At a recent demo here at the STEELPORT factory, Chef Carlo Lamagna reminded us that adobo isn’t a fixed recipe, it’s a method. At its core, it’s about balance: acid, salt, time, and heat working together to transform simple ingredients into something deeply flavorful and lasting. Every family has their own version, shaped by memory and taste.
This one is his dad’s.
In this video, you can watch Carlo break down a whole chicken and build this dish from the ground up, showing how technique and intuition matter just as much as ingredients. It’s straightforward, deeply satisfying, and even better the next day, exactly as adobo should be.
Chicken Adobo (Dad’s Recipe)
Serves 4–6
Ingredients
- 3 lb chicken, bone-in, skin-on (leg quarters or thighs)
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled
- 6 bay leaves
- 1 Tbsp cracked black pepper
- 1 cup vinegar, I like distilled white vinegar because it's neutral
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup soy sauce
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken until well browned on all sides.
- Add the garlic, bay leaves, and cracked black pepper. Cook briefly until fragrant.
- Pour in the vinegar and chicken stock, adding enough liquid to mostly cover the chicken. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Cook for 30–45 minutes, until the chicken is nearly tender and the liquid has reduced by about three-quarters.
- Add the soy sauce and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes, until the chicken is fully tender. - For a drier style, add the soy sauce earlier and allow the sauce to reduce further.
To Serve
Best enjoyed the next day, served with white rice.
