The famous Filipino dish, Chicken Adobo, originated in the Philippines. The dish is prepared in adobo cooking style. It entails cooking meat or seafood in vinegar and soy sauce.
Because vinegar helps extend the shelf life of food, it was a popular method back when refrigerators and freezers were not yet available. Another popular variation is pork adobo, which is made with pork belly.
This savory chicken dish is sure to be at the center of the table on regular weekdays, special occasions, and social gatherings. From our childhood to our senior years, we are unlikely to stop eating this now and then.
This begs the question, how does chicken adobo affect us? Is adobo chicken healthy? What is it that goes into making chicken adobo and what does it taste like?
So let’s answer all these queries!
What Goes Into Making Chicken Adobo?
When it comes to food, I am quite experimental with it, that’s the reason I am here today, to share with you the yummiest ever chicken adobo that I have made so far.
All you need to do is gather these simple ingredients and follow the instructions for the best results:
- Chicken thigh
- Brown vinegar
- Brown sugar
- Chicken powder
- Garlic
- Onion
- Spring onion
- Bay leaf
- Soy sauce
Instructions
Cooking Chicken Adobo is simple and quick. To enhance the flavor, you will have to marinate the chicken. If you want to try authentic Filipino chicken adobo, this is the way to go.
However, if you’re in a hurry, skip these 2 steps, but make sure to simmer the chicken for more than 30 minutes to extract the flavors.
- Fry the garlic and onion for two minutes.
- Marinate the chicken thighs in a pot together with the soy sauce, brown vinegar, spring onion, and chicken powder. Start this process at the same time as you start to fry the onion and garlic.
- When the onion and garlic are fried (2 min), pour this mix into the pot where the chicken is marinating, and then allow everything to sit for at least 30 minutes. You can leave it to marinate overnight if you want.
- Pan-fry the chicken for 2 minutes on each side, piece by piece.
- Add the remaining sauce from the marinade, then add the bay leaf inside.
- Allow it to simmer and adjust the taste according to your preference.
- Serve with steamed rice.
What is Adobo Chicken made of?
Traditionally, chicken adobo is made by frying the marinated chicken and then boiling it.
Cooking has a significant impact on how we absorb nutrients. Some methods increase the nutrient intake of a specific food, while others decrease the amount and quality of certain nutrients.
Marinating is the process of soaking meat in a seasoning liquid, which is typically acidic. Let’s say we marinate the chicken for an average of 24 hours, or overnight.
A boiled chicken, such as in adobo, loses more B vitamins than other cooking methods, such as roasting the chicken. In contrast to the loss, boiling the chicken retains more iron, folate, and vitamin E.
What is the English for chicken Adobo?
Adobo is derived from the Spanish word adobar, which means marinade. Marinating meat in a flavorful mixture of vinegar, salt, garlic, paprika, and oregano was a common practice in Spanish cooking.
Because their marinades were so similar, Spanish colonists named the cooking method indigenous to the Philippines “adobo.”
A chicken adobo marinade is traditionally vinegar-based in Filipino cuisine. You can serve this flavorful dish with a simple almond rice pilaf or a veggie rice bowl.
Today, Spanish adobo usually refers to the sauce, which is intensely flavored and red because of the paprika and contains chipotle chiles that have been stewed in the basic adobo marinade mixture.
Is Adobo Filipino or Mexican?
Chicken adobo is a Filipino dish made by braising chicken legs (thighs or drumsticks) in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and black pepper sauce. It’s tangy, salty, garlicky, sweet, and spicy. The chicken is slowly simmered in the sauce, resulting in a flavorful and tender dish.
Here is how you can learn to make healthy chicken adobo for meal prep:
What To Serve with Filipino Chicken Adobo?
Fluffy white rice is the traditional accompaniment to Filipino chicken adobo.
Serve it alongside this divinely creamy coconut rice. The mild sweetness of the coconut rice helps to balance the adobo sauce’s salinity and acidity.
You can always serve it with a refreshing cucumber-avocado salad as a vegetable side. Sprinkle with sliced scallions and you’ll want to make this dish again and again.
Is chicken adobo healthy?
In general, chicken adobo can be a part of a balanced diet.
Still, it is not the best choice for regulating your diet with primarily healthy options because the various preparation methods involved, such as marinating, frying, and boiling, result in some nutrient loss. However, there are several health-promoting ingredients that can be used to prepare chicken adobo.
Chicken adobo is another dish with a low amount of vitamins and minerals per serving. If you’re looking for the complete nutritional information per serving of chicken adobo, here it is:
| Nutrients | Serving: 407g |
| Calories | 350 kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 13 g |
| Protein | 39 g |
| Fat | 15 g |
| Cholesterol | 178 mg |
| Sodium | 1458 mg |
| Potassium | 597 mg |
| Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 7 g |
| Vitamin A | 59 IU |
| Vitamin C | 3 mg |
| Calcium | 108 mg |
| Iron | 2 mg |
Some chicken adobo recipes call for stir-frying the chicken, while others call for frying the chicken. When it comes to the nutrients they retain or lose, these are vastly different. Stir-frying is a healthy cooking method because it improves the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.
Frying, on the other hand, preserves B vitamins and vitamin C but can be hazardous if done for an extended period. This causes the production of aldehydes, which increases the risk of cancer and other diseases.
What does chicken adobo taste like?
The Filipino Chicken Adobo glaze is savory and sweet with a hint of tang and a distinct soy flavor. Along with the bay leaves, the garlic and onion form a savory base.
The spiciness is tempered by both the cooking time and the strength of the sauce’s flavor, so it becomes more of a flavor enhancer than a fiery spiciness.
The presence of soy sauce in the marinade is what truly distinguishes adobo. While vinegar has a strong aroma and a distinctly sour flavor, soy sauce is both sweeter and saltier. Soy sauce, a staple in any Asian household contributes to the savory flavor of chicken adobo.
Finally, there’s the chicken itself. Because of the long cooking time, it’s incredibly tender. Chicken thighs only take 6 to 8 minutes to cook on the stove, so simmering them in the sauce for 25 minutes results in thighs that are so tender on the inside that it’s as if they’ve been slow-cooked for hours.
What is adobo sauce made of?
Adobo sauce is traditionally made with Filipino cane vinegar.
It’s milder and sweeter than regular white vinegar. In a pinch, apple cider vinegar will suffice. It’s worth noting that the adobo will require a few teaspoons of sugar if you don’t use cane vinegar.
Is Adobo Good For The Heart?
Adobo, also known as adobong manok, is a traditional Filipino dish. This recipe varies by region and family preference, but it is typically made with bone-in chicken thighs and legs braised in vinegar and seasoned with garlic, soy sauce, and black pepper.
My recipe above reduces sodium and saturated fat, which makes this dish healthier for the heart and blood vessels.
Summary
- Chicken adobo is a Filipino dish that is made by marinating the chicken in soy sauce, garlic, brown vinegar, and brown sugar.
- Chicken adobo can be served with rice as a side or with a delicious bowl of salad consisting of cucumber or avocado.
- The Filipino Chicken Adobo glaze is savory and sweet with a hint of tang and a distinct soy flavor. Along with the bay leaves, the garlic and onion form a savory base.
- Adobo can be good for the heart since it’s less saturated and fat-free. But there can be a chance of heartburn because of the use of soy sauce.
- Both stirring and frying enhance the different tastes in chicken adobo, I’d advise you to try out both ways to see what suits you better.
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