Instant Pot Chicken Adobo
INGREDIENTS
- 2 - 2.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup
low-sodium soy sauce (do not use regular, which will be too salty) - 1/3 cup
white vinegar - 1 onion sliced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons
olive oil - 1/4 teaspoon
cayenne - salt and coarse black pepper
For serving:
- 2 scallions sliced
- cooked white rice or cauliflower rice
INSTRUCTIONS
Select the saute mode on the pressure cooker for medium heat. Generously season chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper. When the display reads HOT, add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot. Add half of the chicken thighs and cook for a few minutes on each side before transferring them to a plate. Repeat for the remaining chicken thighs. Turn off the saute mode. - Add soy sauce, vinegar, onion, garlic, and cayenne to the pot. Stir well and scrape up any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Return all chicken thighs to the pot in a single layer, placing them snugly on top of the onions. Top with bay leaves. Secure and seal the lid. Cook for 10 minutes at high pressure followed by a manual pressure release.
- Uncover and select the saute mode. Keeping the chicken in the pot, boil for about 15 minutes to thicken the sauce. Remove the bay leaves. Serve the chicken and sauce, optionally with cooked cauliflower rice. Top with sliced scallions.
NUTRITION
| Makes 4 Servings |
| Amount Per Serving: |
| Calories 370 (52% from fat) | |
| Total Fat 21g | 33% |
| Saturated Fat 1g | 5% |
| Cholesterol 182mg | 61% |
| Sodium 1540mg | 64% |
| Net Carb 6.5g | |
| Total Carb 7g | 2% |
| Dietary Fiber 0.5g | 2% |
| Sugars 3g | |
| Protein 37g |
Chicken adobo is traditional Filipino comfort food made easy with a pressure cooker. The chicken comes out tender and flavorful, and the adobo sauce is simultaneously tangy, sweet, and savory. I don’t get the chance to eat Filipino food often, but this is one of my favorites!
The main ingredients in chicken adobo are chicken thighs (I use boneless and skinless ones), onions, soy sauce, and vinegar. The chicken thighs are seasoned and pan seared, followed by pressure cooking with soy sauce, vinegar, and onions in the Instant Pot. The saute mode is then used to reduce the sauce to an almost sticky consistency.
The adobo sauce is the highlight of this dish, so here are a few details regarding the last step when you’re reducing the sauce. The recipe recommends 15 minutes of boiling to be on the conservative side, but you can boil longer for a different result.
If you boil for…
- 15 minutes then you’ll get a decent amount of remaining sauce to spoon over the chicken but it won’t be very thick. The sauce will, however, taste amazing with the onions and chicken.
- 20 minutes then you’ll end up with a thick glaze that easily sticks to the chicken. However, since it’s more of a glaze than a sauce, you won’t have much liquid to spoon over the chicken. You’ll also have to be careful that the sauce doesn’t burn on the bottom of your pressure cooker pot.
Personally, I like the consistency of the sauce when boiled about 17 minutes. I recommend 15 minutes for most people because it’s easy to burn the sauce when it starts becoming glaze-like, but it’s up to you!
A few notes on ingredient substitutions:
- The onions are a must and cannot be skipped. The sauce would have a very different taste and texture without them.
- If you follow the Paleo or Whole30 diet, you can substitute soy sauce with coconut aminos.
- I don’t recommend using chicken breasts. Use chicken thighs, legs, or drumsticks. I use boneless and skinless ones because it’s easier, but you don’t have to.
This recipe’s ingredients were a good amount for my 6 quart Instant Pot, but you can easily double them for an 8 quart pressure cooker.
If you have any leftovers, they store well in the refrigerator and can be reheated the next day in the microwave.
I made this tonight for the first time, and my family smashed it down. They both complain about cauliflower anything, but I served it on cauliflower mash with ghee and they wanted more. I also used coconut aminos and apple cider vinegar instead of soy sauce and white vinegar as I am doing Whole30. This will definitely be going on the keep list. Thank you for the recipe 😊
You’re welcome, Cheryl. Thanks for sharing your Whole30 substitutions!
Any idea what the sodium level changed to?
So delicious!!!! I followed the recipe as written with 2 exceptions. I didn’t have low sodium soy sauce and I used rice wine vinegar. I followed Julia‘s recommendation in a previous comment and used 1/4 cup soy sauce mixed with 1/4 cup water. This still didn’t cut the saltiness. So, while thickening in the last stage, I added about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and the juice of a quarter of a lime. This helped tremendously! In the future, I won’t salt the chicken at all in the beginning and add it at the table, if needed.
