Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo is bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks braised for hours in white vinegar, soy sauce, a whole head of garlic, black peppercorns and bay leaves, until the meat falls off the bone. Chicken adobo is a Filipino dish, and it suits the slow cooker well: brown the chicken first if you have time, then let the pot do the rest. It serves 6 over rice.
How to make it: Brown the chicken pieces in a little oil, in batches. Stir the vinegar with the soy sauce, pour it over the chicken in the slow cooker, and scatter the garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves on top. Cover and let it braise 5 to 6 hours on low, until the chicken is tender and reads 165°F. Remove the bay leaves and serve over rice with plenty of sauce.
Why You’ll Love It
- Short ingredient list: vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, pepper and bay leaves do all the work.
- Fall-apart chicken: hours of gentle braising make bone-in pieces meltingly tender.
- Tangy, savory sauce: made for spooning over rice.
- Better the next day: make it ahead and the flavor deepens overnight.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken: 3 pounds of bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks. Skinless pieces let you skip the browning.
Vinegar: 1/2 cup of white vinegar. Philippine cane vinegar is the first choice if you can find it; rice vinegar works in a pinch.
Soy sauce: 1/3 cup of regular soy sauce.
Garlic: a whole head, the cloves separated and crushed. Peeling them is optional. It sounds like a lot, but it melts into the sauce.
Pepper and bay: 2 teaspoons of whole black peppercorns and 3 dried bay leaves. Don’t want to bite into peppercorns? Use freshly ground pepper instead, starting with 1 teaspoon.
Sugar (optional): 1 tablespoon, for a slightly sweeter sauce that is less salty and less sharp. Leave it out if you like adobo tangier.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks)
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil, for browning
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1 head garlic, cloves separated and crushed
- 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
- 3 dried bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo
1. Brown the chicken. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and brown all the chicken pieces in batches. If you are in a hurry, skip this step and put the chicken straight into the slow cooker.
2. Mix the sauce. Stir the vinegar and soy sauce together in a bowl.
3. Fill the slow cooker. Put the chicken in the slow cooker and pour the vinegar mixture over it. Spread the garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves evenly over the chicken.
4. Cook on low. Keep the lid on and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours, until the chicken is tender and a food thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest piece.
5. Add the sugar, if using. For a slightly sweeter adobo, sprinkle the sugar over the chicken toward the end of cooking and stir it in gently. You can also stir it into the vinegar mixture in step 2.
6. Serve. Discard the bay leaves and serve the chicken with freshly cooked rice, spooning the sauce over the top.
Brown It or Skip It?
Both work. Here is the trade-off:
| Browned first | Straight into the pot | |
|---|---|---|
| Flavor | Deeper, with browned edges | Milder |
| Grease | Less fat in the sauce | More fat from the skin; use skinless pieces |
| Time | About 10 extra minutes at the stove | Nothing extra |
| Cook time | Toward 5 hours on low | Toward 6 hours on low |
If you do brown it, pour the sauce mixture into the hot pan after the chicken comes out and scrape up the browned bits before pouring it all over the chicken.
Raw Chicken, Thawing and Doneness
- Raw chicken is fine. The chicken goes into the slow cooker raw, browned or not, and cooks through in the sauce.
- Frozen chicken is not. USDA FSIS says to always thaw meat or poultry before it goes into a slow cooker. Keep it refrigerated until you start.
- Keep the lid on. Lift it only to check for doneness. Low the whole time is safe.
- Use a thermometer. Tender meat and clear juices are good signs, but the chicken is done when it reads 165°F.
- Water is optional. You can add 1/4 cup of water, but leaving it out keeps the sauce more intense.
Variations
- With onion: lay a sliced yellow onion over the chicken with the garlic and bay leaves, and garnish with cilantro.
- With ginger and broth: add a few slices of fresh ginger and 1 cup of chicken broth with a diced onion for more sauce.
- A little heat: stir 1 tablespoon of sriracha into the sauce.
- Skinless breasts: layer 4 skinless breasts in the pot with the sauce, garlic, a chopped onion and bay leaves, then give them 6 hours on low, until they reach 165°F.
Make Ahead, Storage & Reheating
Make ahead: Cook it a day or 2 ahead and refrigerate it; the flavor deepens overnight.
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow covered containers. USDA FSIS says to eat them within 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Freeze in the sauce for 3 to 4 months and thaw in the refrigerator.
Reheat: Reheat covered on the stove or in the microwave until the sauce boils and the chicken reaches 165°F. Don’t reheat leftovers in the slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Freshly cooked white rice is the usual partner because it soaks up the sauce; egg fried rice works too. Add steamed vegetables or smothered green beans and top the chicken with sliced green onion. For more slow cooker chicken, try slow cooker chicken teriyaki (sweeter, with a thickened sauce), sweet Hawaiian crockpot chicken or 3-ingredient slow cooker chicken thighs. For pork, see Asian pork in the crock pot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you cook adobo in a slow cooker?
Yes. Pour a mix of white vinegar and soy sauce over bone-in chicken, add garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves, and braise it 5 to 6 hours on low, until the chicken is tender and reads 165°F.
Do I have to brown the chicken first?
No. Browning adds flavor and cuts the grease, but you can skip it when you’re short on time, especially with skinless pieces.
Can I put raw chicken straight into a slow cooker?
Yes, raw is fine as long as it is fully thawed. Never put frozen chicken in a slow cooker.
Can chicken adobo be made ahead?
Yes. Make it a day or 2 ahead and keep it in the refrigerator; the flavor gets deeper overnight. Reheat it to 165°F.
Final Notes
Brown the chicken if you have ten minutes, pile on the garlic, and let it braise low and slow. Cook the rice just before serving. If you make it, tell me in the comments whether you added the sugar.
Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo
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Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken pieces bone-in thighs and drumsticks; skinless pieces let you skip the browning
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil for browning the chicken
- 1/2 cup white vinegar Philippine cane vinegar is preferred; rice vinegar works in a pinch
- 1/3 cup soy sauce regular table soy sauce
- 1 head garlic cloves separated and crushed, peeled or unpeeled
- 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns or freshly ground black pepper to taste, starting with 1 teaspoon
- 3 dried bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon sugar optional, for a slightly sweeter adobo
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and brown all the chicken pieces in batches. If you are in a hurry, skip this step and put the chicken straight into the slow cooker.
- Stir the vinegar and soy sauce together in a bowl.
- Put the chicken in the slow cooker and pour the vinegar mixture over it. Spread the garlic, peppercorns and bay leaves evenly over the chicken.
- Keep the lid on and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours, until the chicken is tender and a food thermometer reads 165°F in the thickest piece.
- For a slightly sweeter adobo, sprinkle the sugar over the chicken toward the end of cooking and stir it in gently. You can also stir it into the vinegar mixture in step 2.
- Discard the bay leaves and serve the chicken with freshly cooked rice, spooning the sauce over the top.
