Adobo-Fried Chicken

Adobo-Fried Chicken
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour 20 minutes
Rating
4(281)
Notes
Read community notes

This chicken is simmered in an adobo broth of vinegar, bay leaves, sugar and soy sauce for 15 minutes, giving the meat a strong foundation in the Philippines before it is dunked in buttermilk, then breaded and fried. Make the dipping sauce and refrigerate it before you simmer the meat, so you can dig in as soon as the fried chicken has drained and cooled. A well-seasoned cast-iron pan and a splatter screen will help to keep your chicken crispy and your stovetop clean. —Julia Moskin

Featured in: I Believe I Can Fry

Learn: How to Make Fried Chicken

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

    For the Sauce

    • 3tablespoons fresh lemon juice
    • 2tablespoons maple syrup
    • 2tablespoons fish sauce
    • 1tablespoon soy sauce
    • 2fresh Thai bird or habanero chiles, thinly sliced

    For the Broth

    • cups distilled white vinegar
    • 3garlic cloves, finely minced
    • 4bay leaves
    • teaspoons black peppercorns
    • 1teaspoon sugar
    • ¼cup soy sauce
    • ½teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 1teaspoon salt

    For the Chicken

    • 2pounds chicken pieces with skin, thighs and/or drumsticks, plus wings if desired (do not use breasts)
    • Salt
    • 2cups buttermilk
    • 1cup all-purpose flour
    • 1teaspoon paprika
    • ½teaspoon black pepper
    • About 8 cups peanut oil
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

757 calories; 64 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 29 grams monounsaturated fat; 19 grams polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 25 grams protein; 679 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the dipping sauce: Combine all the ingredients with ¾ cup water in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

  2. Step 2

    Make the broth: In a large pot with a tight lid, combine all the ingredients with 1½ cups water, or enough to barely cover chicken. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, then turn heat down as low as it will go.

  3. Step 3

    Arrange chicken pieces on a work surface and season with salt. Add to broth, cover and poach for 15 minutes, turning once halfway through. Make sure liquid does not get hotter than a gentle simmer.

  4. Step 4

    Turn off heat and allow chicken to cool in the liquid about 20 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate lined with paper towels. Pat dry. Discard broth.

  5. Step 5

    Pour buttermilk into a large shallow bowl. In a sealable plastic bag, combine the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, the paprika and the pepper. Working a few pieces at a time, dip chicken in buttermilk, shake off any excess liquid, then drop into bag with flour mixture. Seal bag and turn to coat pieces. Remove pieces from bag, shake off any excess flour and transfer to a large plate. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

  6. Step 6

    Meanwhile, pour oil into a large, deep cast-iron skillet fitted with a deep-frying thermometer until it comes just halfway up the sides. Heat oil to 365 degrees. Cook chicken pieces 3 or 4 at a time for 8 to 10 minutes, turning every minute or so, depending on how thick the pieces are; wings will cook faster and drumsticks will take longest. Be sure to keep oil temperature between 350 and 365 degrees. The chicken is cooked when internal temperature reaches at least 165 degrees.

  7. Step 7

    Using tongs, lift chicken out of oil and drain on paper towels. Let cool for at least 15 minutes (chicken should still be hot, but not scorching). Season again with a little salt and transfer to a platter. Serve hot, with the dipping sauce.

Ratings

4 out of 5
281 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Probably because they dry out and taste like sawdust from all the heat of the 2 cookings. ;-)

I think I'll try treating this like my normal adobo: let it marinate in the "broth" overnight before cooking.

If I have time, I've boosted the flavor intensity by marinading the chicken in the braising liquid for up to 24h in the fridge.

The vinegar may dry the breasts out.

You can. But Philippine adobo is made with chicken legs and thighs. I've tried to make 'plain' adobo with chicken breasts, but they always came out dry.

So delicious. I deboned the thighs. I also skimmed the directions too quickly and heated the chicken in the broth. To compensate, I brought the whole thing just to a boil and then turned it off, and then set it all out to cool for 20 min. The dish was still fantastic and nothing was overcooked in the end.

All flours have carbs. Just fry the chicken after draining and patting dry without a coating in peanut oil.

