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Skillet Chicken Adobo with Coconut Rice. A one-skillet Filipino-inspired chicken in a tangy, sweet, and spicy adobo sauce served over creamy coconut rice. I make mine with pineapple and jalapeños for a sweet-spicy kick. The creamy coconut rice wonderfully compliments the tangy, sweet, and spicy adobo sauce. Add fresh avocado and a side of beans for the perfect healthy dinner, any night of the week.
Ingredients
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- Kosher salt and Black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Tamari or low sodium soy sauce
- White wine vinegar
- Honey
- jalapeños
- Dried bay leaves
- Pineapple chunks
- Sliced avocado
- Cucumber
- Green onions
- Coconut milk
- Basmati rice
- Fresh cilantro and basil
Everyone always asks where I get recipe inspiration from. And while I get it from just about everywhere, my number one source is my family. It could be a recipe they’re wanting or a dish they had out one night. No matter where their inspiration comes from, I love to cook for them, and cook what they want to eat.
Hail’s (Red’s girlfriend) has been here since before Dew Tour in December. She’s Filipino and I’m always asking her what to make when she’s around. Adobo came up up the other week and I loved the idea of a simple skillet dinner.
I asked how her mom made it. Then we kind of went back and forth on a few changes/additions to hopefully make it even more delicious. This isn’t quite a traditional adobo, but similar and very delicious. Hail’s fully approved.
Here are the details
The amazing thing about chicken adobo is that it’s naturally a one skillet kind of dinner. Meaning, this is so simple and doesn’t require too many ingredients.
Ideally, you want to use chicken thighs for best flavor and to avoid any dry chicken. However, if your family is like mine, you can also use chicken breasts, or even a mix. If you’re dietary restrictions (vegetarian or vegan) restrict you or guests from this recipe, you could always stir fry vegetables and substitute that in for the chicken.
Step One
You’ll want to first sear the chicken, then add soy sauce and vinegar. The vinegar is what adds the tang to the sauce. It’s traditional to use brown sugar too, but since we wanted ours to be less sweet, I just used a small amount of honey.
Once the chicken is seared, add the sauce, then toss in the bay leaves. For some spice, we love to throw in a jalapeño. It’s heat really mellows out as the pepper cooks in the sauce, adding just the right amount of spice. Not too spicy, but just right.
Step Two
At the end of cooking, stir in the pineapple chunks. This is also not traditional, but so yummy. Especially with the jalapeño, it really balances the flavors nicely. After you sauté these ingredients for a bit on medium heat, set to simmer and focus on the coconut rice.
Step Three
The coconut rice
While the chicken simmers on the stove. Make the coconut rice. We love coconut rice around here. It’s creamier and with just a small amount of coconut flavor it pairs really well with Asian style dishes.
A little cilantro and pinch of salt at the end makes everything just perfect. Then serve the chicken and rice with sliced avocado and cucumber.
Everyone in my family has agreed, they could easily eat this once or twice a week. The chicken is tender, and the sauce is everyone’s favorite – spicy, sweet, and tangy.
The rice completes it all! Also, the great thing about this dish is that you can be creative with it! If you want more veggies, add them in!! Adding sautéed garlic cloves or shallots will add to the flavor and you could even sauté some spinach into the mix. Make this dish yours! This recipe also makes for a great lunch the next day as well, simply heat up the recipe in a microwave or oven after storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This recipe will keep in the fridge for 1-2 days. However, it’s always best fresh…right off the skillet!
Looking for other skillet recipes? Here are my favorites:
Lemon Butter Dijon Chicken and Orzo
French Onion Tater Tot Casserole
Greek Meatballs and Lemon Butter Orzo
Lastly, if you make this Skillet Chicken Adobo with Coconut Rice, 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 tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Skillet Chicken Adobo with Coconut Rice
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 619 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup tamari, or low sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
- 2-3 tablespoons honey, use to your taste
- 1-2 jalapeños, seeded, if desired, and sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 4 dried bay leaves
- 1 cup pineapple chunks
- sliced avocado, cucumber, and green onions, for serving
Coconut Cilantro Rice
- 1 can (14 ounce) coconut milk
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- 1. Season the chicken all over with black pepper. In a large glass measuring cup, combine the tamari/soy sauce, vinegar, honey, and 1/2 cup of water.2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and sear on both sides until golden, 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 jalapeños and bay leaves. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, uncover and cook another 10-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the pineapple. 4. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Serve the chicken adobo over rice. Top each plate with avocado, green onions, jalapeños, and cucumber.
Coconut Rice
- 1. Combine the coconut milk and 1/2 cup water in a medium pot. Bring to a low boil. Add the rice and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine, cover, then turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible. Allow the rice to cook 10 minutes on low, then turn the heat off completely and let the rice sit, covered, for another 15-20 minutes (don't take any peeks inside!). 2. Remove the lid, add the cilantro, and pinch salt. Fluff the rice with a fork.
