Sweet, sticky tangy chicken, you are going to love this Filipino adobo dish. I love a dish where the ingrediets are so simple you’ve usually got them in your pantry. Our marinade for this homemade chicken adobo is very simple, add a little brown sugar in a bowl. What we are after in this dish is making a sweet sour tangy kind if marinade which will then turn into a sauce as well. Add soy sauce to the sugar in the bowl then we are going to get tangy with the vinegar, you can use an apple cider vinegar or any kind of vinegar you want. Add finely grated ginger and a good hit of balk pepper, add some garlic then stir the mixture. There are a whole bunch of meat options for the fili[ino adobo and we are going to go with the chicken drumsticks. Pour the marinade on top of the chicken drumsticks in a large bowl, you have enough time, you can let that marinade overnight or if you are preparing for your supper, let that marinade for an hour.

After marinating, what we are going to do first is browning the chicken. Heat oil in your pan then begin to add the drumstick, you can do this in batches so you do not overcrowd your pan. What we are trying to do here is creating color and flavor so all that awesome around beautiful caramelization, that is the pure flavor. Once done, transfer them to a different dish then add oil to the pan and add your onions straight in there. Get your onions nice and soft and translucent because that’s going t give you the best flavor, once they are softened, add in your garlic and some red chili. You can use less chili or you can leave them out, totally up to you. Pop your chicken drumsticks back in and them our marinade becomes our sauce. So, pour that all over and add some bay leaves in there to give you a really beautiful flavor.

Make sure each of your drumsticks is nice and snug in that beautiful sauce, add a little bit of water to make sure you have enough liquid to braise the chicken. Turn your heat down and pop a lid there and let that simmer away for 30 minutes. Once they are done the cooking, be really gentle with them because they almost will literally just fall off the bone. Sere your drumsticks and leave the sauce behind Let the sauce simmer down for about 15 more minutes, be patients because what we are looking for is a beautiful, thick, sticky glossy sauce. Once your sauce has come to a perfect thickness, [ut that over the chicken and serve immediately.

Ingredients;

  • 8 chicken drumsticks
  • ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/3 cup light soy sauce
  • 3 Tbsp brown sugar
  • ¼ tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp finely grated ginger
  • 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 brown onion, halved and sliced
  • 1 long red chili, finely sliced
  • 4 bay leaves
  • ¼ cup sliced spring onion
  • sea salt

Instructions;

  1. Whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, pepper, ginger, and half the chopped garlic.
  2. Place the chicken in a large bowl and pour over the vinegar mixture.
  3. Toss to coat. Cover and set aside in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes.
  4. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, heavy-based pan over high heat. Remove chicken from the marinade and cook in batches until golden brown.
  5. Reserve the marinade for later. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
  6. Place the pan back on medium-high heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.
  7. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring for about 5 minutes or until the onions have colored and are soft.
  8. Add the garlic and chili and cook for another minute.
  9. Add the chicken pieces, reserved marinade, bay leaves, and ¼ cup water. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
  10. Transfer chicken pieces to a large bowl or platter.
  11. Place sauce over medium-high heat and simmer for 15 minutes to thicken slightly.
  12. Pour sauce over chicken pieces and scatter over the spring onion.