I am Filipina, and the ingredients are similar to my adobo recipe that I cook on the stovetop. The only difference is that I do not use any onions. I add a generous tablespoon of peppercorn, and 2-3 bay leaves. I recommend using WHITE vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar because apple cider vinegar has an unpleasant smell when it is cooked. When I was growing up, I hated when my parents cooked adobo because they used apple cider vinegar, and I thought it was smelly lol. White vinegar has a more pleasant aroma. In addition, I noticed that many reviewers added sugar. AUTHENTIC adobo should NOT have any hint of sweetness! The combination of vinegar, garlic, and soy sauce makes adobo what it is. Its supposed to be tangy; this is what gives adobo its unique flavor. If you are intent on adding sugar to adobo, perhaps a teriyaki recipe would be more to your liking.

Advice to all who attempt this recipe-- chicken adobo is meant to taste "tangy". I've read many of the reviews and it seems that the intended flavor of the recipe is a matter of taste. Like your sauce thick or thin, this is a tangy dish. Like it thin, then water it down; like it thick, then add corn starch; like it less tangy, add sugar; more tangy, add less sugar. Smell while cooking is often pungent... normal for vinegar-based dishes. But if "tangy" is your forte, then the "pickle" smell during cooking is a GOOD sign. My advice on the dish- try this dish at a restaurant or elsewhere and decide if you like the general essence; if you like it, then try your hand at this dish, making modifications to personalize your tastes. If you aren't hip with such exotic foreign dishes, then steer clear of making this foreign dish simply for the sake of trying something new and exotic.

My Filipino family has made this adobo for many years using 1/3 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1 cup water, and 2 bay leaves. A generous amount of granulated garlic or garlic powder can be used in place of fresh garlic. Serve over white rice. Delicious!

I have a lot of Filipino friends, and I am half Thai, so I am used to Asian dishes. One of my favorite authentic Filipino dishes is Chicken or Pork Adobo, so I was thrilled to see a recipe that was really easy to make( 5 Stars for Easiness) The downside is that I stayed home today while it was cooking and I couldn't stand the smell. It was pungent...The best description I can think of would be a jar of pickles cooking all day on the stovetop. My 5 year old would not stop complaining about it. I thought the recipe had TOO MUCH VINEGAR. I didn't take those other "sour" complaints seriously, and I wished I would of listened. Even though I went easy on the vinegar, added extra water and sugar,the dish was still very sour and overpowering. Start off with 1/8 cup vinegar or less if you aren't used to Chicken Adobo. Then add more later to taste. That way your dish won't go to waste...like mine.

I give this 4 stars for giving me the idea of using a slow cooker to make adobo, a dish that I have made many times. Otherwise, the actual ingredients are make a very basic adobo, and miss a couple of common ingredients. Try using red or white wine vinegar, but at a minimum use cider vinegar- white vinegar should be last resort. Add the traditional adobo ingredients- 10-15 whole black peppercorns and 1-2 bay leaves. Add 1-2 Tbls. of brown sugar. I recommend using reduced sodium soy sauce. I like Aloha brand, but there are other good ones. I did not need to add water. Finally, try adding a cup of coconut milk- I like the ones from Thailand found in the Asian section of your store or at an Asian grocery.

I really enjoyed this recipe. I'm a this 'n that type of cook so I added about a 1/4-1/2 cup of brown sugar, two more cloves of garlic, about 3/4 cup of water, a good inch or so of fresh chopped ginger, and I used six whole legs (leg and thigh combo) with the skins peeled off. I loved the sauce so much that I buttered a casserole dish, put in a cup of long-grain uncooked white rice(basmati) and put about five ladlefuls of juice(maybe 2 1/2 cups) from this adobo chicken and 1/2 cup of water and baked the rice covered at 425 for a half hour. Yummy!!

I used chicken thighs from which I removed the skin (I fried the skin up and fed it to the cats, they were in kitty heaven) Otherwise I followed the recipe more-or-less exactly except to add bay leaves and peppercorns as suggested by other reviewers. It tasted even better than the adobo my Filipino brother-in-law makes. My husband who grown weary of my experimenting and has been asking me to make a few dishes that "originated on this continent", absolutely loved it. I served it with garlic rice and sliced mangos drizzled with Mango/Chile Vinegar from Trader Joe's. Pay no attention to the bad reviews. This was delicious. Thanks for the recipe!

My family loved this recipe. I did make some changes--I used rice wine vinegar and cut it down to 1/4 c, added 2 tsp. ginger and 2T brown sugar. It was so easy and delicious! My son said it was like eating chicken wings without the mess. Next time, I will skin the chicken first or use boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

I had ordered this meal at a Caribbean restaurant last week, and wanted to try it at home. I reviewed the reviews, and decided to try the recipe with the all suggestions of community. I added fresh ginger, 1T brown sugar, 1 c. H2O, black pepper and 2 bay leaves. I skinned the chicken and used low sodium soy. The result was better that the restaurant!! Thanks for a great recipe base.

This was a great recipe! I also added (1tsp)ginger, (1tbsp)brown sugar, (1/2cup)chicken broth and 1 bay leaf. My picky 3 1/2yr old asked for a second serving! WOW!!! This is definately a keeper. Thanks!