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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
My family loves Adobo and has been making it ever since my dad was introduced to it by a friend 20 years ago. We like to add pickled jalapenos and use the marinade for steak – it’s a dream! Here’s what we do! http://www.chaotickitchenette.com/home/jalapeno-steak
Oh wow!! I will check that out, it sounds amazing! Thank you Steph! xTieghan
Tried this over the weekend – flavor was great but my sauce never thickened up very much. Any tips on what I may have done wrong? Thank you!
Hi there! How much coconut milk did you use? Just simmer the sauce 10-15 minutes longer on the stove. it will thicken!
Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
We Made it tonight and it was absolutely delicious. The coconut milk gave it a lean towards Thai but regardless it was positively delicious (we’ve made many of your dishes recently – all incredible). The color was no where near the images however. Not red or even dark and the sauce was not thick like the images. What do you recommend? We even took the chicken out for a while and cooked the sauce down a bit but with the coconut milk it never thickened or darkened … just wondering if there is a way for us to make it even more amazing! Thank you!
Hi there! How much coconut milk did you use? Just simmer the sauce 10-15 minutes longer on the stove. it will thicken!
Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Im not sure why, but my sauce did not thicken. Any ideas?
Hi there! Just simmer the sauce 10-15 minutes longer on the stove. it will thicken!
Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Looks amazing and I have every ingredient for the sauce! I guess I know what will be on the menu this week. I don’t have chicken, but I do have a pork butt and pork tenderloin. Which would you receommend to sub out? Or is a trip to the store in order?
Thanks!
HI! I recommend cubbed pork butt (2 inch cubes). that will great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I make something from you at least once a week your my go too! I must of missed something but this dish did not turn out… it did not thicken and was like soup lol! The sauce was also brown not red! Any suggestions so I can try again!?
Hi Danielle! Did you do anything different? To thicken the sauce, just simmer and additional 10-15 minutes longer. That should thicken it right up! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Can’t wait to make this. What kind of beans do you recommend?
Hey Kelly! I recommend using black beans or pinto beans. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Thanks for the recipe. I am allergic to coconut. Can you omit the coconut milk? Or can you suggest an alterntauve ie Oatly milk or Oatly Cream? Any suggestions for a substitution would be very much appreciated.
Hey Nina! You can omit the coconut milk or us 1/2 cup heavy cream. Either option will work! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Wow! Just wow! Congratulations for that awesome recipe! Very easy and sooo tasty!!! Will definitely be cooking that one again!
Thank you so much! xTieghan
I absolutely hate to be that person but… do you have a recommendation for a coconut milk substitute? I really want to try this recipe (it looks delicious and I’m desperate for easy weeknight meals for my busy family), but I’m allergic to coconut. All of your other recipes have been huge wins for us, so I’m excited to try this one. Thanks!!
Hi there! You can either omit the the coconut milk all together or you can use 1/2 cup of whole milk or heavy cream in place of the coconut milk. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
any recommendations for converting this to instant pot?
Hey Hannah! I have actually found that the sauce does not thicken properly in the instant pot, so I don’t have the conversion. so sorry. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi, you definitely elevated the adobo recipe. I’m a Filipino myself and been cooking, eating adobo all the time. I haven’t tried the recipe but for sure will do and come up with a feedback. Bon Appetit.
Thank you so much! I hope you love this! xTieghan
It’s so cool to see your version of adobo chicken! My Mother-in-law is Filipino, so I have had the pleasure of trying all kinds of Filipino foods over the year, and adobo is one of my favorites!
I hoep you try this version, Gretchen! Thank you! xTieghan
I halved this recipe since we only had one pound of chicken. I remembered to halve all of the ingredients except for the coconut milk—oops! Although it was saucier than the recipe intended, it was still insanely delicious! I would make this again in a heartbeat. Thanks!
I am so glad you loved this Meredith! Thank you! xTieghan
I’m half Filipina and my husband was born & raised in the Philippines. He makes chicken (and pork) adobo often for us. I’m excited to try your take on it and think I will really enjoy the addition of coconut milk – it will be a nice change. I would highly recommend serving adobo with jasmine rice and hard boiled eggs. I know it sounds odd, but it’s very tasty and a common way to eat it. For your next Filipino recipe, I would love to see your take on sinigang. It’s a delicious, sour, tamarind based soup, and easily my favorite Filipino food apart from adobo.
That is so amazing! I hope you both love this version, Alanna! Thank you so much! xTieghan