Make this classic Filipino dish, Chicken Adobo or Adobong Manok, using your Instant Pot! It is super easy, fuss-free, and will give you flavorful fall-off-the-bone tender meat!
What is Filipino Adobo?
One of, if not the most, popular dish in the country made using different types of meats mainly pork and chicken stewed in a vinegar-soy sauce. It is usually cooked with garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorn among other things. Some variations also included veggies like potatoes and carrots to make it more substantial.
Some like it saucy, but in this version, we sauteed the chicken after it is pressure cooked to thicken the sauce and render its natural fat. We also used plenty of brown garlic to add flavor and texture. Lastly, green onions were added as a garnish to add some color and give it a fresh taste too.
What you'll Need
For this chicken adobo recipe here are is what we need:
Chicken - You can use any cuts you prefer or use mixed cuts. Just make sure you have some fats for flavor and lean parts to enjoy.
Soy Sauce - we use dark soy sauce for full flavor and color. But if you find it too salty, then just use a light one.
Vinegar - traditional Filipino Adobo uses cane vinegar but most kinds of vinegar can be used. Use the one that you like as it can add some flavor to it. I also like using red wine vinegar.
Aromatics - the basics are garlic, peppercorn, bay leaves, and onion, that is all that you'll need. Others add sugar but I don't, I prefer the sweetness of the caramelized onions adds to the dish.
Instant Pot Chicken Adobo
Adobo is most Filipino's go-to dish when in need of something delicious, satisfying, and easy. Using an Instant pot makes it even easier and requires a lot less effort.
The first step is to use the SAUTE function to sweat the onion and garlic and searing the chicken. Next comes the seasonings, liquids, and other aromatics.
Then you set the Instant Pot to pressure cook at high for 10 minutes. You can either do a quick or natural release and that's it!
Chicken Adobo Instant Pot
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 2 pounds chicken (900g-1kg) various cuts
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon peppercorn
- 3 pcs bay leaves
- Toasted garlic and chopped green onions for topping optional
Instructions
- Place the condensation collector behind the cooker before you start.
- Select the SAUTE option and set to MEDIUM temperature and wait for the display to say “hot’. Add the oil and then garlic and onion and saute until tender and aromatic.
- Add the chicken pieces and sear both sides just until lightly browned. Add the soy sauce and cover (don’t seal) for a minute or two.
- Now add the water, vinegar, peppercorn, and bay leaves.
- Close and lock the lid of the Instant Pot. Make sure that the Steam Release valve is set to seal.
- Select PRESSURE COOK and set to pressure Level to HIGH and timer to 10 minutes. It will start to warm up and after a few minutes, the FLOAT VALVE will pop-up, which means the instant pot is now pressurized and the timer will start the countdown.
- Once pressure cooking time is up (L0:00) and the machine beeps, do a QUICK/MANUAL RELEASE by turning the FLOAT VALVE to VENTING. Be careful as a stream of hot steam will come out of the valve. Once all the steam/pressure is released, unlock and open the lid away from you.
- Select SAUTE again and set to HIGH temperature and let it simmer until liquid is reduced to a dark thick sauce. About 15 minutes.
- Once done, press CANCEL to turn off and unplug. Transfer the Chicken Adobo to a serving dish top with toasted garlic and green onions and enjoy with steaming hot rice.
Video
About the Author
Bebs has been part of the food blog scene since 2014. Her passion for cooking and baking paved the way to the success of her blog, Foxy Folksy. Now she is here to cook up more yum for you.
Hi Bebs,
Thank you so much for your detailed instructions not only on how to properly cook adobo but also on how to take advantage of instapot’s many features. I cook adobo the ‘usual’ way, which ‘usually’ does not give me that yummy color. I will try this cooking technique the next time.
Will this be the same method if I choose pork instead of chicken?
Love your new blog!
God bless!
Thanks for being one of the first commenters on this blog Tito Vir! Yes po, the same method applies but you might need to increase pressure cooking time to 15-20 for pork.