Instant Pot chicken adobo
The Filipino classic: chicken braised in soy sauce, vinegar, lots of garlic and bay leaves, then reduced into a glossy, tangy glaze for spooning over rice.
- 45 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.09 a serving
- 530 calories
- Good the next day
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1½ cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
- 8 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1½ lb chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 green onions, sliced (optional)
From your pantry
- 2¼ cups water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ⅓ cup white vinegar
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 530 calories, 45 g protein, 62 g carbs and 8 g fat, and costs about $2.09 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No chicken breasts? Boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Put the rice and 2¼ cups of water in a medium and bring it over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
once, cover, turn the heat to low and cook 18 minutes, then take it off the heat with the lid on.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Low heatTimer: 18 min
Set the Instant Pot to , heat the oil, and cook the garlic 1 to 2 minutes, , until .
Sauté. Sautéing means cooking cut-up food in a little oil or butter over medium to medium-high heat, stirring now and then. It cooks things quickly and browns them lightly without burning.
How you’ll know: You hear a steady, lively sizzle, not a hiss and spit, and the edges start to soften and color.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 1 min 30 sec
Pour in the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar and ¼ cup of water, add the bay leaves and pepper, and scrape the bottom clean.
Dolly’s tip: The vinegar smells sharp now. It mellows into something round and tangy as it cooks.Cut the chicken into 2-inch pieces, them into the sauce, and wash your hands and board.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Dolly’s tip: Big pieces stay juicier than small ones under pressure.Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Lock the lid, turn the valve to sealing, and pressure cook on HIGH for 6 minutes.
Timer: 6 min
Let the pressure come down on its own for 5 minutes, then vent the rest and check that the biggest piece of chicken reads 165°F.
Timer: 5 min
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Lift the chicken into a bowl, set the pot to , and the sauce 5 to 6 minutes, until by about half and glossy.
Sauté. Sautéing means cooking cut-up food in a little oil or butter over medium to medium-high heat, stirring now and then. It cooks things quickly and browns them lightly without burning.
How you’ll know: You hear a steady, lively sizzle, not a hiss and spit, and the edges start to soften and color.
Boil. Boiling means heating a liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. It’s the fastest way to cook pasta, potatoes and eggs, because it’s as hot as water gets.
How you’ll know: Bubbles are breaking across the whole surface, not just at the edges, and steam is rising.
Reduce. Reducing means simmering a liquid with the lid off so some of the water steams away. The sauce gets thicker and its flavor gets stronger.
How you’ll know: The level drops in the pan, and the sauce coats the back of a spoon instead of running off.
Timer: 5 min 30 sec
Return the chicken, take out the bay leaves, and spoon the chicken and sauce over the rice with green onions on top.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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