Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo


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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.

chicken on plate with adobo sauce being poured over

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

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.

Recipe Ingredients

This from scratch recipe is easy to make. Find the full ingredient amounts in the recipe card below the images.

ingredients for chicken adobo on table
  • 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

How to Make Crockpot Chicken Adobo

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.

3 photos about how to add ingredients to slow cooker for chicken adobo

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!

all finished cooking chicken thighs in the slow cooker

What to serve with chicken adobo?

Here is how I like to serve this chicken dinner:

  • Steamed white rice, jasmine rice, or fried rice goes well with the vinegar and soy sauce flavors. Cauliflower rice for if you’re watching your carbs. This chicken adobo is very low in carbs!
  • Steamed green veggies such as asparagus, bok choy, sugar snap peas, green beans, or broccoli
  • Top your chicken with green onions. Also, great with a touch of sriracha if you want spicy chicken.
Plate of chicken adobo with rice and green onions
chicken adobo cooked in slow cooker with bay leaves on top.

Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo Recipe

4.38 from 24 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 5
This Slow Cooker Chicken Adobo features tender chicken thighs simmered in a tangy, savory garlic-soy-vinegar sauce that's full of bold Filipino flavor.
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How to Video

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.

Sarah’s Notes

Can I use a different cut of chicken?
Yes, though bone-in dark meat works best for this recipe you can use pretty much any cut of chicken. Try to stick with around 2 pounds so there is plenty of sauce to flavor the chicken.
  • Drumsticks
  • Bone-in chicken breast
  • Boneless skinless thighs or breasts
  • Even a whole chicken can be used (around 5-6 lbs)
Can I make this into shredded chicken?
  • 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.
What goes good with chicken adobo?
  • 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!
Can other vegetables be added to the slow cooker.
Yes! Add 3-4 cups of sliced bok choy during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking time. Or you can add carrots and celery at the beginning of the cooking time.

Nutrition

Calories: 399kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 710mg | Potassium: 428mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 115IU | Vitamin C: 6.4mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 1.4mg

Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.

Made this recipe? Leave a comment below!

More slow cooker chicken recipes:

Hawaiian Chicken and Crockpot Lemon Pepper Chicken both bring a burst of flavor, whether you’re craving something sweet and tropical or zesty and bright.

Slow Cooker Hot Chicken and Garlic Butter Chicken are bold and flavorful options—one with a spicy kick, the other rich and buttery.

Leek Chicken and Full Chicken Dinner are hearty, comforting meals that cook all in one, making dinner easy and satisfying.

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Recipe Rating




103 Comments

  1. Janie Day says:

    Why do you call it chicken Adobo when there isn’t any Adobo in it

    1. Sarah Olson says:

      This is a Filipino dish, adobo means marinade or sauce.

  2. Ellie says:

    5 stars
    Trying this today but with chicken drumsticks!

    1. Sarah Olson says:

      How did it turn out?

  3. Mary says:

    If I want to cook it in high instead of low, how many hours would you recommend? 🙂 cooking this for family during holidays:) thank you

    1. Sarah Olson says:

      I would do 4 hours on high.

  4. Anonymous says:

    5 stars
    i made this tonight and it was very good. i followed the recipe and it was fairly easy to make. i found myself going to this filipino food truck and spending a lot of money on chicken adobo. i’m glad i was able to make it even better at home.

  5. Anonymous says:

    4 stars
    I made this dish last nite, came out good , chicken was moist, the sauce was a little to sweet for me

  6. Anonymous says:

    Can boneless skinless chicken breast be used in place of bone-in chicken thighs? If so what adjustments should be made to the recipe

    1. Sarah Olson says:

      Yes, it can bed used. You can probably get away with 5 hours on low.

  7. Anonymous says:

    Would it be possible to use a bit of ground ginger?
    Also could someone share the casava cake for the crockpot recipe?

    1. Sarah Olson says:

      Yes, I would do a 1/4 tsp.

  8. Amanda says:

    Hi, this recipe looks great! Has anyone tried it with boneless skinless chicken?

    1. RunnerHK says:

      Hello – I made it with boneless, skinless chicken thighs tonight. It turned out great! (I’m inevitably disappointed with skin-on chicken in the crockpot.) It smelled fantastic while cooking and everyone enjoyed the result. Could not have been easier.

  9. Christine Zappulla says:

    Can you use bone-in chicken breasts instead of thighs?

    1. Sarah Olson says:

      Yes! Would work fine.

  10. anneliese reitz says:

    Anyway you thought of making Casava Cake in the crockpot? my favorite philipino dessert.

    1. Sarah Olson says:

      I’ve never tried! Sounds delicious though!