Adobo

Adobo is the unofficial national dish of the Philippines. It has been associated with Filipino cuisine since time immemorial. It’s garlicky, vinegary, saucy, and addictive. It’s a little confusing because when you think adobo, you might think of Mexican or Spanish food. In fact, The word adobo is derived from the Spanish word adobar, which means “marinade” or “pickling sauce”, and in Filipino adobo it’s a sauce made of soy and vinegar.

All you need is chicken (preferably skin on bone in chicken thighs), vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, black peppercorns, and bay leaves. Because it’s such a popular dish, these five ingredients change from person to person. Sometimes people add in a bit of sugar or even coconut milk. Everyone has their own way of making chicken adobo. Here, we kept it simple, with just seven ingredients.

I think it is the simplicity that makes it taste so good. The fact that so few ingredients can combine and make it more complex than the sum of its parts is amazing.

I love to have my adobo with rice. Well every Filipino love to have their adobo with rice. Newly cooked white rice is the best. Adobo with rice is a true comfort food.