Filipino Chicken Adobo

I consider Adobo as the Philippine's national dish only because it is so easy to make and the ingredients are available in everyone's pantry all the time. There are a lot of variations you can make to this dish, some would cook it skinless, some with a thicker sauce or some would cook it with more tangy flavor. But what Adobo recipes share in common is the use of soy sauce and vinegar.

I like my adobo with reduced and thicker sauce. Depending on your taste, you can adjust the amount of soy sauce and vinegar. It is always a good practice to start less, then add more later when necessary.

Chicken can also be substituted with Pork or can be a combination of both. Just don't forget to drain the excess oil after you fry the chicken as you don't want your adobo to be greasy.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken cut-ups (excess skin removed)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup rice or white vinegar
3 cloves garlic, smashed
3 bay leaves peppercorns or ground black pepper
1 cup water

Directions:
1] Marinate the chicken in soy sauce, vinegar, bay leaves, and peppercorns for about 15-30 minutes. If you don't have time to marinate, that's fine as well.
2] Heat the cooking oil in a large pan. Saute the garlic until golden brown, then add the chicken and cook until brown on both sides.
3] Then add the marinade and water to the pan and simmer partly covered until the chicken is done.
4] If you prefer thicker sauce, you can add a little bit of cornstarch.

I bought a whole chicken so I also used the gizzard that came with it as you can see in the photo. Serve with hot rice. Enjoy!!!