It really is true what they say – there are as many adobo recipes as there are people who make it. I decided I would write down my recipe which I consider to be a very good version of a Filipino adobo. I like my adobo chicken crispy but not with too much oil. My secret for this is baking, then basting the chicken with coconut oil, and finally placing the chicken under the broiler. The recipe is finished by reducing the adobo sauce to a nape. Try this version of a traditional Filipino adobo and let me know your thoughts. I have provided all the techniques here to ensure your meal is delicious.

• 1 whole cut up chicken. I prefer to use skinless chicken with a mixture of dark and white meat
• 12 cloves garlic (minced)
• 4 Turkish bay leaves or 6 California bay leaves
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 1/3 cups cane vinegar. For sweeter adobo use coconut vinegar
• 2/3 cups light soy sauce. Do not use dark.
• 20 whole peppercorns
• 1 tsp. light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup coconut oil

I prefer to use a cast iron pot with a heavy lid so that my chicken will remain tender after it is cooked. The heavy lid helps to keep the moisture and pressure in the pot so the chicken cooks quicker and stays tender. Add 8 cloves of garlic, bay leaves, chicken stock, vinegar, soy sauce, peppercorns, brown sugar, and chicken to the pot. Bring the pot to a boil with the lid off, then place the lid on the pot and reduce the heat to simmer Cook for 40 minutes. 30 minutes through cooking pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Using a brush, apply a small amount of coconut onto a baking sheet. When the oven has reached temperature, remove all the chicken from the pot and place the chicken on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. While the chicken is baking turn the heat up on the pot to high (Note: For a stainless steel pot use medium high. Continue to reduce the sauce in the pot to nape (where it coats the back of a spoon). Remove the sauce from heat and set aside.

Cut up the remaining 4 cloves of garlic then quickly fry in the remaining coconut oil until golden. After 15 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven and brush lighty with coconut oil. Then broil the chicken on a high rack in the oven for 5 minutes at 450 degrees.
Remove the chicken from the broil, and pour
reduced sauce over chicken. Then add fried garlic atop chicken.