This Chicken Adobo recipe is a dinnertime flavor explosion! With juicy, succulent chicken thighs in a tangy, zesty sauce, it will become an instant family favorite.
It’s been a long time since I revisited this easy Chicken Adobo, and I had forgotten how much I love it. It used to be a staple in our house, made for dinner with semi-regularity. But I hesitate to admit that I haven’t made it in many years.
In a donkey’s age, as my mother used to say!
I was suddenly inspired to resurrect this Keto Chicken Adobo, and I couldn’t believe I let it languish in obscurity for so long. If you want an easy keto dinner recipe that has everyone begging for second helpings, this is the one!
And check out my French Onion Chicken recipe while you’re at it.
Why you need to make this recipe
Chicken Adobo is a famous Filipino dish, and rightly considered the “unofficial” national dish of the country. A friend of Filipino heritage introduced me to it when I lived in Boston, but strangely, it never occurred to me to request her family recipe.
Then I chanced upon it in a cookbook and started making it for my family. They loved it from the get-go. I made a few simple modifications, and low and behold, I had created Keto Chicken Adobo. That was back in 2011, if you can believe it!
It’s an easy recipe that has minimal prep work, and it results the most tender, fall-off-the-bone chicken you’ve ever had. The final step of grilling or broiling creates a crispy finish that almost resembles burnished gold.
It also makes plenty of luscious, tangy sauce too. Pair it with some coconut cauliflower rice to soak up all that deliciousness!
Reader Reviews
“I made this last week and it was delicious. Served with Cauliflower RIce and Green Beans. I over did the sauce at the end so it was way to thick, but the chicken as prepared was outstanding. Will be a regular on our menu.” — John D.
“What a great recipe! This was embarrassingly easy to make and with a stellar result. I’ve had beef adobo and hadn’t ever made any adobo myself until tonight. A big hit with the hubby and we’ll definitely be having this again. Thanks!” — Anonymous
“Your Chicken Adobo recipe is out of this world. I made it tonight only because you recommended it as one of the best chicken dishes you make. I can appreciate why you would. The chicken was moist and tender and the sauce added a wonder flavor and a sense of something really special.” — Sandra
Ingredients you need
- Bone-in chicken thighs: Bone-in chicken makes this Chicken Adobo recipe hearty and satisfying. You can use all thighs or a combination of thighs and drumsticks.
- Tamari: I prefer tamari because it has a stronger flavor than soy sauce, and is gluten-free. But soy sauce works as well.
- Apple cider vinegar: You can also use white vinegar or rice vinegar.
- Swerve Brown: A little sweetener balances the acidity and helps caramelize the chicken and sauce. You can skip it if you prefer.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic for a classic flavor.
- Seasonings: Bay leaves and peppercorns are standard in chicken adobo, and I like to add a little bit of red pepper flakes as well.
Step-by-step directions
1. Prepare the sauce: Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, water, Swerve brown, garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns together in a large skillet or dutch oven. The skillet should be large enough to accommodate the chicken in a single layer. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
2. Add the chicken: Add the chicken, skin-side down and reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, turning once during cooking.
3. Broil the chicken: Preheat the broiler. Place the chicken on a broiling pan and set 3 to 4 inches from the heat source. Broil on both sides until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
4. Reduce the sauce: Meanwhile, increase the heat on the sauce in the pan until it boils vigorously. Cook until reduced to about 1 cup.
5. Serve: Drizzle the chicken with sauce and sprinkle with green onion. Pass any remaining sauce around at the table
Expert tips
It’s pretty hard to mess up adobo, so this is a very forgiving recipe. Don’t cook the chicken too long in the liquids, or they will become so tender, you will end up with shredded chicken.
While it’s not standard for chicken adobo, I do recommend the step of broiling the chicken. It helps caramelize the chicken to a beautiful burnished gold
Garnish with some fresh cilantro or green onions. If you like it spicy, you can add more red pepper flakes or even a little jalapeño.
You can serve it over cilantro lime cauliflower rice or with some Keto Sesame Noodles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken adobo is a delightfully tangy Filipino dish that contains chicken thighs, soy sauce, vinegar, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Some recipes add ginger or hot peppers for additional flavor.
