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finished plate of coconut milk adobo with rice

Filipino Chicken Adobo with Coconut Milk

Also known as "adobo sa gata," this variant of chicken adobo comes from the Bicol Region of the Philippines. It adds coconut milk and spicy chili peppers.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3½ pounds chicken thighs bone in and skin preferred but optional
  • 8 cloves garlic
  • 5 whole black peppercorns
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ½ cup + 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 4-6 thai chilis chopped (optional)
  • 1 tbsp oil required if using skinless chicken
  • salt to taste

Method
 

  1. Salt chicken on both sides.
  2. In a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pan, brown both sides of the chicken. Start with the skin side down to release some of the natural oils. If your chicken is skinless, add some oil.
  3. Once the chicken is browned on the outside, remove it from the pan and set aside.
  4. To the pan you just browned the chicken, add the aromatics: garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Sautee these for a few minutes to release the aromas.
  5. To the same pan, drop the chicken in again and add the soy sauce, vinegar, and coconut milk. Bring this to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes
  6. When you simmer is complete, the liquid should be significantly reduced. If not, remove the chicken and continue to simmer the sauce on low heat until reduced, then add the chicken back into the pot.
  7. Top with chopped Thai chilis and serve with rice!

Notes

  • I like to use light/regular soy sauce. I’ve seen a lot of recipes call for dark soy sauce but I think it makes it too salty.
  • My standby vinegar for adobo is apple cider vinegar but you can use others such as sugar cane vinegar, coconut vinegar, and so many more. You can use white distilled vinegar but if you do, add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. Basically, you want a bit of sweetness with the vinegar that you can get from vinegars that aren’t white distilled.
  • Coconut milk is not the same as coconut cream. If you want to use coconut cream, you’ll have to dilute it with water since it is thicker.