If you like slightly tart and tangy, this might be your new favorite. A favorite dish throughout the islands of the Philippines, adobo varies from region to region with the commonality being soy sauce and vinegar as the signature ingredients, creating salty and sour. We use tamari sauce to keep it gluten free. Here, the sauce is mellowed with creamy coconut milk to give is some heft as well as balancing out the other flavors. You could use thighs or breasts for this recipe, just adjust cooking times for the chicken so that it registers 175 degrees. If you prefer to use breasts, cut in half to create smaller pieces that will cook a bit faster, and heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in the skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering before adding the chicken breasts to the pan. Enjoy!
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 1 hour (active time, 10 minutes)
Total Time: 2 hours, includes marinating time
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed of any excess fat
1/2 cup reduced-sodium tamari sauce (gluten-free soy sauce)
1 can (13.5 ounce) coconut milk
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar (such as Bragg’s brand)
10 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
3 to 4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 green onions, cut thin at a diagonal, both white and green parts
1. Marinate Chicken: Marinate chicken in tamari sauce for 1 hour, tossing on occasion to coat.
2. Brown Chicken: Remove chicken, letting tamari sauce drain back into bowl, and place chicken pieces in a large COLD nonstick skillet. Heat to medium high and cook until chicken is browned, about 10 minutes. Turn chicken and continue to brown, another 5 minutes or so.
3. Make Sauce: Meanwhile, whisk next 6 ingredients together with the reserved tamari sauce.
4. Simmer Chicken: When chicken is well browned, remove from skillet and set aside on a plate. Pour fat from the skillet. Transfer chicken back to the skillet, skin side down, and return heat to medium. Pour sauce mixture around chicken and cook for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally and spooning sauce over the chicken every few minutes. Flip chicken pieces and continue to cook, skin side up, for another 10 minutes or so. Check the temperature of the chicken to make sure that it registers 175 degrees in the thickest spots.
5. Finish Sauce & Serve: Remove chicken to a plate and cover with foil. Discard bay leaves from the sauce. Continue to cook sauce another 5 minutes or so until it thickens, whisking or stirring often. Spoon sauce over chicken, sprinkle with green onions, and serve. Enjoy!