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Sweet, sour, and salty meld together perfectly in this sweet chicken adobo, a traditional Philippine dish that is easy to make yet packed with flavor.

Sweet Chicken Adobo

Last Modified: January 26, 2018 // by Tracy Ariza, DDS // November 4, 2015 I may receive a commission if you purchase through links in this post. Learn more here.

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Chicken adobo meal

Sweet, sour, and salty meld together perfectly in this sweet chicken adobo, a traditional Philippine dish that is easy to make yet packed with flavor.

Sweet, sour, and salty meld together perfectly in this sweet chicken adobo, a traditional Philippine dish that is easy to make yet packed with flavor.
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This is one of those recipes that brings back a lot of memories for me.

Growing up we used to move around a lot, and I never really felt like I fit in anywhere. I was a bit of an oddball, and didn’t really want to conform to other people’s ideas of how I should dress or act, but on the other hand I didn’t want to be a social outcast either. It was always a balancing act of trying to be myself without drifting too far from the social norms.

When I reached college, I was already beginning to accept myself for who I am and what I like. I became more socially outgoing, little by little, and looked to hang out with people who were more like me.

As you may have noticed, I have always loved to travel, and like to try unusual and new things. Perhaps, that’s why it wasn’t too much of a surprise when I began to hang out with what we used to call the “international group.”

My half-Brasilian, half-American best friend and half-Spanish, half-American I used to hang out with a group of students from all over the world. We represented everywhere from Brasil and Guatemala to Korea and the Philippines. Two brothers from the Philippines lived in a house and would invite us over to play the guitar, drink herbal teas, and write poetry. Those were fun times!

One day, they decided that they were going to cook for us. They made this huge pot of chicken with potatoes and the most wonderfully flavorful sauce for everybody who was over. I was amazed by how they so easily cooked such a huge batch of food for so many people and that the flavor was just so different and perfect. I can’t describe it any other way. It was the perfect combination of sweet, sour, and salty and was one of the best dishes I had (have) ever eaten.

In their version of sweet chicken adobo, they combined soy sauce, vinegar and sugar to make the sweet-sour-salty sauce that gave the dish so much flavor. What was interesting for me is that they cooked the chicken in the sauce along with potatoes, which also helped thicken the sauce, and then served both over rice. Potatoes over rice? Who’d have thought it!?!?

Of course over the years I have tried to reproduce their dish giving it my own special touch.

Since I don’t eat a lot of potatoes or rice, I decided to replace the potatoes with sweet potatoes and to serve it alone. The sweet potatoes give the chicken adobo yet another sweet flavor that I happen to love, and they also help thicken the sauce without the need for adding any flours of any type. The sweet potatoes themselves absorb the sauce, become tender and sweet, and make the perfect side dish to the sweet chicken adobo. Of course, I do occasionally serve it with rice, especially if I make a batch with a lot of sauce. Feel free to serve it either way.

This is the ultimate comfort food as far as I’m concerned. It’s easy to make, and is perfect for warming you up on a cold winter’s day.

So, with that introduction, here’s how to make a sweet chicken adobo:

Sweet, sour, and salty meld together perfectly in this sweet chicken adobo, a traditional Philippine dish that is easy to make yet packed with flavor.
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Sweet, sour, and salty meld together perfectly in this sweet chicken adobo, a traditional Philippine dish that is easy to make yet packed with flavor.

Sweet Chicken Adobo

5 from 3 votes
Print Rate
Author: Tracy Ariza, DDS

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken leg quarter (or 6-8 small chicken thighs)
  • 1 head garlic peeled and sliced
  • 1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce (check for gluten free if needed)
  • 1/2 cup mild vinegar I use my homemade ginger vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. coconut sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 tsp. peppercorns
  • 2 bay leaf
  • 2 sweet potato (Peeled and cut into cubes or slices)

Instructions

  • Mix together the water, vinegar, soy sauce, and water in a large pan, and add the chicken leg quarters to marinate them while you prepare the sweet potatoes and other ingredients. For a stronger flavor, marinate the chicken in the fridge for several hours before continuing.
  • Peel and cut the sweet potatoes into medium sized pieces.
  • Heat a large, heavy pan over medium to high heat and place the chicken leg quarters (removed from the marinade) in the pan, skin side down, to brown them. If they don’t all fit in such a way that they all touch the bottom, brown 2 first, remove them, and then brown the others. I don’t usually add oil because the fat of the skin usually renders into a liquid oil that helps brown the chicken and keep it from sticking. You can add a dash of oil if you like, but it tends to make for an oily dish in the end once the fat from the chicken has rendered itself.
  • Add back all of the chicken and the sweet potatoes to the pan, followed by the marinade and other ingredients.
  • Turn down the heat to medium low and cook covered for around 45 minutes to an hour, occasionally moving the ingredients carefully in the pan so that they all are coated and cooked in the sauce if possible. The sauce will slowly reduce and thicken.
  • Once the chicken is well cooked throughout, you can serve at any time. If the sauce hasn’t reduced enough for your liking, remove the lid of the pan and cook for several minutes more to help reduce and thicken it to your liking.

