Filipino
Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo
Chicken thighs simmer with soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and black pepper until they hit 165°F. The sauce reduces on the stove at the end so it clings to the meat.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 5 hr
- Total
- 5 hr 15 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Soy, vinegar, garlic, and bay leaves are the whole flavor base.
- Thighs stay moist through a long cook better than breasts.
- Reducing the sauce at the end keeps it from tasting thin.
- The chicken is checked to 165°F before it is served.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Thaw the chicken completely in the refrigerator if it was frozen. Do not put frozen chicken in the slow cooker. Pat the thighs dry. Do not rinse the chicken.
- 2
Place the chicken in the slow cooker. Add the soy sauce, vinegar, broth, garlic, peppercorns, and bay leaves. The liquid should come partway up the chicken, not drown it.
- 3
Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.
- 4
Check the thickest thigh in the center. It must read 165°F. If it is lower, cover and cook longer, then check again. Do not serve it below 165°F.
- 5
Move the chicken to a plate. Pour the cooking liquid into a saucepan, leaving the peppercorns and bay leaves behind or tying them out. Simmer with the oil and brown sugar until the sauce reduces by about a third, 8 to 10 minutes.
- 6
Return the chicken to the sauce and turn to coat. Top with green onions and serve.
Pro tips
- White vinegar is the classic acid. Do not swap in a sweet balsamic and expect the same sauce.
- The sauce is salty. Serve it over rice so the soy has somewhere to go.
- Smash the garlic cloves so they flavor the broth but can be lifted out if you want.
Easy substitutions
- Chicken thighs
- Bone-in thighs. Still cook to 165°F in the thickest meat, not touching bone.
- Soy sauce
- Low-sodium soy sauce, then taste before reducing.
- White vinegar
- Apple cider vinegar, same amount.
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate chicken and sauce together for up to 3 days.
Reheating
Warm in a covered skillet over medium-low until the chicken is hot and reads 165°F.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 294
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fiber
- 0 g
Budget friendly · Slow Cooker, Stovetop · High Protein
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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