Chicken Adobo

Adobo is a sauce used to marinate meat in a flavorful combination of vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, paprika, and oregano which is common to Spanish cooking.  However, I like to make chicken adobo using the same method except with a few changes. My cooking method is indigenous to the Philippines, as their marinade is similar. The vinegar will change the taste of the dish a little bit, so I use the vinegar with less acidity, such as white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.  The finished dish will have a sweet and sour meat stew. Adjust the taste to fit your family’s expectation!!

Ingredients:
10 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 green chili peppers, sliced (such as serrano or jalapeño optional)
6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and 4 drumsticks, or 4 whole chicken legs
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Sauce ingredients:
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce (not low sodium)
2 tbs mirin (Korean cooking wine)

Other ingredients:
1 white onion, sliced
1 tablespoon light or dark brown sugar
3  dried bay leaves
Freshly ground black pepper

Serve with:
Chopped green onions and cilantro
Cooked rice ( Jasmin)

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the sauce ingredients and add chicken. Marinate chicken for 1 hour. Remove and save the marinade.
Slice garlic roughly
Heat 1 tbs. vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add sliced white onion. Stir and cook on low to medium heat until the onion is soft and changes color to golden yellow. Remove from the pan.
In the same pan, add a little more oil and add chicken (skin side down). Brown the chicken for 5 to 7 minutes (Lift chicken pieces with tongs once or twice toward the end to let the hot fat flow underneath the chicken until the fat is rendered and the skin is crisp and golden brown).
Add reserved sauce with sugar, bay leaves, garlic, and onion on top of the chicken. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, stirring occasionally. Season generously with pepper.
Cover and cook chicken for 35–40 minutes very gently, adjusting heat to maintain barely a simmer and turn pieces once, until meat is very tender and easily pulls away from the bone (but not so tender that it’s falling apart).

In the last 15 minutes, uncover lid and cook chicken until the sauce has evaporated to your liking.

You may have to transfer the chicken to a clean plate. Increase heat to medium-high and boil braising liquid, shaking pot often, until the liquid has formed a rich sauce thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (about 5 minutes).

Serve chicken and sauce over rice. Thinly slice the remaining sliced chili peppers and scatter over, then season with more pepper.