Roni B's Filipino Chicken & Pork Adobo

Filipino Chicken & Pork Adobo is one of the most iconic dishes in Filipino cuisine, celebrated for its bold, savoury flavour and comforting simplicity. Often regarded as the national dish of the Philippines, adobo is a slow-braised stew traditionally made with meat simmered in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves and black peppercorns. In this version, we use Roni B’s Adobo Sauce to recreate those deep, authentic flavours with ease, delivering restaurant-quality results at home.

So, what exactly is adobo? Filipino adobo is a cooking method rather than a single recipe, developed centuries ago as a method of preserving meat in a hot, tropical climate. Originally adobo would have been made with a combination of vinegar and salt, but today the signature flavours are commonly created using soy sauce. Unlike Spanish or Mexican adobo, Filipino adobo is uniquely tangy, savoury and aromatic, with no added sweetness and no chillies by default.

Servings 4 | Cook Time: 45-60 mins | Prep Time: 5 mins | Marinating Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

500g Pork rindless belly strips, chopped into 1.5'' chunks
500g Skinless, boneless chicken thighs, chopped into 1.5'' chunks
1 x 190ml Jar of Roni B's Filipino Adobo Sauce
1 x Bay leaf
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns (yes, leave them whole)
3 Cloves of garlic, crushed with a knife and roughly chopped
2 Spring onions, sliced lengthways to garnish

Instructions

1. Chop up the pork and chicken into 1.5'' chunks and place them in a heavy bottomed casserole dish that has a tight fitting lid.

2. Pour the entire contents of the jar of Roni B's Adobo Sauce over the meat, add in the bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic and mix well - coating all the meat in the sauce.

3. Leave at room temperature to marinade for 30 minutes.

4. Now place the dish over a medium to high heat to bring the liquid to a simmer.

5. Once everything is bubbling, turn the heat down to low, place a lid on and cook for 45-60 minutes. Don't be alarmed if you think there is not enough liquid, the meat will release liquid during the cooking process, so you'll most likely have to reduce down the sauce at the end.

6. Check the adobo every 15 mins and give it a little stir around, if it's losing liquid, top up with a little water.

7. After 45 mins, remove the lid of the casserole dish and keep cooking to reduce the sauce to the desired consistency.

8. Garnish the adobo with some sliced spring onions and serve with plain rice. It's also quite traditional to serve with slices of fresh tomato - I made a fresh pineapple salsa which also worked really well.

Cooking Tips

As with many meat stews, this will taste even better the following day. It's fine to marinade the meat for a bit longer, but it really doesn't need it. Adding whole peppercorns may seem a bit strange, but their harshness mellows during the cooking and when you come across one, they are soft and provide a pleasant gentle pepper kick.

You can reduce the sauce down a little at the end, however, it was so tasty I left mine pretty much as it was. It is a good idea for let this rest and cool down for at least 5 minutes before serving - the flavours will continue to develop as it sits and rests and the meat will become even more tender.

Serving Suggestions

Plain rice is an essential part of the finished dish. As the adobo is so rich, it's nice to have something to balance and contrast this with. As mentioned above, I made a fresh pineapple salsa simply by dicing up some pan roasted slices of fresh pineapple and adding red chilli, diced red onions, fresh coriander with a drizzle of olive oil and some lime juice - it worked a treat. 

Variations and Substitutions

I have used pork and chicken in this recipe, however it is equally as common to find Filipino Adobo made with just chicken or just pork. You can also make this with squid:

Marinade the sliced squid in the adobo sauce for around 1 hour, fry an onion until soft, then add in the squid (retain the adobo marinade), continue to fry for about 10 minutes, then pour in the strained reserved adobo sauce marinade. Cook for a further 10 minutes.

Storage & Leftovers

The adobo sauce keeps well in cupboard. If you have any left-overs, pan fry the pieces until crispy and serve with fried rice. If you are only using half the jar, store the remaining in the fridge and use within 6 weeks.