Chicken Adobo With Coconut Milk

Recipe from Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan

Adapted by Sam Sifton

Updated July 16, 2024

  • Craig Lee for The New York Times
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Total Time
2 hours, plus 2 hours' refrigeration
Rating
5(5,728)
Comments
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It is the national dish of the Philippines, and the subject of intense and delicious debate across its 7,100 islands whether made with chicken, pork or fish. Whichever, the protein is braised in vinegar until pungent and rich, sweet and sour and salty at once, then sometimes crisped at the edges in high heat, and always served with the remaining sauce. Its excellence derives from the balance of its flavors, in the alchemy of the process. Cooking softens the acidity of the vinegar, which then combines with the flavor of the meat to enhance it. Whether consumed in Manila’s heat or on the edge of a New York winter, adobo holds the power to change moods and alter dining habits. It is a difficult dish to cook just once. The recipe that follows derives from one given to The Times in 2011 by Amy Besa, who runs, with her husband, Romy Dorotan, the excellent Purple Yam restaurant in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn. —Sam Sifton

Featured in: The Cheat: The Adobo Experiment

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1 cup coconut milk

  • ¼ cup soy sauce

  • 1½ cup rice vinegar

  • 12 garlic cloves, peeled

  • 3 whole bird’s-eye chilies or other fiery chili

  • 3 bay leaves

  • 1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

  • 3 to 4 pounds chicken thighs

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

9 grams carbs; 389 milligrams cholesterol; 1036 calories; 28 grams monounsaturated fat; 14 grams polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams saturated fat; 78 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 1209 milligrams sodium; 69 grams protein; 1 gram sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a large, nonreactive bowl or resealable plastic freezer bag. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours.

  2. Step 2

    Place chicken and marinade in a large lidded pot or Dutch oven over high heat and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and tender, around 30 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Heat broiler. Transfer chicken pieces to a large bowl, raise heat under the pot to medium-high, and reduce the sauce until it achieves almost the consistency of cream, about 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves and chilies.

  4. Step 4

    Place chicken pieces on a roasting pan and place under broiler for 5 to 7 minutes, until they begin to caramelize. Remove, turn chicken, baste with sauce and repeat, 3 to 5 minutes more. Return chicken to sauce and cook for a few minutes more, then place on a platter and drizzle heavily with sauce.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
5,728 user ratings
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Comments

Steve Muni

Having been born and raised in the Philippines, this is comfort food for me. This version is from the Bicol, in the southern part of Luzon. Around Manila they don't use coconut milk. A relish of two parts chopped tomato and one part chopped white onion, flavored with a little lemon juice and salt, makes a nice accompaniment.

Dhel

Don't need to put under the broiler Marcia. If you want follow the marinade process. when ready to cook, heat oil in a pan and brown it in batches to get a nice brown color set aside, in same pan put the marinade mixture and let it boil, season as your taste. Put the chicken back in the sauce and simmer it until the chicken is tender and the sauce is a bit thicken.

Yvamne

Being from Panay island in the Visayas, this recipe would constitute as "Adobo Sa Gata" meaning, abobo in coconut milk, a variation of adobo. Regular adobo does not have coconut milk. And we don't ever marinate them. We throw everything all at once in a pot, chicken (or pork, or both), garlic, onions, soy sauce, vinegar (cane or coconut), bay leaves and black pepper, no chilies until the liquid reduces considerably to a thick, delicious sauce.

PDXER1

This is quite tasty. I think next time I would add 1 1/2 c of coconut mik. I also used black vinegar aka Chinkiang found in specialty asian markets. Added a little more earthiness. I had thighs and chicken breasts and pulled the breasts out of the pot 12 minutes early. I might squeeze a lime, just because. This went really well with Mark Bittman coconut rice.4* because it took much longer to thicken the sauce than 10 minutes. To broil or not to broil, that's up to you all to decide. : )

Nana

This is one of my favorite recipes. They had me at vinegar. I use white vinegar; I find it more pungent than rice vinegar. And it's cheaper! I sub jalapeños because I am a lightweight. Thank you, Sam Sifton!

Not a good dish-

Way too sour- chicken dry- waste of ingredients Sorry was hopeful with all the 5 stars- I’m a private chef and luckily tested it on my family and not the one I work for - very disappointing

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Credits

Adapted from Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan, Purple Yam restaurant, Brooklyn

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