Chicken Adobo

Shaped by Sean* (Lead guide)

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs chicken drumsticks and/or thighs

½ cup + 1 tablespoon soy sauce, divided

2 ½ teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper, divided

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 can full fat coconut milk

8 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 - 2 teaspoon black pepper (to taste)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2-3 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons raw, coarse sugar

4 bay leaves

1 cup jasmine rice

1 spring onion

Time

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Serves

4

Storage

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days

METHOD

Season. Coarsely chop 8 garlic cloves. Pat 2 pounds chicken dry with paper towels. Season with 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and ½ teaspoon of the black pepper.


Cook. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a small Dutch or heavy-bottomed pot oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken skin-side down and cook until the skin starts to brown and caramelize, about 5 minutes.


Get saucy. Add the garlic, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ½ cup rice wine vinegar, coconut milk, 2 tablespoons raw sugar, 4 bay leaves, remaining ½ cup soy sauce and remaining 2 teaspoons black pepper. Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, partially cover the pot and gently simmer for 35 minutes.


Flip. Uncover and flip the chicken so it is skin-side up. Gently simmer uncovered, adjusting the heat as needed, until the chicken is very tender, pulling away from the bone, and the liquid is reduced and starting to thicken slightly, about 25 minutes more.


Serve. Plate the chicken over cooked rice. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and rice and garnish with the spring onion and red pepper flakes (or sliced chilies), if using.

Use tofu or seitan steaks instead of chicken.
Rice can be purchased loose and in bulk from a bulk store or bulk section of your supermarket and you can use your own jars and bags. Check out some of the stores in the Sea to Sky, Vancouver area and more here.
Support your local farmers by looking to your local Farmers' Market and stockists of locally farmed vegetables.
Look to local farms and butchers for your meats.
If you're avoiding soy, Naked Natural Foods in Vancouver makes a range of soy free (!) sauces including this Naked and Saucy Soy Substitute spotted in Fresh Street Market, Whistler.

*Adapted from Amelia Rampe's Chicken Adobo with Coconut Milk

Photos by Denis Agati and Yevgen Tarasov