In a traditional Filipino chicken adobo, the meat is braised in soy sauce and vinegar until it collapses into slippery submission. This version is from Melissa Miranda, chef-owner of Seattle’s Musang, a Filipinx community space and restaurant. Her adobo is oven-roasted, leading to tender meat on the bottom of the pot as well as crispy skin on the top—“the best of both worlds,” Miranda says. Johnny’s Seasoning Salt, a blend of salt, garlic, pepper, and other spices, is a shortcut for adding flavor to sauces, stir-fries, and meats. Johnny’s is a Pacific Northwest brand, but Lawry’s Seasoning Salt will also do. If you can’t find Knorr liquid seasoning, look for Maggi seasoning instead. Either will add tons of extra umami to the chicken.
Recipe information
Yield
4 Servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 375°. Pat chicken thighs dry, then season very lightly all over with seasoning salt (or kosher salt and pepper). Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Arrange chicken, skin side down, in pan and cook until deeply browned underneath, 8–10 minutes. Turn chicken over and cook until lightly browned on the other side, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a roasting dish just large enough to fit chicken in a single layer and arrange skin side up; set aside. Pour out and discard all but 2 Tbsp. chicken fat from the pan.
Step 2
Set skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is golden and onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add vinegar, scraping up any browned bits stuck to bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon, then add soy sauce, liquid seasoning, bay leaves, ½ tsp. cracked pepper, and ½ cup water. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and pour over reserved chicken in baking dish (chicken should be mostly covered with only skin left exposed).
Step 3
Bake chicken, adding a splash or so of water if dish is looking dry at any point, until meat is almost falling off the bone, 60–75 minutes.
Step 4
Divide rice among plates and nestle chicken thighs alongside, dividing evenly. Serve with laing.
