This week’s dish is the ultimate comfort food. It’s easy to see why adobo is the national dish of the Philippines. Even I feel nostalgic eating it despite never having had it growing up. This is not a recipe you’ll try only once. It’s always requested in our house. As well as being delicious it’s incredibly easy and cheap to make.
Chicken thighs are seared, then simmered in a broth of soy sauce and vinegar, tenderising and infusing flavour slowly. Like many traditional dishes, everyone has their own way of cooking it. You can make adobo with pork, chicken or fish. It’s then marinated in vinegar and usually soy sauce. I use apple cider vinegar but white wine vinegar is fine too. Some would never dream of adding onions, and in the south of the Philippines they add coconut milk.
Filipino food is the original fusion food due to hundreds of years of migration and colonisation. There are a mixture of influences from Spain, Mexico, China and neighbouring countries and islands. So you will find everything from bay leaves, noodles, chillies, shrimp paste, liver stews and dumplings to paella style rice dishes in this amazing cuisine, all blended beautifully with local ingredients such as jack fruit, papaya and pili nuts.
I'm using oyster chicken thighs here, but regular chicken thighs will do. Oyster chicken thighs are partly boned and still have one bone in them, so are full of flavour. Cooking them this way ensures that we make the most of that flavour. I first heard of the chickens "oyster" in the French film Amelie. One of the characters roasts a whole chicken for himself each week and greedily gobbles up the oyster first. The oysters are two round pieces of dark meat, the most flavourful and delicious. In a roast chicken they are basted continuously as the bird cooks. You'll find them on the underside of the bird, so flip the carcass over and remove them carefully once you've carved off the rest of the meat. They are usually eaten by whomever is lucky enough to be carving.
ADOBO CHICKEN: SERVES 6
Ingredients
8-10 oyster chicken thighs
2 onions, halved and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp brown sugar
2 bay leaves
120ml Apple Cider vinegar
120ml soy sauce
black pepper
To serve
Boiled rice
Greens or corn on the cob
Method
Combine the garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and bay leaves in a wide dish. Bruise the chicken thighs with a rolling pin or similar. This will ensure great flavour. Place the chicken in the marinade and massage them well so each piece of meat is covered. Leave to marinade for an hour or two, overnight if possible.
Heat a splash of olive oil in a wide, heavy based pan. Sauté the onions till soft then set aside. Add another splash of oil to the pan. Remove the chicken from the marinade and sear fat side down till it browns. You may have to do this in batches. Return the onion to the pan with the marinade, 100ml water and all of the browned chicken thighs. It will look like you need more liquid at this stage but don’t add any more. Place the lid on and bring to the boil then simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue to cook for a further 20 minutes till the sauce is thickened and the meat is falling off the bone. Taste for seasoning. It won’t need any salt due to the soy sauce but it’s always great with a generous grind of black pepper. Serve with boiled white rice and sautéed greens or corn on the cob.