Love love this dish! The whole family does every single time I make it. So easy and always delicious. The only thing I changed was using coconut aminos instead of soy to make it Whole 30 compliant. Have not used the soy once once and don’t need to! Thanks a bunch 😁
I made this exactly as written. The flavors were very good, but even with low sodium soy sauce it was way too salty for my husband and me. Also, it took about a half hour longer than estimated by author. Admittedly, this could be partially due to this being my very first Instant Pot attempt, but with all the preheating necessary before the actual cooking times can be achieved I think some time needs to be added to prep and cook times.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was awesome!! Steamed some broccoli to go with it. Great combination of sweet and spicy. Thanks for the recipe.
Amazing! Didn’t salt the chicken (per other reviews), followed recipe for everything else. Everyone loved it at dinner.
I made this for dinner today for my (very picky) husband and he loved it!
YAAAY!!!
What should the timing be if I’m doubling the recipe? Or is it the same?
The pressure cooking time remains the same.
Has anyone used bone in thighs? How much time should I add for that?
We only use bone-in skin-on for this recipe! I feel boneless skinless is too dry. No additional time needed.
Hi, I’d like to substitute amino acid and apple cider vinegar for the soy sauce/white vinegar. Do I use the same measurements as soy sauce/white vinegar?
Yes, I would use the same measurements. If you give it a try, please let me know how it turns out for you!
Did it work?
I liked this, but in my opinion, there is way too much soy sauce. All other recipes have either equal measurements of soy to vinegar or the measurements reversed. Again, this is just my opinion.
Wow is what I can say. This is my very first meal I’ve ever done in an instant pot. I served it with cauliflower rice and it is to die for! I love tangy and savory and this definitely fits the bill.
Sounds good. But why bother to saute chicken first? The skin just gets rubbery after pressure cooking anyway. Maybe at the end, if you want a little crisp. I don’t imagine sauteing would cut down on cooking time all that much if that’s the goal, and it’s another step. Wondering.
The purpose of sautéing the chicken is for flavor, color, and juice retention. By lightly browning the chicken, you get more flavorful meat with an attractive finish, and also seals in the meat’s juices, resulting in more tender tasting meat.
My son and I absolutely love this simple, delicious chicken recipe. Make it 2 to 3 times a month.
Awesome dish! Didn’t add any salt after reading reviews and it was wonderful. Definitely making this a keeper.
My first instant pot meal and WOW!!!!!!! Amazing!!! Came out so well. Thank you for this amazing recipe.
Julia, what a fantastic recipe! I followed others’ recommendations to eliminate the salt, but otherwise kept the recipe as-is and it was delicious. I served this dish with cauliflower rice and a cucumber/mango salad dressed with rice vinegar. Next time I might add a little broth to increase the sauciness (I like extra sauce), but seriously this was so good.
It is a go to recipe for me now, two years in on the Instant Pot. Although I prefer bone in thighs, it works either way. Super easy, very tasty, a great weeknight dinner.
Made this tonight and found it to be easy peasy and delicious! I like a little more spice, so I actually doubled the cayenne. Otherwise, I followed the recipe to a T and it was a big hit in our house. Will make again and can’t wait to make more of the recipes on this blog! 🙂
Loved this recipe! Made it three times and each time was excellent!
Quick question. Can this be made on the stovetop or oven instead? My instant pot has died and I am being asked for this meal. Really hoping it can be.
Thanks!
Chez, I have a stovetop version of this recipe but I don’t think it’s as good as the Instant Pot version. Sorry! I’ve been meaning to re-work the stovetop recipe and get it to the same level as this one, but I’m not sure when that’ll happen.
I have made this recipe so many times and it always hit the spot! My fiance loves it that it’s the only food he keeps requesting for me to cook!
By the way, if I double the amount in the recipe list, do I increase the duration time while on pressure cook mode too? Or does it remain for 10 minutes?
Hi Judie! Glad to hear that you guys enjoy this dish a lot. To answer your question: if you double the recipe’s quantity of ingredients, the pressure cooking time remains the same.
Made this recipe for dinner, my husband and three boys devoured it. It was a little salty for my taste. Will eliminate the salt on the chicken before sautéing next time. Other than, delicious and I will definitely make this dish again. Thank you!
This looks like a really nice dish! Do you have recommendations on sides to go with it? Preferably vegetables?
Thanks! I think creamed spinach would go well with it. Here’s the recipe: https://www.savorytooth.com/creamed-spinach/
I realized while making this that it’s very similar to a dish my mom makes with pork instead of chicken. She also adds shiitake mushrooms and hard boiled eggs to it so I added hard boiled eggs to this recipe while it was on the last boil step. they were a very good addition and went well with the overall flavor of the dish. Any Tawainese folks or those in the know on Taiwanese cuisine may recognize the eggs as tasting similar to tea eggs but without the star anaise flavor. Anyway, I agree with other comments that it was too salty even with low sodium soy. Next time I won’t salt the chicken. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Your addition of hard boiled eggs sounds delicious. I haven’t had tea eggs in a long time, but they’re one of my favorite street snacks (my parents are from Taiwan).