Next Post
Khachapuri (Georgian Cheese Bread) with Kale and Herb Sauce.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
My twist on a classic Filipino dish, One Skillet Filipino Coconut Adobo Chicken. Pan seared chicken braised in a soy sauce, vinegar, coconut milk, and bay leaves, a classic Filipino recipe that’s both easy and delicious. I added coconut milk for just a touch of creaminess to this sweet and tangy adobo sauce. This is best served over steamed rice with fresh avocado and a side of beans. The perfect healthy dinner, any night of the week.
It’s no secret, but I truly love a good skillet dinner. When things are as hectic as they are right now, I turn to skillet recipes just about every other night. I feel like everyone’s on the same page…easy, tasty, healthy..ish weeknight dinners. You’re with me on this, right?
100% yes. With family in town for the Burton-US-Open, and not much time to spare, this adobo chicken has been on repeat. Since I’ve been making it so often lately, I figured it needed to be shared. Because that’s just what I do.
So here’s the story. My brother’s girlfriend is Filipino. Over Christmas, she told me I needed to make a good adobo chicken…among other dishes…which will be coming shortly! Oddly, I’d never made adobo chicken before, so I immediately tried out a few recipes. Over the last couple months I’ve perfected my version of adobo chicken (and I’m working on a few other Filipino recipes too).
Even though I’ve been making this chicken for weeks now, I am still so excited about the recipe.
For those of you who might be unfamiliar, adobo is a Filipino dish that can be made with pork or chicken. I believe pork is traditional, but I’m going with chicken. What’s really most important here is the sauce…the sauce is always the most important.
Traditionally, adobo sauce is made with soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, black pepper, garlic, and bay leaves. The chicken is braised slowly in the sauce until it is tender and falling apart. It’s super simple, but also so delicious.
Me being me, I of course had to adapt the recipe a bit to make it my own. I made two simple additions that really make all the difference. I swapped out the brown sugar for honey and added in creamy coconut milk. The honey adds a nice touch of sweetness, but it’s not over powering. Plus, I love that it makes the dish lower in sugar content too. The coconut milk gives a hint of sweet coconut flavor and makes for a super rich adobo sauce. It also helps to tame the tanginess from the vinegar, while making the sauce a little creamier.
Trust me, this sauce is a game changer.
Best part? This is so easy to make. Start by pan searing the chicken (I prefer breasts over thighs, but use what you love). This will give the chicken its color and lock in those juices. Then add the adobo sauce and let the chicken slowly cook in the sauce. While that’s happening, I highly suggest making some rice, slicing up an avocado, and warming the beans.
You cannot serve adobo chicken without a side of rice. I recommend this sesame rice, which is very much my go-to. If you’d like to add a vegetable, roasted asparagus, broccoli, and sautéed peppers would all be delicious pairings.
And guys? That’s kind of it. Like I said, it’s really a very simple recipe, but do not let that fool you one bit. Everyone in my family has agreed, they could easily eat this once or twice a week and still not be sick of it. The chicken is extra tender, and the sauce is mouth wateringly good…sweet, tangy, and a touch coconutty.
Perfect!
If you make this Filipino coconut adobo chicken, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Skillet Filipino Coconut Adobo Chicken.
Servings: 6 6
Calories Per Serving: 620 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce (use more to your taste)
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 3/4 cup canned full fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup honey
- 6 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 4 dried bay leaves
- green onions and limes, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Season the chicken all over with black pepper. In a large glass measuring cup, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, coconut milk, honey, and 1/4 cup of water. 2. In a large skillet with sides, heat the olive oil over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken, working in batches if needed. Sear on both sides, about 4-5 minutes per side. 3. Add the garlic, cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and pour in the soy sauce mixture. Add the bay leaves. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, uncover and cook another 10-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thickening slightly. If the sauce is thickening too fast, add ¼ cup of additional water. If the sauce is not thicken, simmer an additional 10 minutes. It's better to have more sauce than less sauce.4. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Serve the adobo over rice and top with green onions and squeeze of lime juice, if desired
This post was originally published on March 6, 2019
Sooooooo I just made this, and as usual, it was a dream. I used bone in skinned thighs, but that was the only detour I made from the recipe, besides adding onions and peppers to the chicken as it seared. The prep was literally 10 mins tops, and the chicken was plated 40 mins afterwards. This sauce was epic, so don’t hesitate to make it asap!
Thank you so much Aliyah! I am so glad you loved this recipe! xTieghan
Love Adobo, can’t wait to try your version.
