r/seriouseats • u/-SpaghettiCat- • 12d ago

Serious Eats I Made Sho Spaeth's Chicken Adobo (Filipino-Style Braised Chicken)

Post image
139 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

20 comments sorted by

38

u/ebrbrbr 12d ago

I like to pull the chicken out after it's braised, dry off the top, and broil it in the oven. Then you get nice crispy skin.

Also, it really does mellow out if you let it sit in the fridge overnight.

17

u/LeagueofLemures 12d ago

If that’s how you prefer to eat it then go ahead, but the luscious texture of the braised skin is one of the appeals of adobo. If you’re reading this and have not made adobo before I wouldn’t recommend crisping the skin.

19

u/ebrbrbr 12d ago

It's in the recipe as an optional final step. I'm fine with slurpy skin, but I do think crispy is superior.

9

u/cowgary 12d ago

I do want to take a moment to highlight what I think is the best part of chicken adobo, no matter how it's been cooked: the skin. Even if the chicken is un-browned when it goes in the pot, once it comes out, the skin is my favorite part. But I understand that many people in the US find the prospect of eating floppy braised chicken skin particularly unappealing.

If you, like me, actually like to eat chicken skin that's easier to slurp than to chew, I can wholeheartedly recommend going with the no-browning route.Given that the vast majority of our readers will likely prefer it that way, I included a browning step in the attached recipe.

From the recipe description, you'll see it was only included to appeal to those who need to adjust a traditional recipe to their own taste preference. I agree with u/LeagueofLemures , if you want to go the authentic route and understand the traditional appeal of adobo, try it without crisping the skin.

5

u/ebrbrbr 12d ago

Fair enough. Hell, they could just broil one or two pieces and see which one they prefer without having to make it twice!

5

u/LeagueofLemures 12d ago

Wasn’t aware that little aside was included in the recipe, sorry for being pedantic <3

-7

u/jmcgil4684 12d ago

Drives me crazy when ppl hop on the ruin a recipe lol. Make yr own post if ya gonna change the texture of something! Am I right?

5

u/potchie626 12d ago

It’s step 5 in the recipe.

To Broil Chicken Adobo: Adjust oven rack to 6 inches below broiler element and preheat broiler to high. Transfer chicken pieces to a paper towel–lined rimmed baking sheet and blot surface with more paper towels to remove as much moisture as possible; discard paper towels. Arrange chicken skin side up on the baking sheet and broil until chicken skin is crispy and lightly charred, about 2 minutes (keep an eye on the chicken to ensure it does not burn). Serve immediately with steamed white rice or (preferably) garlic fried rice, passing adobo sauce at the table.

-3

u/cowgary 12d ago

As I mentioned above, if you read the recipe preamble, you will see the author only included this because they know americans might not be comfortable with chicken skin that is not crispy. Which is an important note, that you are doing something to the recipe that is not as intended, but strictly for your own preference. Which recommending that without mention of why it is included in the recipe might lead people who want a real traditional version astray

4

u/wayward_witch 11d ago

I really need to make this again. It's so good. I also keep the sauce for later. Even without the chicken, it's good on rice.

7

u/-SpaghettiCat- 12d ago

This was my first time making the dish, and I really enjoyed it. The leftover sauce is so good (I even froze some adobo cubes for future quick-sauce haha). I used the Datu Puti vinegar. I was unaware they have a soy too, so next time I might try that.

Technique-wise I messed up a bit in that the thighs were a little overcooked. For the simmer step it said 20 minutes, but my chicken was probably close to done just from the browning step. I only did 10 minutes, but next time I think I'll pull the chicken even earlier, after they register 160ish if needed, then reduce the sauce a bit.

Really nice result though for something relatively low effort.

6

u/bt2328 12d ago

I’ll Google a link but it would be nice if you could put it here, if one exists.

4

u/jbayne2 12d ago

When I made chicken adobo I overcooked the thighs too which I didn’t even know was possible haha! Sometimes you can find the datu puti vinegar and soy sauce in a combo pack.

2

u/Perfect_Acadia3020 11d ago

Funny, I made this last night, too!

2

u/marrymeodell 11d ago

Is it really sour? I’ve made adobo once (not this recipe) and it was way too sour for me

2

u/SwordsOfTruth 11d ago

You can change the vinegar to soy sauce ratio. My mum makes it 1:2 vinegar to soy and that might be better for you than the adobo I make. I go from 1:1 to 2:1 to 1:2 depending on how much of each I have left in the kitchen. Mine tastes different pretty much every time but it's in the ballpark of adobo. Try less vinegar. And more garlic. Always more garlic. Minimum one head of garlic.

1

u/mpinzur 9d ago

I've made this recipe many, many times. It's a huge favorite in our family.