Adobo

 

Every Filipino family has their own recipe for adobo. Even within families, each person often makes it their own way. Consider this a base recipe with infinite variations. 

The measurements below are for 7 bone in, skinless chicken thighs. You can sub chunks of pork, or boneless thighs, or other bone in chicken parts. The only meat I would avoid are boneless breasts, which will dry out. Lots of recipes have you marinade the night before. Our mom never did, but she often cooked it a day ahead of serving, which I guess is a little like marinating in reverse. 

The soy/vinegar mix is also just a starting point. Different cuts of meat will give off different amounts of water/broth. Measure out the amounts here to start, but you may need to add more soy sauce and vinegar as it cooks. Mom always made it with more soy than vinegar, and rarely (but sometimes) put sugar. I've had adobo at other houses where the vinegar ratio was higher, or with way more sugar, but this is the basic taste profile we grew up with.

7 bone in, skinless chicken thighs

6 cloves garlic, minced 

2 Tbsp vinegar 

1/4 cup soy sauce 

2 tsp brown sugar 

3 bay leaves 

1/2 tsp whole peppercorns, or 1/4 tsp ground pepper 

Brown chicken in a little oil in a large pot. When almost done, add in garlic and saute briefly. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until very tender, about 40 minutes (less for boneless chicken, more for pork). If liquid is evaporating too fast, add water to keep enough braising broth. If using pork, add about a half cup of water when you start the braise, it seems to give off less water than chicken. 

Can be served once chicken is cooked, as is. If you like a thicker sauce, finish cooking uncovered until sauce reduces. You can also transfer the cooked meat to a metal pan and broil in the oven to get some crispy bits before returning to the broth.