“Tita Jordana’s” Chicken Adobo and Rice
One of multiple variations on the national dish of the Philippines but my go-to.
Whole chicken. Chicken breasts. Soupy sauce. Non-soupy sauce. The variations of Chicken Adobo are just as endless as the variations of Adobo itself.
The best variation I had was on Memorial Day Weekend 2016 in Washington D.C. My Aunt made a variation with shredded chicken. I was blown away by its underlying sweetness among its savory tartness. She said she got the recipe from a family friend named Tita Jordana. She also shared her adaptations of Tita Jordana’s recipe, including finishing the dish with butter to balance the vinegar and using a whole head of garlic. I formalized it and haven’t made another variation since.
Ingredients
3.00 lbs Chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on (the skin content provides a lot of the fat in the dish; thighs have a lot of meat that doesn’t dry out)
1.00 cup Soy sauce, low-sodium (low-sodium for those who are health conscious)
0.75 cup Apple cider vinegar
2.00 tablespoons Brown sugar
1.00 White onion, diced
1.00 Garlic head, minced
6.00 Bay leaves, dried
1.00 tablespoon Black peppercorns
Salt and pepper to taste
1.00 cup Jasmine rice
1.50 cup Water
4.00 tablespoons Butter, unsalted
Chopped tarragon, optional
Instructions
Pat the chicken dry and season it with salt and pepper.
Arrange the chicken skin side down in a large stock pot. Add the white onion and garlic. Pour in the soy sauce and apple cider vinegar. Sprinkle brown sugar and black peppercorn. Place the bay leaves throughout the pot.
Bring the contents in the stock pot to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and set a timer for one hour.
After one hour, flip the chicken. Cover and set another timer for one hour.
As the chicken is cooking for another hour, make the rice.
Rinse the rice in a fine-mesh colander.
Place rinsed rice in a saucepot and add in the water.
Bring the pot to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and set a timer for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, take the rice off the heat and let it sit for 5-10 minutes before fluffing and serving.
After the second hour, take the chicken out of the pot and into a wok. Take the stock pot off the heat and strain the braising liquid, removing bay leaves and peppercorns.
Set the wok to medium heat. As the chicken starts to char, shred the chicken with tongs, removing peppercorns, bay leaves, bones, and cartilage.
Once the chicken is shredded, add the braising liquid. Reduce the liquid by half to two-thirds (depending on how much sauce you want). Remove from heat
In a small pan, melt the butter until it is browned–the edges will start to brown and the butter will smell nutty. Pour browned butter over the chicken.
Plate: rice on the bottom, chicken on top; pour yourself a glass of wine.
This adobo sounds incredible! Can't wait to try this.