This post was originally published on January 19, 2022
The flavors in this recipe were amazing. No leftovers here.
Hey Julia,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
A definite keeper of a recipe. And better yet – working late, I forwarded the recipe to my husband (who followed it to a t) and getting home, a fragrant smell and super delicious meal. Strongly recommend the side of cucumber and avocado as it tempers the heat.
Hey Clare,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
This was SO tasty! Ended up taking me about an hour and a half (plus time for my chicken thighs to defrost), which was unexpected, but everything had such deep layers of flavor at the end, it was so worth it! The sauce was not reducing for me, either, so I ended up removing the chicken and cranking up the heat for awhile to cook it down, and that worked very well! Thanks for another winner, Tieghan. 🙂
Hey there,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
I thought this was good but not worth all the chopping and standing by the stove for all the steps. I’d make again but not a weeknight meal for me. The flavors worked well together. I also added a little chopped broccoli to add additional vegetables to the meal. Agree that sauce didn’t reduce well but the flavors just got slopped up with the rice.
Hey Trish,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! Sorry this took you longer than expected. xTieghan
This dish was different than I’ve ever made before and was SO good! All the flavors worked so well together and the coconut rice was the perfect pairing.
Hey Liz,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Delicious recipe, but I used normal soy sauce instead of low sodium and it was way to salty! no other salt added to chicken or anything. And the sauce didn’t reduce down to a thick sauce for me either. Still good flavors and yummy but definitely dont make the same mistake of normal soy sauce or its overly salty.
Hi Lauren,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Yes, next time use the low sodium soy sauce. xTieghan
As always, I would never have thought to put together these flavors, but they went together deliciously! My sauce didn’t cook down enough to get that delicious sticky looking sauce- I’ll try again!
And BTW, it was fun when the Colorado athletes that qualified for the Olympics were announced today to feel like I “knew” some of them! Can’t wait to watch!
Hey Sherry,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
This dish was very tasty. I needed to add a little cornstarch mixed with water at the end to thicken the sauce as it was still very runny when my chicken thighs reached the right temperature after 30 minutes. I also used part basmati and part cauliflower rice to amp up the veggies. Thanks for a flavorful dish Teaghan!
Hey Courtney,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Recipe was amazing. The combination of flavors was great!! The only problem I had was with the sauce not reducing but honestly it was still delicious!!
Hey Aileen,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Sooo good! I added 1 inch cubes of sweet potato with chicken to give some vegetable and texture factor. Really good!
Hey Sylvia,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
I don’t really know what went wrong…I followed the rice directions exactly but the liquid did not absorb. So we had soupy coconut rice. And in keeping with the soupy theme… my sauce did not thicken either! This is the first recipe of yours for me that didn’t turn out exactly like it should. Right before I took my first bite I told my husband I wouldn’t be making it again…but then I took a bite! Even with my issues it was delicious!! I will give it another go for sure!
Hey Terry,
I am so sorry to hear this! What kind of rice did you use? I am glad that it ended up tasting good! Next time let the sauce simmer a little longer to help thicken or you can add cornstarch. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Have some faith and patience everyone. The sauce does thicken eventually. It just takes a lot longer than the suggested time sometimes. However, you can trust the science that liquid evaporates when heated to its boiling point. This came out perfect and just like the photos for me!
Hey Christie,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
This was delicious and turned out perfect! I think you just need to simmer uncovered longer until it reduces down. Awesome recipe!
Hi Angie,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
This was delicious but we had the same trouble with the sauce not thickening that others did. Removed the chicken after it had finished cooking and let the sauce simmer for longer, but still not long enough. Didn’t have any cornstarch, otherwise we would have added it to see if that helped.
We made a fatal error, though, I think — we spooned a fair amount of the sauce over the whole bowl of rice/chicken/veggies, and that definitely made things really salty and almost too flavorful. We’ll make again, but we’ll keep the sauce focused on the chicken and let the rice & veggies shine on their own. The rice was so unique and delicious, and the avocado/cucumber accompaniments were perfect and made this feel like a whole meal.
Next time I might use slightly less tamari and a bit more vinegar (we used apple cider, might try rice vinegar too). I might also cut the water to see if that helps with thickening. I’d also cut the pineapple even smaller — I think our 3/4in chunks were a bit too much. We didn’t get any heat from the 2 seeded jalapenos so I might keep some seeds in or add red pepper flakes next time as well.
Hey Meghan,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Thanks for sharing your feedback. xTieghan
Absolutely loved this dish and it was so easy! Will definitely be making again. My sauce didn’t thicken or reduce though. It was delicious regardless, but curious what you would recommend for next time!
Hey Tyler,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear it was enjoyed. Thanks for sharing your comment! xTieghan