These little experiments really are teaching me about the essential flavors of chicken adobo. At its heart the sauce is about salt, vinegar, and black pepper.
I liked this version. My wife liked it too. One issue I have is that the sauce isn’t suitable for coating the bottom of a plate. The flavors are too intense. I wonder if “flipping” the dominant tastes might work, i.e. thinking of the sauce as reduced chicken stock seasoned strongly with salt, vinegar, and black pepper, instead of salt, vinegar, and black pepper reinforced with chicken stock.
Simple chicken adobo
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil or rendered chicken fat
- 3 cups full-flavored chicken stock
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
Procedure
- Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F. Sear the thighs and bake.
- Brown the garlic in the fat. Add the stock and bay leaf. Reduce.
- Once the stock has almost completely reduced, add the soy and vinegar. Turn the heat to low and cover.
- Remove the thighs from the oven and let rest. Deglaze the pan and add the juices to the sauce. Adjust seasoning. Serve.