Notes

I occasionally want to have a saucier version, so I add a little more marinade. This can be accomplished by using around 1/2 cup soy sauce, 3/4 cup vinegar, and 1 1/4- 1 1/2 cup water. You can always thicken up the sauce slightly with a bit of tapioca flour (or regular wheat flour if you aren’t gluten free) as needed later on.
Most people don’t include soy sauce nor vinegar in a strict paleo diet, but since I’m not that strict, I don’t usually avoid either. If you want to make this more strictly paleo, you can substitute the soy sauce for coconut amines and the vinegar for lemon juice. You’ll still have a dish that is sweet/salty/sour.
For the vinegar rice or coconut vinegar also work especially well.
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Asian
Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @thethingswellmake or tag #thethingswellmake!
Sweet, sour, and salty meld together perfectly in this sweet chicken adobo, a traditional Philippine dish that is easy to make yet packed with flavor.
Category: Lunch & Dinner, Recipes

About Tracy Ariza, DDS

Tracy Ariza, B.A., D.D.S., left dentistry and the United States to found Oh, The Things We’ll Make!, writing to you from the Spanish Riviera. She loves making things herself in order to keep control of what goes in them. While far from perfect, she strives each day to live a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ranel Toledo

    March 27, 2020 at 10:03 AM

    Greetings from the Philippines! My grandmother also cooks her adobo with sweet potatoes. Her secret though is to add pork. I guess the pork fat makes it taste better.

    Reply
    • Tracy Ariza, DDS

      March 29, 2020 at 11:51 AM

      Hi Ranel,
      That’s so interesting! Thank you for the tip.
      Stay safe and healthy!

      Reply
  2. Jasmine Williams

    February 9, 2019 at 12:20 AM

    Hi, if I were to make this with regular sugar or honey, can you suggest how much I would put in?

    Reply
    • Tracy Ariza

      August 10, 2019 at 7:58 PM

      Hi Jasmine,
      I’d probably use around the same amount of regular sugar as coconut sugar. You can definitely add less and then increase the amount, slowly, to taste.
      For honey, I’d probably use slighly less as it tends to be quite sweet. You can always add more if you feel you’d like it sweeter later, but it’s impossible to remove it if it’s too sweet. 😉

      Reply
    • Kryzia Mae plete Aranda

      June 12, 2023 at 2:58 AM

      williams is that you!? ASF?

      Reply
  3. Emily @ Recipes to Nourish

    November 20, 2015 at 3:46 AM

    This looks so good! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Raia

    November 18, 2015 at 4:45 AM

    Yum. This sounds so delicious! Thank you so much for sharing it, Tracy! 🙂

    Reply
    • Tracy Ariza

      November 18, 2015 at 5:43 PM

      Thanks, Raia!

      Reply
  5. Shreyashi Ganguly

    November 14, 2015 at 4:26 PM

    Hey Tracy, this looks and sounds absolutely delicious. I am pinning this for later use. Your site is fantastic. Keep up the great work and thanks for sharing this on the Savoring Saturday linkup.
    Have a great day. Cheers!

    Reply
    • Tracy Ariza

      November 14, 2015 at 8:12 PM

      Thank you, Shreyashi!
      I just browsed your blog, and your miso glazed chicken looks pretty good too. 🙂 I’d bet they are pretty similar in flavor. I may have to try yours out because I love those sorts of recipes.

      Reply
  6. Elizabeth @ Bowl of Delicious!

    November 12, 2015 at 7:17 PM

    This looks incredible! Your photos are gorgeous and that chicken looks melt-in-your-mouth delicious. I want to dive into my computer screen and eat that entire plate 🙂 And I love how simple this recipe is. Pinned!

    Reply
    • Tracy Ariza

      November 12, 2015 at 7:28 PM

      Thanks so much, Elizabeth!
      It really is one of my favorites- definitely a go-to recipe for when you need to make something easy for lots of people. 🙂

      Reply
5 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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Hello, I’m Tracy!

I love making my own natural products like soaps and lotions and my own pantry items like yogurt and salad dressings.
Why do I do it? Sometimes to save money, sometimes because it's healthier, but I always love having control of the ingredients!​
Oh, the things we'll make!...

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