My husband and I spent a luxurious 5 days in Napa last week. It was my first time away without our 3 boys in several years and as incredible as it was, I had a decent amount of anxiety leading up to the trip. California is on the exact opposite coast of where we live in New York and although we left the kids in the very caring and capable hands of their grandparents, I still struggled with letting go of complete control over their day-to-day care.
In the end, we had a truly beautiful and memorable trip; a gluttonous gluten-free fest of amazing food and wine! We toured six vineyards, some one-on-one with the owners, and learned a great deal about Napa wines. Each vineyard had it’s own special qualities and it was such a pleasure to hear about their stories, wine-making processes and philosophies. The kids had an absolute blast too! It turned out to be good for all of us.
After coming home from vacation, I went straight back to work in the test kitchen at Bon Appétit until Wednesday. Like most working moms, I had very little time to stock the house with the basic necessities, let alone cook fancy meals. Many people ask me what I cook for our family and I often tell them it’s simple, staple dishes. This is one of our favorites. It’s a variation of a very popular Filipino dish and one that is packed with tons of flavor. It also has very little lead time so it can be cooked on a whim.
I don’t propose to know or have any claim to the authenticity of my recipe relative to traditional Filipino Adobo however, in general, it is typical to have some combination of garlic, soy sauce and vinegar in the dish. My kids love this chicken. I make a version of it every couple of weeks, usually with bone-in or boneless chicken thighs. However, I stopped by the butcher at the Grand Central Market on my way home from work the other day and saw half chickens for sale. I figured to pick up a couple and make them Adobo-style. Feel free to use any cut of chicken you like or even a whole cut up bird. I recommend bone-in if there is breast meat in the mix since it will keep it more tender.
- 1 whole chicken cut into two halves
- salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
- canola or olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan (about 2-3 tbsp)
- 4 large garlic cloves sliced (not too thinly)
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 cubanelle or Italian green pepper, sliced
- ¼ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup gluten-free soy sauce
- ½ cup water
- 1 bay leaf
- Season chicken all over with salt and pepper
- Heat large straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat and add oil
- Add garlic and sauté, tossing occasionally, until golden brown (be careful not to burn), about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon to a small bowl
- Sauté chicken for 5-7 minutes on each side, until skin is crisp and nicely browned (I started with the thigh-side down)
- Remove chicken to a side dish and sauté onion and pepper for 2-3 minutes
- Add chicken back to pan and pour over all liquids and bring to a boil.
- Add bay leaf and browned garlic back into the pan, cover and reduce to simmering for about 35-40 minutes until chicken is cooked through (thermometer inserted into thickest part of the thigh should read 165 degrees F).
- Cut up chicken, serve over rice with sauce and enjoy!
Jackie, your adobo dish looks fantastic. I don’t blame your family for enjoying it. Your addition of green peppers and onions is interesting. Adobo is the Philippines’ national dish and anyone who has had it has nothing but good things to say. If you prefer not to use soy sauce, I have the classic White Adobo which I just shared on your Facebook link. Hope you like what I shared. Thanks for thinking of me. Enjoy the rest of summer 🙂