Last Night's Dinner #56: Adobong Manok Sa Gata (Chicken Adobo with Coconut Milk)

Adobong Manok Sa Gata (Chicken Adobo in Coconut Milk)
This dish is a variation of a Filipino classic - Adobong Manok (Chicken Adobo). It's basically adding coconut milk to the traditional Adobo recipe.

Prep: 10 mins
Total: 40 mins

The addition of coconut milk makes a milder and less acidic base. The soy sauce and vinegar take a backseat in this version, but linger in the background as a gentle reminder that you are in fact still eating Adobo. The addition of fish sauce, salt and the dash of brown or palm sugar at the very end bind all of the different elements into one inexplicable balanced roller-coaster ride of flavors. It starts out sweet then hits a high note as the vinegar shines and quickly descends into a rich, perfectly rounded saltiness - oh and that's just the broth!

You'll need:
2 split chicken breasts (skinless), cut into large cubes
3 cloves of garlic, smacked and coarsely chopped
1 potato or 2 chayote or green papaya, peeled and cut into large cubes
1/4 cup soysauce
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon brown or palm sugar
2 cups of coconut milk (1 can)
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
salt and patis to taste
1 tbs of canola or vegetable oil

step 1. Boil potato or chayote until tender.



step 2. Clean chicken and cut into large cubes (leaving bones on). Add pepper and a pinch of salt to chicken and set aside.



step 3. Heat up oil and add chicken, bayleaf and garlic. Mix well to make sure garlic doesn't burn. Add a dash of patis. Cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is browned on both sides.
step 4. Add soysauce and wait until it starts to boil. Once you see it boiling add vinegar (don't mix). Once you see it boiling then mix. Mix in sugar.



step 5. Add coconut milk, wait until it boils before mixing.
step 6. At this point, you want to lower the heat and allow to simmer until the chicken is fully cooked.
step 7. Once the chicken is cooked, taste the broth to make sure that the seasoning is right. You may need to add more salt, patis or sugar. You can adjust the acidity by adding more coconut milk or by adding chicken broth (you can also add a little water if you don't have chicken broth - just adjust your seasoning). Add in potato or chayote, allow to simmer so it can absorb some of the flavors. Serve over rice.