Quick and Easy Adobo-style Chicken

Something I have done several times is to take a complicated recipe and simplify it dramatically. I try to hone in on the fundamental components and tinker with how to keep those elements but to speed up the whole process...and to make it "safe" for me to eat! Simple, right? ;)

The first recipe that I adapted this way was what we came to call "Castle B." It was based on the deeply flavorful, slow-cooked French classic, Cassoulet. Get it? Cassoulet? ("Castle A")...Castle B.

Yes, we are hilarious like that.

A year or so ago, a Filipina friend of mine mentioned Chicken Adobo as her favorite dish from home. I was intrigued, so I started investigating. It sounded really good, but needed some tweaks so I could eat it- namely, losing the garlic and soy sauce.

For anyone who has eaten the "real" version of any of these classic dishes, mine would pale by comparison. Having to eliminate primary flavor components obviously alters the result.

BUT- for people like me, longing for a new flavor in a world of repetition, or longing for some new thing to do with chicken, it can be great. :)

So, with that being said, here is my *allergy-friendly,* much-simplified version of Chicken Adobo.

Kristie's Quick and Easy Adobo-style Chicken
Serves 4-6
gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: About 30 minutes

Total time:  About 45 minutes to an hour.

Ingredients:
chicken thighs, oil, coconut aminos, vinegar, peppercorns, bay leaves (garlic)

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs- about 1.5 to 2 pounds
(you can use chicken breast for this, but the thighs have better flavor and texture for this)
A few tablespoons of a neutral oil
       (I'm currently using grapeseed oil)

Get all of the other ingredients ready before you start the chicken, so it doesn't burn while you're grabbing things.....voice of unfortunate experience. ;)

Soy sauce and vinegar are the basic components of the sauce. Our family prefers a little less vinegar, so I've altered the proportions.  If you would like a stronger vinegar flavor, use a little more vinegar and a little less aminos. I substitute coconut aminos for the soy sauce, since I can't eat soy or wheat.

Sauce:
3/4 cup coconut aminos
1 cup vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)

Seasonings:
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns 
       If you prefer, use one or two teaspoons ground black pepper
4 dried bay leaves
(garlic- this is an important part of adobo, but I can't eat it. The original recipe that was my inspiration called for twelve whole cloves of garlic! I sometimes add just a sprinkle of garlic powder.)

Directions:
Heat the oil in a straight-sided skillet or pot, over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken pieces slightly, turning so both sides begin to cook. Set chicken aside. Add coconut aminos and vinegar to the pan and scrape the bottom to loosen all the flavorful bits. Return the chicken to the pan, then add seasonings. When liquid begins to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer. After five minutes, turn the chicken over, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through. This should take another five minutes or so (10-15 minutes total), but check to be sure the chicken is cooked. (no pink juices from the middle, 165 degrees Fahrenheit)

Transfer chicken to serving dish and cove to keep warm.

One option: Raise heat to medium, and continue cooking the liquid until it is reduced to about one cup (about ten minutes). Strain the sauce and pour over the chicken. Serve with rice.

Option two: if you don't have time to reduce the sauce, strain in and stir it into the rice. The rice will absorb the sauce and the sauce will flavor the rice.

Serving:
This can be served with steamed white rice, or our family prefers having it with coconut rice.
I'll share the recipe for coconut rice once I post this one. We also like to have roasted broccoli on the side.