Chicken Adobo

A sour, flavorful Filipno braised chicken dish.

• Chicken legs and thighs, with bone and skin; salt; oil
• Garlic; bay leaves; black peppercorns
• Soy sauce; clear vinegar; water
  • About equal parts, and enough to cover halfway up the chicken in the pot
• Optional: Oyster sauce; sugar

Dry the chicken and season. Optionally dry brine. Brown the chicken in a heavy pot with oil. Remove the chicken and toast/fry the garlic, bay, and peppercorns in the pot. Deglaze with, and then add, the braising liquid. Return chicken to pot, bring to a simmer, and cover. Flip halfway through. It won’t take too long; half an hour is plenty.

Refrigerates well. One way to reheat is by broiling, crisping up the skin. Serve with rice.

Notes:

Another option is to marinate the chicken in a soy sauce marinade (without the vinegar). Brown the marinated chicken and add the rest of the marinade to braise. Add vinegar towards the end.

You can even just throw everything in a pot at once. This yields a delicious, gelatinous skin.