The unofficial “official” dish of the Philippines, meat stewed in an adobo sauce is tender and flavorful. This easy adobo chicken recipe uses chicken thighs and comes together quickly in an Instant Pot.
Love your Instant Pot? Be sure to try these easy Thai peanut noodles!
The lemon juice and vinegar give this dish a tangy kick. Chicken (or pork) cooked in an adobo sauce tends to be very tender after stewing in this flavorful sauce.
Authentic chicken adobo from the Philippines isn’t made in an Instant Pot, of course, but when modern-day shortcuts allow us to enjoy the flavors of the world from the comfort of our home, who can argue??
Easy Adobo Chicken
This recipe starts with bone-in chicken thighs. You could just as easily use a whole, cut up chicken, though, if that’s your preference. If you prefer white meat, by all means, use chicken breasts instead.
You’ll sear the chicken first, then cook under pressure in the Instant Pot. A quick spin under the broiler finishes the recipe.
Use soy sauce, low-sodium soy sauce, or liquid aminos in this recipe, depending upon your dietary needs.
Serve over rice.
★★★ Be sure to leave a starred review if you tried this recipe!
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 to 3 pounds chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup soy sauce or liquid aminos
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 onion sliced
- 3 bay leaves
Instructions
- Salt and pepper all sides of the chicken thighs.
- Set electric pressure cooker to “saute.” When the hot signal is displayed, pour olive oil into the liner. Place chicken thighs into the pressure cooker and brown on each side. Do not crowd the chicken. Cook in batches if needed, keeping the chicken warm as the other cooks.
- Remove chicken from pressure cooker and deglaze the bottom of the pot with chicken broth, scraping the bottom to remove any stuck pieces. Turn the electric pressure cooker off.
- In a large mixing cup or medium bowl, mix together the liquid aminos, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, garlic, and cayenne.
- Arrange chicken thighs in the pressure cooker. Pour the liquid aminos mixture over the chicken. Top with onion slices and bay leaves.
- Attach the lid and set the valve to sealing. Program the pressure cooker on “manual” or “pressure cook” for 10 minutes on high. When the cooking cycle has completed, perform a quick release of the pressure.
- Preheat the oven to broil. Prepare a baking sheet with a sheet of lightly oiled parchment paper or tin foil.
- Transfer chicken from electric pressure cooker to baking sheet. Place under the broiler for 5 to 10 minutes or until the chicken skin has crisped, being careful not to burn.
- Set the pressure cooker to “saute” and allow remaining ingredients to boil while the chicken broils. Reduce the sauce by half or until desired consistency.
- Return chicken to pressure cooker, toss to coat, and serve with sauce.
- Top with sliced green onions if desired.
- Serve this chicken adobo recipe with rice on the side.
