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Chicken Adobo with Garlic Coconut Rice

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Ingredients
  

  • 2.5 – 3 lbs chicken thighs 1.5 kg (bone-in, skin-on for flavor; boneless skinless also works)

Marinade

  • 1/2 cup 120ml soy sauce (regular or light; avoid dark soy)
  • 1/3 cup 80ml vinegar (Filipino cane vinegar preferred, or white/coconut vinegar)
  • 1 1/2 cups 360ml water (or enough to partially submerge chicken)
  • 5 – 6 cloves garlic minced or smashed
  • 3 bay leaves fresh or dried
  • 1 tsp whole black peppercorns or 1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper

Cooking the Chicken

  • 2 tbsp neutral oil canola, vegetable, or avocado oil
  • 1 medium onion thinly sliced or diced
  • 1 – 2 tbsp brown sugar adjust to taste, or omit if using cane vinegar

Garlic Coconut Rice

  • 2 cups 380g uncooked jasmine rice
  • 1 1/2 cups 360ml water
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup garlic sliced on a mandoline very thinly
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • Salt only if needed (soy adds a lot of salt already)
  • Chopped green onions or cilantro for garnish

Instructions
 

Make Marinade

  • Combine soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, and pepper
  • Marinate chicken for 30 minutes, no more, in fridge

Make Rice

  • Wash rice and cook in rice cooker
  • Cook garlic until barely browning in coconut oil and remove to a small bowl and reserve both garlic and oil
  • Stir fry rice in coconut oil and after a bit add back in the garlic and stir fry. Add fish sauce and set rice aside

Cook chicken

  • Remove chicken from marinade and dry off. Reserve marinade
  • Add some water and brown sugar to marinade.
  • Heat oil over medium heat and brown chicken skin side down for 2-3 minutes. Flip and brown other side for 2-3 minutes. Remove chicken to plate and drain off much of the oil
  • Add onions to skillet and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Then add back chicken skin side down. Add in reserved marinade with garlic and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook partially covered for 20 minutes. Turn chicken over and cook uncovered for about 20 minutes more. Turn off heat but leave thighs in pan.
  • Remove thighs to another pan and place under broiler for a minute or two. Be careful not to burn. Reduce sauce and then add thighs back into pan and spoon sauce over
  • Serve over rice covered with some chopped cilantro or green onions