Microwave chicken adobo

Name: Microwave chicken adobo
Prep time: 8 min
Cook time: 22 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 1 servings
Cuisine: Filipino
Ingredients: 4 cloves garlic; 6 oz boneless chicken thighs, 1 or 2 boneless thighs; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp white vinegar; 2 tbsp water; 1 bay leave; ¼ tsp black pepper; 1 tsp brown sugar; 1 cup microwave rice pouches, half an 8.8 oz pouch

Juicy chicken thighs cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and bay leaf until tangy and savory, the most-loved dinner in the Philippines, made in one covered dish in the microwave.

30 min total
8 min hands-on
Follow-a-recipe easy
Serves 1
About $2.90 a serving
470 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 1 servings.

4 cloves garlic
6 oz boneless chicken thighs, 1 or 2 boneless thighs
1 cup microwave rice pouches, half an 8.8 oz pouch

From your pantry

2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp water
1 bay leave
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tsp brown sugar

Each serving has about 470 calories, 41 g protein, 52 g carbs and 10 g fat, and costs about $2.90 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.

Missing something?

No boneless chicken thighs? Chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins work.

Steps

Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.

Press each garlic clove flat under the bottom of a mug and pull off the skin.
Dolly’s tip: Pressing with a mug cracks the clove open so the skin slips off. No knife needed.
Put the chicken in a microwave-safe dish in one layer and add the garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, water, bay leaf, pepper and brown sugar.
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.
Turn the chicken over in the sauce, cover with a plate, and leave it in the fridge for 10 minutes to .
Timer: 10 min
Microwave, still covered, at 70% power for 4 minutes, then turn the chicken over with the fork.
Timer: 4 min
Cover again and microwave at 70% power 3 to 4 minutes more, until the chicken is white all the way through with no pink.
Timer: 3 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Tear the thickest piece open with the fork to check. If you see pink, cover it and go 1 minute more.
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.
Uncover and microwave 2 minutes on high so the sauce bubbles and a little.
Timer: 2 min
Heat the rice in its pouch as the package says, usually 90 seconds, put half in a bowl, and lay the chicken on top with plenty of sauce. Leave the bay leaf behind.
Timer: 1 min 30 sec
Eat it hot, or cool it, cover it and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Dolly’s tip: Adobo is famous for tasting even better the next day, once the chicken has soaked in the sauce.
Food safety: Put leftovers in the fridge within 2 hours and eat them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat until steaming hot, 165°F.