Filipino Chicken Adobo (Gluten Free)
This Filipino Chicken Adobo is a garlicky, flavorful main dish that’s simple to make and delicious! It’s gluten-free, soy-free, and all-around wholesome.
What is Filipino chicken adobo?
Chicken Adobo is a super delicious savory dish that’s made with a rich and delicious sauce, the perfect combination of seasonings, and slowly braised chicken thighs and drumsticks. It’s garlicky, vinegary, and yummy!
Table of contents
Why you’ll make this recipe on repeat
There’s so much you can do with just some good-quality chicken thighs, and I often find myself stuck in a rut, making the same recipes over and over again. This Chicken Adobo is a great way to mix it up without any fuss. Here’s why you’ll love it…
- It’s an easy one-pan meal. The prep and cooking process of this dish is so simple, and you only need one pan to do it!
- A gluten-free version of the classic. Traditional Chicken Adobo does have soy sauce which contains gluten. This version is both soy and gluten free, so you can make an allergen-friendly version of a comforting classic.
How to make this Filipino chicken adobo recipe
Here are the simple steps, with photos, to make this recipe. Find full instructions in the recipe card.
Step one. Using a large bowl, combine the apple cider vinegar, coconut aminos, garlic, salt, and pepper and whisk well to combine.
Step two. Add the chicken to the marinade mixture and stir to coat. Cover the bowl and allow to marinate in the fridge.
Step three. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side to lightly crisp.
Step four. Add in the marinade, bay leaves, coconut sugar, and water and bring to a low simmer. Cover the pan and allow to simmer for 30 minutes or until the sauce is reduced and thick. Remove from the heat and serve topped with fresh green onion, and cauliflower rice if desired.
Recipe Ingredients
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
| Ingredient | What it does | Potential swap |
| Chicken thighs & drumsticks | Varied cuts of chicken add more flavor and texture! | A whole chicken cut up |
| Apple cider vinegar | A vinegar swap! This recipe is traditionally made with white vinegar (which usually will have corn), but this version uses ACV for those sensitive to corn. | White vinegar or rice vinegar |
| Coconut aminos | This is a soy and gluten free soy sauce swap. | Liquid aminos (keep in mind to adjust the salt, as this is saltier) |
| Coconut sugar | This adds sweetness to the dish | Date sugar |
| Avocado oil | A neutral oil that’s perfect for Asian inspired dishes | Coconut oil |
| Fresh garlic | This adds that traditional garlicky falvor | This adds that traditional garlicky flavor |
| Bay leaf | Bay leaf adds a flavor depth to the dish | You can potentially try oregano |
If you tried this Filipino Chicken Adobo or any other recipe on my blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Other Gluten-Free Chicken Recipes to Try…
Filipino Chicken Adobo (Gluten Free)
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb chicken thighs & drumsticks
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup coconut aminos
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ⅓ tsp black pepper, omit for AIP
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 4 bay leaves
- 2 tsp coconut sugar, omit for whole30 and keto
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 tbsp green onion, chopped
- Optional- pinch of red pepper flakes, omit for AIP
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry to remove any excess moisture and set aside.
- Using a large bowl, combine the apple cider vinegar, coconut aminos, garlic, salt, and pepper and whisk well to combine.
- Add the chicken to the marinade mixture and stir to coat. Cover the bowl and allow to marinate in the fridge for 1-3 hours (or overnight).
- Using a large deep skillet, heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat. Use tongs to add the chicken to the pan, reserving the marinade. Cook the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side to lightly crisp.
- Add in the marinade, bay leaves, coconut sugar, and water and bring to a low simmer. Cover the pan and allow to simmer for 30 minutes or until the sauce is reduced and thick.
- Remove from the heat and serve topped with fresh green onion, and cauliflower rice if desired.
Michelle’s Tips & Tricks
- Adjust the marinating time. You want to marinate the chicken for at least one hour, but you can extend it to overnight to maximize the flavor.
- Use a whole chicken instead of just drumsticks and thighs. You can easily use a whole chicken! You just want to butcher the chicken into separate pieces (thighs, wings, drumsticks, etc) so it will properly cook and marinate.
Delicious! It was a hit with my family! Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you are enjoying!!
Being born and raised in Hawaii, adobo is one of my favorite meals and this is a superb recipe. My husband comes from Rhode Island and had never had Filipino adobo before, when I mentioned “I’m making adobo for dinner” he thought that I was talking about Mexican adobo, so when I put this in front of him he was very confused, but quickly devoured it and said “please make this frequently”. We live in a multi-generational home, and as I was cooking my family said “Oooooooh, are you making adobo?!?”, “You can have adobo on AIP???”, and “Next time, can you make for the whole house?” LOL They were all shocked by how good it was without peppercorns and shoyu. Thank you for another amazing meal, this one is on frequent rotation!
Thank you so much!!
Actually, traditional adobo is made with cane vinegar and not the clear white vinegar made from corn (this is very rarely used in the Philippines). Cane vinegar is similar to apple cider vinegar, though, so good substitute!
When do you put in the red pepper flakes? When you serve, or maybe when you simmer for 30?
I would add it in when you simmer it 🙂
For some reason my sauce didn’t thicken….any idea why or what I can do to help it thicken?
Adding a little bit of arrowroot starch (1 tsp) could help to make it thicker 🙂
So delicious and a definite crowd-pleaser! Even my picky eater loved it. This recipe is now on our regular rotation of dinner recipes.
Thank you, Brook!! So glad to hear it was a hit 🙂
Michelle, you are an excellent recipe developer!! This dish is so finger licking good!! I don’t miss the seasonings I used to love and use all the time!! Such authentic flavors!! Thank you so much!! leftovers just get better!! Yumm!!!
Thank you so, so much Karlen!! I am SO glad you liked it!
I second the lumpia comment. 🙂
Yum! Filipino food used to be my fave! Now if we could just come up with a lumpia substitute
I’ll have to add that to my list!! 🙂
Love this! Glad you are featured this, I am Filipino and have eaten this since I was a kid. We also use Pork. When I started doing W30 and Paleo, I had to try to make our adobo W30 and paleo too. This is yummy. The coco aminos do give a different flavor from the soy but it is a great substitute, you don’t miss the soy sauce.
Oooh, yum! I should make a pork version soon too 🙂 Thank you!!