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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Should the broiler be at highest temp?
Depends on how strong yours is! Most broilers have a single setting but if yours has high, try it that way and keep a close eye on it!
This has always been my favorite chicken recipe by far. My Filipino mother-in-law taught me to make chicken adobo 40+ years ago. She did add ginger to her recipe, but never used brown sugar. She also made it using chicken wings, but thighs are tasty too. I never realized the carb count was so low and I’m delighted to see this on All Day I Dream About Food.
Keep in mind that I cut back on the soy/tamari to keep it lower. But yes, even straight up classic Chicken Adobo is pretty low carb!
All your recipes and pictures look and are amazing. Do you have a cookbook that I can order with all of these recipes in?
I have cookbooks… but they do not contain all of the recipes on my website. Publishers want new material that isn’t published anywhere else. You can see all of my cookbooks here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/alldayidreamaboutfood/list/6P3RF4TC98YJ?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsflist_aipsfalldayidreamaboutfood_952K3YCPMSR1BHG6B9Q6
Are the bay leaves fresh or dried or does it matter. I think I can get fresh ones if that is prefrred.Thanks.
Dried.
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.
It’s also so yummy with ginger, peppercorns, and green onions ; )
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. – – Which is unbelievable because everything is simple from the ingredients, to the preparation, to the cooking and serving. It looked beautiful too.
I had never heard of Chicken Adobo until I saw the recipe on your site. This recipe is something that I will keep and use often. Thank you for another superb recipe.
it’s so funny that you mention this recipe. It’s quite an old one and I had forgotten about it for a while but just remembered it the other night and thought I should make it again!
I live in the UK & our ovens don’t have broilers. What do I do?
Bake it for 10 to crisp up the skin.
I made this recipe yesterday – yum!! Was so good with garlic rice :-). I used skinless boneless chicken thighs, so I reduced the cooking time to 20 minutes, but other than that I followed the recipe to the letter (which is very rare for me). Thanks, Carolyn!
Looks delicious! I make my adobo differently but this is very tempting to try…I also use apple cider vinegar, but also onions, potatoes, paprika, mushrooms and I brown the chicken first then boil it so its never been crispy but I love crispy chicken in general! I learned my mom's way of cooking it (she's Filipino) but thank you for this, I'm excited to try it!! 🙂
I am hosting a chicken recipe blog hop. This recipe looks fabulous. I wish you would consider adding it to my blog hop. Here is the link – http://www.savannahssavorybites.com/2011/08/baked-chicken-with-fried-potatoes-and.html
I always grab the chicken adobo at all the Filipino potluck parties. My father is from the Philippines and has cooked professionally. He makes the best adobo. For some reason, he always adds bay leaf along with a combination of the ingredients you list. I've asked him for the recipe, but he never measures anything when he cooks.
This looks delicious. I would serve it with some spicy rice (it is my favorite). 🙂
I made this yummy dish of yours this week, too…but didn't take the time to take photos. I used chicken breasts since that's what I had in the freezer…love that I didn't have to go to the grocery store and still had a fabulous meal! Thanks for a winner that I'll make again and again 🙂
Chicken Adobo is one of my nieces favorite dishes…looks perfect 🙂
I am big fan of adobo and a friend shared a recipe with me a while back. there are so many variations of this recipe! It is amazing how it such an easy yet tasty dish
The only adobo I used is the spice mix that comes dry. I never made the adobo sauce just with these 4 simple ingredients that I always have on hand.
Your fabulous chicken is the proof that really convinced me to make my own adobo sauce. Yumm!!!
Thanks, Carolyn!
This looks soo good! Thanks for stopping by my blog and telling me to come check it out. I actually have the majority of the ingredients in my pantry already too, so it will be easy to make soon!
I can't get over how simple this is for being so delicious!
oooooo that looks so good! And easy to make gluten free if I just replace the soy sauce with tamari soy sauce. totally trying this!! Thanks!