Chicken Adobo

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the chicken skin side down and cook until brown, about 5 minutes. Flip and brown for another 5 minutes. When the chicken is fully browned, skim some of the excess fat from the pot, but leave about 1-2 teaspoons. Add the garlic to the pot and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients (soy, vinegar, bay leaves, peppercorns, sugar, and water) to the pot and bring to a boil. After the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer the chicken for 20-30 minutes. If you notice that the sauce is reducing too much, add more water. There should be plenty of liquid in the final product.

After 20 minutes, the chicken is cooked through and you can taste the sauce and adjust to your liking. Add more soy if it isn’t salty enough, add more vinegar if you want more of a tang, or add more sugar to balance out the vinegar bite.

At this time, you have two options: 1) if you are starving, you can serve the chicken right away, or 2) if you’re not quite ready for dinner, put the pot on low and continue to simmer. The longer you cook it, the chicken will just get more tender and more delicious! Just make sure to add more water if you see that the liquid is getting low.

Serve the chicken over rice with a little sauce drizzled over the top of everything! Sarap (“yummy” in Tagalog)!