As long as you don’t add sugar and are mindful of other ingredients, you can enjoy Chicken Adobo on a keto diet. This recipe has only 1.9g of carbs per serving.
If you have any leftover adobo, store it in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can also freeze it for up to 4 months.
Related Recipes
Chicken Adobo Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (78.86 ml) tamari, or soy sauce
- 1/4 cup (59.15 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) water
- 1 tbsp (1.01 tbsp) Swerve Brown, (optional)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 whole bay leaves
- 1 tsp peppercorns
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) red pepper flakes
- 2 1/2 lbs (1.13 kg) bone-in chicken thighs, (or a combination of thighs and drumsticks)
- 1 medium green onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Combine the tamari, vinegar, water, Swerve brown, garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns together in a large skillet or dutch oven. The skillet should be large enough to accommodate the chicken in a single layer. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.
- Add the chicken, skin-side down and reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, turning once during cooking.
- Preheat the broiler. Place the chicken on a broiling pan and set 3 to 4 inches from the heat source. Broil on both sides until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side.
- Meanwhile, increase the heat on the sauce in the pan until it boils vigorously. Cook until reduced to about 1 cup.
- Drizzle the chicken with sauce and sprinkle with green onion. Pass any remaining sauce around at the table.
Notes
Nutrition
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Carolyn, this chicken is mouthwatering! Wow, what a dish! Thanks for sharing this simple and scrumptious sounding dinner recipe – I'll be pocketing it for sometime soon!
looks great , loved the saucse made the chicken color..
now I'm thinking that is the best chicken adobo I have ever seen , so it falls safely into that category..
I would love to try your recipe, the chicken does look so very flavorful!
Cheers
Dennis
Yes, I can imagine that this would be one of the best. How can you go wrong with those flavors?? Love that the skin gets crispy. Yum!
I love chicken adobo! I'm Filipino but I've served it to non-Filipino friends too and everyone always asks for seconds 🙂 I have a recipe on my blog too, it's for chicken and pork adobo but it's easy to just sub more chicken for the pork 😉 http://www.confessionsofachocoholic.com/recipes/filipino-adobo-and-a-giveaway
I know what you mean. I'm definitely careful when I call anything the best because it certainly is a matter of test.
However, I gotta tell ya, I really, really love Chicken Adobo and this looks so good!! It's gotta be pretty darn close to the best…LOL.
Love it, love it love it! I'm always on the look out for a good chicken recipe and I'd say this is this weeks top pick. 🙂
Can't wait to try it!
WOW – I cannot wait to try this recipe! The chicken looks so good, I cannot imagine how it tastes, thanks for sharing 🙂
I don't know…this looks and sounds pretty awesome. If it's not "the best," it certainly looks close!
I wish I would have come across this recipe yesterday before our BBQ kicked off. This sounds and looks so incredibly delicious! Yummy!
This chicken looks delicious! Saucy and tender looking. I'm glad you shared your favorite and it just could be one of the best chicken recipes prepared in this manner!!
I've never made it at home but that's going tho change!! Thanks for another great post! ♥-K
Totally agree – looks like a Best to me! Looks so simple but complex…if you want me to test out if it's the best…happy to do so. =)
oh boy oh boy oh boy….my Aunt had a Filipino friend and she taught my Aunt to make the most wonderful dishes from her native land..I fell in love with everything she cooked…thank you so much for sharing..I shared it with all of my Facebook friends…
I think there is always room for another "best chicken ever". I am looking forward to trying this one as it looks mouth-watering good.
Looks delicious!
I would suggest adding Bay Leaves– makes a big difference!
This sounds very testy Carolyn..I never tried with apple cider vinegar…Great recipe and photos are just a proof that it should be delicious!
Yup. You're right. I haven't even tried this (yet), but it's going to be one of my favorites. You're also right about the grilling at the end being important. Crisping that skin is a must in my book. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
I recently saw a recipe for pretty popular online recipe site. I was excited to try it till I read the reviews. Everyone of them said it was horrible and not authetic at all. This looks really good and much simpler than the one I first saw. I am always looking for a new chicken recipe.
I agree about food preferences. Very touchy subject in my house as well.
Well, the flavors sound fabulous and the pictures look just mouth-watering! I can imagine that it tastes pretty good too! I even have all of these ingredient, yum!