This Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo is a perfect dish to add variety to your weekly dinner menu. The sauce has soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and tangy vinegar and goes perfect over rice with steamed vegetables.
If you love tender chicken, then this recipe is for you! Thighs turn out perfect in the slow cooker, just like my ranch chicken and lemon pepper chicken.
The first time I encountered a chicken adobo recipe was on a viral youtube video that popped into my feed. Of course, I had to try out chicken adobo on my site and share how good it is with all my readers. (Note that I use a few more ingredients than she does in her video).
Some will say making chicken adobo in the crockpot isn’t authentic; that’s fine, don’t make it then. If you want the EASIEST way to make chicken adobo, then try my recipe; you won’t be disappointed.
What is chicken adobo?
- Chicken Adobo is a Philippine dish; the sauce for this recipe is heavy in vinegar and soy sauce. The taste is savory, with a touch of sweetness. There are also hints of garlic and ginger.
- Chinese traders introduced soy sauce to replace the traditional salt in this dish. – Wiki
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken thighs – Bone-in chicken thighs work the best for Filipino chicken adobo! They get very tender in the crockpot. You can use bone-in chicken breasts, though you will want to cook for the full 7 hours.
- Soy sauce – I use low sodium soy sauce, though regular works just fine in this recipe if that is all you have.
- White vinegar – Add a tang to this recipe. If you are out of white vinegar, you can use apple cider vinegar.
- White onion – One whole diced white onion adds so much flavor to the dish.
- Chicken broth – Helps keep the entire dish moist and evens out some of the vinegar taste.
- Seasonings – Sliced fresh ginger root, garlic cloves, bay leaves, and peppercorns
- Green onion – Be sure to grab a bunch of green onions. Slice and top your chicken and rice with the green onion for added texture and flavor.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – First add oil to a hot pan and brown the chicken, no need to cook through. Add the chicken thighs to the crockpot.
Step Two – Next add the onion, ginger, garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns.
Step Three – Pour over the chicken broth, vinegar, and soy sauce. The chicken marinates in the sauce as it slow cooks. Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours. Serve and enjoy!
What to serve with chicken adobo?
- Steamed white rice, jasmine rice, or fried rice goes well with the vinegar and soy sauce flavors.
- Steamed green veggies such as asparagus, bok choy, sugar snap peas, green beans, or broccoli
- Cauliflower rice for if you’re watching your carbs. This chicken adobo is very low in carbs!
- Top your chicken adobo Filipino recipe with green onions. Also, great with a touch of sriracha if you want spicy chicken.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, pretty much any cut of chicken works though bone-in dark meat will have better results. Drumsticks, bone-in chicken breast, boneless skinless thighs, or breasts can be used in this recipe. You can even use a combination of thighs and drumsticks.
Yes, add 3-4 cups of sliced bok choy during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking time. Make a great compliment to this along with rice.
If you desire shredded chicken, remove the chicken onto a plate. Remove and discard the skin.
Shred the chicken off the bone and add the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker with the sauce. This shredded chicken is excellent over rice.
Place your whole (thawed) chicken in the slow cooker. Pour over the chicken broth, soy sauce, and vinegar. Place as much of the onion, peppercorns, garlic, and ginger on top of the chicken (It’s ok if some fall down into the sauce). Cook for 8 hours or low or until your chicken is no longer pink inside and is fork-tender.
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Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo Recipe
Ingredients:
- 5 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs
- 2 Tbsp. cooking oil
- 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce regular soy sauce will work fine as well
- 1/4 cup white vinegar (can use apple cider vinegar)
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup white onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves left whole
- 3 small slices of peeled fresh ginger root (or 1/4 tsp. ground ginger)
- 2 bay leaves
- 10-15 black peppercorns (or 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper)
- 1 bunch green onion sliced – for serving
Instructions:
- Set a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot add enough of the oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Brown the chicken on both sides. Add the chicken to the slow cooker.
- In a medium sized bowl whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, chicken broth and onion. Pour this mixture over the chicken. Or you can add everything to the slow cooker without dirtying a bowl, this works fine too.
- Add the garlic cloves, ginger slices, bay leaves and peppercorns on top of the chicken.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH 4 hours for without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- Remove bay leaves, and garlic cloves if desired.
- Serve chicken drizzled with plenty of the sauce out of the slow cooker and enjoy! Top with sliced green onion for flavor and texture.
How to Video:
Sarah’s Notes:
- Drumsticks
- Bone-in chicken breast
- Boneless skinless thighs or breasts
- If you desire shredded chicken, remove the chicken on a plate. Remove and discard the skin.
- Shred the chicken off the bone and add back into the slow cooker with the sauce.
- This shredded chicken is great over rice.
- Steamed white rice
- Steamed green veggies such as asparagus, bok choy, sugar snap peas or broccoli
- Cauliflower rice for if you’re watching your carbs. This chicken adobo is very low in carbs!
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Christine Zappulla says
Can you use bone-in chicken breasts instead of thighs?
Sarah Olson says
Yes! Would work fine.
anneliese reitz says
Anyway you thought of making Casava Cake in the crockpot? my favorite philipino dessert.
Sarah Olson says
I’ve never tried! Sounds delicious though!
Kaley says
I can’t wait to make this!! Do you have any suggestions for a ginger root substitute? I really want to make this dish soon and I’ve got everything but that.
Marlene says
Kaley, just go ahead and omit the ginger. It will still taste fine without the ginger.
jennai says
This looks and sounds amazing and i love this a lot
Grandma Kc says
This really does sound yummy and I just bough a new slow cooker!
kellysparklesshoes says
This looks and sounds amazing, yum!
xx Kelly
Sparkles and Shoes
Carrie @Frugal Foodie Mama says
So smart to leave the garlic and bay leaves in top so you can fish them out quick! This dish sounds so flavorful. Definitely going to have to try this soon! 🙂
reneeskitchenadventures says
This looks so delicious. I can just imagine how wonderful it tastes with those ingredients. I’m going to have to try this! I’ve got an old slow cooker, but I think yours is older than mine! haha
The Foodie Affair says
I’m drooling over this dish! Such a popular meal when we lived in Hawaii. Printing so I can make this soon!
Christie says
Oh my gosh does this sound delicious and I love that you adapted it for the slow cooker.
Rosalina Samson says
I hate to correct your chicken adobo,you try improvise the way it is cook, But I am a Filipino and we boil the chicken with vinegar, water,soy sauce , bat leaf, ground pepper, the garlic need to be pounded and boil them altogether, when the chicken is tender, then I fried the chicken along with garlic that you boiled along with chicken. I do not measure the vinegar, water and soy sauce. When you fried the chicken adobo that is how you would smell how the chicken adobo is being cooked and yes it is good with boiled rice, I like mine mine with slice tomatoes, cilantro with some squeeze lemon juic and for desert is ripe mango.
Sarah Olson says
Your authentic version sounds delicious Rosalina! I made this recipe so it can be simply made in the slow cooker, I’m sure there are many versions of this delicious meal!
Marilen says
I’m glad there’s a way to cook this..I love slow cooker meals..its handy and helpful, especially when your busy parent..Thank you for this 🙂
Michelle Ruiz says
Waaoooo !!!!! This recipe looks great. let’s invent. Regards from Dominican Republic.
Joanne says
I would use deboned, skinless Chicken Thighs and also add Chicken Breasts cut the same size. I’ve tried a version of this and it turned out good in my slow cooker.