Creamy Coconut Chicken Adobo Content

Adobo is the unofficial national dish of the Philippines. With so many versions across over 7,000 islands, adobo has come to represent the diversity of being Filipino. I grew up loving to eat and cook it. Now I’m sharing a family recipe passed down to me with a few small tweaks for our Momofuku pantry products. We never used exact measurements at home—we adjust the “timpla” or “the balance” based on taste preference. While there are base ingredients that make adobo distinctly what it is, feel free to customize this stew to your liking, in the way we do in the Philippines. — Caitlin Sakdalan, Content Manager.

Serves 3. 

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Pat chicken skin dry and season with 1 teaspoon black pepper. Add oil to a large braiser or skillet and place chicken skin side-down in the pot. Turn heat to medium high and cook for about 8–10 minutes, or until the chicken releases easily from the pan and the skin is browned. Flip and cook for 2–3 more minutes, then remove. (You do not need to preheat your pan. Once the chicken skin is cooked, it should easily release from the pan.) 

Add garlic cloves, chili pepper, ½ cup Momofuku Rice Vinegar, ⅓ cup Momofuku Soy Sauce, 2 teaspoons of Tingly Seasoned Salt, and 1 tablespoon Momofuku Hot Honey to the pot. Cook for 1 minute, scraping up browned bits. Add coconut milk and bay leaves, then bring mixture to a boil. 

Add chicken, skin side–up, then lower heat to medium low and cook for 20–25 minutes, until the chicken is completely tender and nearly falling apart on the bottom. (If the mixture is vigorously boiling, lower the heat.) 

Raise heat to medium high and bring mixture to a vigorous boil. Cook for 3–5 minutes, using your spoon to gently disturb the chicken so it does not stick  to the bottom, until the liquid is thick and glossy and reduced by about half. Remove bay leaves. 

Serve with plain steamed rice, spooning the sauce over the top. (Tip: The sauce will be quite salty, so try it with plain rice first before adding any additional seasoning to your rice.)

**If you don’t have any Tingly Seasoned Salt on hand, feel free to sub in equal parts Momofuku Soy Sauce.