How does one get enough fiber without eating CHO? Even veggies have carbs.

My intuition said not to add all of that 3/4 cup of water to the dipping sauce as it didn't seem right. Later when dipping the sauce it was a little bit of a tease because it would not even come close to sticking to the chicken as it had no cling. We were sipping spoonfuls after a bite of chicken. Try cutting the amount of water down to 1/4 cup or even a half a cup and enjoy those flavors more fully. Otherwise a really enjoyable preparation.

Throw away the broth??? After simmering chicken in it for 15 minutes and accumulating all that natural chicken oil in it? I put the broth aside for future use. I'm thinking of using it to cook "adobo rice" - similar to chicken rice (natural chicken broth) but with the adobo flavors (vinegar, soy sauce, salt)...

I appreciate the thought about the splatter screen, but please, we all know frying chicken will always be followed by cleaning the stove top.

I can’t have gluten (Celiac) but I still wanted to give this a shot so I used Better Batter (a cup for cup GF blend). Certainly no match for what I’ve had with my Filipino “family” back when I could have the real stuff, but it’s a decent GF substitute for me.

My intuition said not to add all of that 3/4 cup of water to the dipping sauce as it didn't seem right. Later when dipping the sauce it was a little bit of a tease because it would not even come close to sticking to the chicken as it had no cling. We were sipping spoonfuls after a bite of chicken. Try cutting the amount of water down to 1/4 cup or even a half a cup and enjoy those flavors more fully. Otherwise a really enjoyable preparation.

I marinated the raw chicken in the broth for a few hours, removed chicken and brought broth to a boil, then put chicken back and poached and fried. Wonderful! The sauce really adds so don’t neglect! I make cauliflower Adobo for my vegetarian daughter so next time I’ll try a vegetarian version too.

This recipe is so good. The broth gave the fried chicken layers of flavor. We added some old bay to the flour and some hot sauce to the buttermilk to give it an extra kick. Also. I didn’t salt the chicken before I put it in the broth. Didn’t seem to need the extra salt. We have made this twice so far and it’s a hit.

I love this fried chicken! It’s definitely my favorite. I’ve made this twice as written. I may try marinading overnight if I have the time. My husband absolutely loves the dipping sauce.

If you want a crispier, crunchier breading on these, try soaking the chicken in buttermilk for at least an hour in the fridge.

Made this with my regular adobo recipe which nearly matches vinegar for soy and no extra sugar. Allowed to marinate for 8+ hours and simmered for about an hour or so, prior to drying it off, breading and frying. No dryness to speak of, tender, juicy, and melded the best of both worlds: adobo and fried chicken.

I haven't cooked this yet, but it does look promising if cooked with a twist :) instead of cooking twice, I plan on marking the marinade and cooling it. Then placing the chicken in it overnight. I had a similar recipe that was done like this and it was to the bone, VERY tasty. Try it!

Anyone see challenges to cooking the broth, vacuum sealing it with the chicken and sous vide-ing it? Thinking 145 for 2 hours, or is that too long?

So delicious. I deboned the thighs. I also skimmed the directions too quickly and heated the chicken in the broth. To compensate, I brought the whole thing just to a boil and then turned it off, and then set it all out to cool for 20 min. The dish was still fantastic and nothing was overcooked in the end.

What can we sub for buttermilk? Cant use dairy.
Ideas?

Try using coconut cream. It I'd thicker than coconut milk. Maybe add a squeeze of lemon juice as it won't have the acidity that buttermilk has.

I'm going to try coconut milk, which should go well with the other flavors.

If you use your milk substitute and add a little lemon juice, it simulates the taste.

Anyone tried this recipe with almond flour or something similar? My wife won't eat carbs.

All flours have carbs. Just fry the chicken after draining and patting dry without a coating in peanut oil.

How does one get enough fiber without eating CHO? Even veggies have carbs.

This was truly delicious and subtly brought in those flavors of Filipino adobo. Great combo treatment of two of my favorite ways to cook chicken

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Credits

Adapted from “Smoke and Pickles” by Edward Lee (Artisan Books, 2013)

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