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Filipino-Style Chicken Adobo

3.6

(86)

Cooked chicken pieces piled on white plate with stainless steel serving fork.
Photo by Romulo Yanes

While sugarcane vinegar is more often used in the Philippines to make this national dish, apple cider vinegar makes a good substitute if you can't find it.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    3 hours 30 minutes

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
4 whole chicken legs (2 1/2 lb), cut into drumsticks and thighs
Accompaniment: cooked rice

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Stir together vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a bowl, then pour into a sealable plastic bag. Add chicken and seal bag, pressing out air. Turn to coat thoroughly, then put bag in a baking pan and marinate chicken, chilled, turning occasionally, 2 hours.

    Step 2

    Let chicken stand at room temperature 45 minutes.

    Step 3

    Preheat oven to 425°F.

    Step 4

    Arrange chicken, skin sides up, in 1 layer in a 13- by 9- by 2-inch metal baking pan and pour marinade over it. Bake in middle of oven until cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer chicken, skin sides up, to a broiler pan. Pour marinade into a small saucepan and skim fat.

    Step 5

    Preheat broiler.

    Step 6

    Broil chicken about 4 inches from heat until skin is golden and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. While chicken is broiling, bring marinade to a boil and discard bay leaves. Serve chicken with sauce.

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