Thank you so much Dhanya! xTieghan
Hi! I’m Filipino and I’ve never made or ate adobo with sugar. Adding sugar makes it another dish which we call humba. Some regions cook adobo with coconut cream but I personally have not tried it nor have I endeavored to do it that way, afraid that I might not like it. Lol This ecumenical looks good and I might just try it with coconut milk!
Hi Victoria! I hope you do try this recipe! Let me know how it turns out if you do! Thanks! xTieghan
I am half Filipino and have had many adobo recipes but I’m super stoked to try this coconut version!! Also looking forward to your other Filipino dishes!! Bring it on!
Thank you Michelle! I hope you love this! xTieghan
Oh Tieghan honey but you have made Adobo chicken before…. it was back in 2015 and it was in the form of skewers. I know because it was the first chicken recipe I made when my husband was given the go ahead to start eating chicken again… but alas he started reacting to poultry again sob! So I switched his chicken out for pork. It’s on constant rotation in our house. I’m super excited to try this version though!
Hi Peggy! I am so glad both you and your husband have been loving that recipe! I hope you love this one just as much! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan!
It’s great to see Filipino food come into your radar via your brother’s girlfriend. I am Filipino and I get excited when I see our food being cooked by everyone. As a fellow recipe developer I do ask that you reference the sources of where you did your research from to get to your version of the recipe. (As this is similar to a recipe that the NY Times posted back in 2011 and it’s been in some recent cookbooks by Filipino authors this year.) Referencing does two things 1. Gives credit to the original recipe developer who in probably this case is a Filipino who has been working for years to have our cuisine recognized by the masses. Your platform will do so much in this space. 2. It will give you more credibility to talk about a cuisine that has been fighting for so long to be recognized. It will separate you from joining the bandwagon of it now being a trendy cuisine. Please give references and credit to where credit is do in your future recipes. It’s been a long time coming for Filipino food. Thanks so much. Rezel
Hi Rezel! When developing this recipe, I actually based it off of a recipe given to me by Hailey’s mom, really only adding in coconut milk. I’ve not seen that NYT recipe, but I am sure it is AMAZING. Whenever I adapt a recipe from another source, I’ll always give credit to the source. 🙂 Thanks for your kind feedback! xTieghan
Is there adobo seasoning as well? I didn’t see any in the ingredients and I was wondering what makes the chicken that dark red hue.
No Seasoning! The soy sauce makes the sauce dark. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I am so excited to try this! My husband is Filipino and I have been wanting to cook some of his favorite meals that he grew up with but I always felt too overwhelmed to give it a go. This recipe seems so approachable that I think I will try it this weekend. I look forward to seeing your other upcoming Filipino recipes – thank you for sharing!
Hi Heather! I hope you both love this recipe! Let me know how it goes for you! xTieghan
What kind of beans? Black, chili, garbanzo, mashed? I just can’t think of a bean that goes with Filipino food at all. My stepmother is Filipino and she never uses and really detests any kind of bean, but she usually serves the adobo with plenty of rice, and greens simmered in oyster sauce! Yum!
Hi there! I recommend pinto or black beans. Your stepmothers way sounds INCREDIBLE!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I can’t wait to try this recipe and make it for my family. Will be interesting to get my husbands opinion as he is filipino. I have played around with many filipino recipes as well, but, oddly, not adobo.
I hope you all love this, Ashley! Let me know how it turns out for you! xTieghan
Beans? What kind? No listing of beans in the recipe.
Hi Sabrina, there are no beans in this recipe. I only recommend serving the chicken with beans. I recommend pinto or black beans. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Thanks Tieghan for solving my what’s-for-dinner dilemma! This looks divine! Can’t wait to make it!!
I hope this turns out amazing for you, Heidi! Thank you so much! xTieghan
I love chicken adobo and this looks delicious! I’ll be trying this recipe out this weekend. Thanks for sharing it.
Thank you! I hope you love this! xTieghan
Warm the beans?!.
Hi nancy, there are no beans in this recipe. If you would like to serve the chicken with beans that would be greaT! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Oh another one of your weeknight chicken dishes I’ve bookmarked – this looks fantastic! Your site is quickly becoming the go-to for weeknight dinners at my house, I’m making the chicken shawarma tonight, but without the hummus as I’m the only one who eats it – quite excited, actually!
That is so amazing to hear! I hope you love the chicken shawarma recipe, Rachel! Thank you! xTieghan