leaves over white rice-thanks to Food and Wine.

If you take a peak at the ingredients in the recipe below, you might be wondering why fish sauce-a Vietnamese ingredient and soy sauce -a Chinese ingredient make this a Filipino dish-simply stated, Philippine cuisine shares flavors with the Spanish, Asian, and Latin traditions. Something else I learned today is that the “Adobo” part of this meal is chicken or pork braised with garlic, vinegar, and soy sauce to make a caramel brown dish. I think you will like it.

Here’s the recipe and make your own adaptations to fit your family needs:

Adobo Chicken with Bacon and Bay Leaves

3 ozs. thick cut bacon cut into 1/4 inch matchsticks ( I used 2 slices of bacon- that’s all I had)

6 large chicken thighs ( I used 8 small thighs)

Salt and Pepper

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 large shallot, thinly sliced ( I did not have, but used a little green onion)

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbls. coconut vinegar or cider vinegar ( I used cider)

3 cups low sodium chicken broth (definitely use low sodium due to fish and soy sauce)

1 1/2 Tbls. fish sauce

1 1/2 Tbls white soy suace-Shiro Shoyo ( I used regular soy sauce)

6 bay leaves

Pinch of Cayenne

In a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until browned, 3 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a plate, leaving the fat in the skillet. Season chicken lightly with salt and pepper and add to the skillet, skin side up. Cook over moderately low heat, turning once, until browned all over, 12 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Spoon off all but 2 Tbls. of the fat from the skillet. Add the garlic, and shallot and cook over low heat, stirring until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook until reduced by half, scraping up any bits stuck to the pan, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, fish sauce, soy sauce, bay leaves and cayenne and bring to a simmer.

Return the chicken and bacon to the skillet and let cook over moderately low heat stirring once or twice until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Discard bay leave and spoon off excess fat and serve over rice. Enjoy!!