The key to this tender, braised chicken and pork belly recipe lies in finding the proper balance between sweet, sour, and salty.
I learned a version of this recipe for the first time in Culinary School in upstate New York. After the adobo was finished, we delivered a plate of it to one of the chef instructors whose family was from the Philippines. I remember him exclaiming: “This dish should be more sour—add more vinegar!”
If you ever want to befriend someone from the Philippines, try making them this fantastic dish.
Adobo, the National Dish of the Philippines
The key to this tender, braised chicken and pork belly recipe lies in finding the proper balance between sweet, sour, and salty. I learned a version of this recipe for the first time in Culinary School in upstate New York. After the adobo was finished, we delivered a plate of it to one of the chef instructors whose family was from the Philippines. I remember him exclaiming: “This dish should be more sour—add more vinegar!” If you ever want to befriend someone from the Philippines, try making them this fantastic dish.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2.5 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 10 oz pork belly, cut into 1.5” cubes
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 Tbsp whole black peppercorns
- 1 head of garlic cloves (crushed and skins removed)
- 3 tsp fresh ginger, finely minced
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar, or more to taste
- 2 cups chicken stock
Instructions
- Quickly brown the chicken thighs in the vegetable oil in a saute pan on high heat.
- Remove chicken thighs from the pan and add them to a Dutch oven or stew pot.
- Deglaze the saute pan with a splash of chicken stock and add the deglazing liquid to your stewing pot.
- Add remaining ingredients to the stewing pot and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Reduce heat to low, and cook for roughly 2.5 hours, until the chicken is fall-of-the-bone tender.
- Season the liquid with additional soy sauce or brown sugar if desired.
- Serve hot, over white rice.
Notes
This dish is great for feeding a family, and tastes even better the next day.
You can make a variation of this recipe using coconut milk instead of chicken stock—this is wonderful to eat as well.
You can make a variation of this recipe using coconut milk instead of chicken stock—this is wonderful to eat as well.