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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
Delicious! Thickened sauce with cornstarch. We made the coconut rice in the instant pot with this recipe and it turned out great!
https://lifemadesimplebakes.com/instant-pot-coconut-rice/
Hey Jackie,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am glad to hear that it was enjoyed. Have the best weekend!! xTieghan
I made this dish tonight and it came out amazing! My finicky husband raved about it and I have a feeling we will be making this again (and again). The coconut rice… omg so good, and it is how all the flavors come together that really made this a new favorite. I did read all of the comments prior to making it and took all the advice on taking the chicken out once cooked and letting the sauce thicken for longer. Perfect. Thank you!
Hey Lois,
Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am glad to hear that it was enjoyed. Have the best weekend!! xTieghan
Entire family loved it, including a skeptical 8 year old! He thought the pineapple was “amazing”.
My whole family loved this! I used gluten free ramen instead of rice and added carrots and fresh peas to the dish! It all worked out, and the flavor is amazing.
Hey Corrie,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxT
Hi Jennifer,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxT
An absolute home run!
Hey Alex,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxT
I loved this! That sauce was soooo tasty! Excited about the rice, I have terrible trouble cooking rice it so often ends up gloopy but cooking it like this was perfect! Can’t wait to make this again!
Hi Jayne,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxT
This was really good. I added onions because traditionally my mom made Adobo with onions with the garlic. I love the sauce over the rice! Will make this again!
Hey Christina,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxT
Could you use a rice cooker to make the rice? If so, would the coconut milk to rice ratio be the same?
Hi Meredith,
I actually never use a rice cooker so I am not sure how well those ratios would work. For best results, I would follow the recipe as is. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I made this last night. So delicious! Definitely a keeper! I did not add the pineapple and lowered the amount of low sodium soy because I am on a low sodium diet. Still so good! I really like this recipe! Oh, and the coconut rice is something I always wanted to know how to make and now I do! I just saw some of the other comments -my sauce also did not thicken up, but that did not detract from the meal.
Hey Leah,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Sorry to hear about the sauce. xTieghan
This was soooo good! The sauce definitely takes a while to reduce as others mentioned – probably 35-40 minutes, so I took the chicken out toward the end to finish it, but it was totally worth it! LOVE the coconut rice!
Hey Harmony,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Very tasty, but my sauce didn’t thicken up by following the recipe. As written it was very liquidy. I did remove most of the sauce into a small saucepan and add cornstarch and simmer until it thickened up which worked okay. I like the sweet and spicy flavors!
Hey Caitlyn,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Delicious as always! Thanks, Tieghan. ?
Hi Ashley,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
Delicious flavor & chicken was incredibly tender. Mine didn’t carmelize as in your photo. A lot of liquid-any advice?
I will save $/time and make regular rice next time. Didn’t need the heavy coconut.
All in all, a winner
Hey Janet,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Just allow it to simmer a little longer next time to let it thicken. xTieghan
Oh my gosh this was so good. My 10 year old said “I didn’t know what my life was missing Until I had this” and my 7 year old was drinking the sauce out of his bowl. I did use less soy sauce and vinegar. And subbed Chinese hot peppers for jalapeño since that’s what I had on hand. So good!
Hey Raechel,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
The flavors were great. My only issue is that in the picture it looks like the sauce is kind of carmelized on the chicken. Never happened for me. Not sure why.
I noticed most people had the same issue with the sauce. Wish in her replies would address this and give some suggestions about the sauce.
Try removing the chicken once cooked and turning the heat on the sauce to med high/high to let it boil down. Give it a few minutes at first then adjust to your liking!
Hey Debbie,
Thanks for trying the recipe. I have given some suggestions, those would be to add cornstarch or keep simmering longer to help the sauce to thicken and caramelize. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
The flavors were great. My only issue is that in the picture it looks like the sauce is kind of carmelized on the chicken. Never happened for me. Not sure why.
Hey Debbie,
Fantastic!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! I really allow the sauce to thicken and caramelize. xTieghan