Chicken adobo

Before you start

• bone-in chicken thighs — the bones are half of what makes the sauce

Ingredients

Serves 2 · dimmer marks are storecupboard

• 400gchicken thighs — bone in, skin on
• 130gjasmine rice
• ½ tbspoil
• 4 tbspsoy sauce
• 5 tbspcane vinegar — or plain rice vinegar
• 8garlic cloves
• 3bay leaves
• 1 tspblack peppercorns
• 1 tspsugar
• 2spring onions

Method

7 steps

1. fold · 5m

   Chicken turned through the soy, half the crushed garlic and the peppercorns, cracked rather than ground.

2. rest · 1 hour walk away

   An hour in the fridge, or overnight if the evening allows it.

3. fry · 10m

   Chicken lifted out, patted dry and browned skin-side down in the oil until the skin is properly gold, with the marinade kept back. Wet chicken will not colour, and colour is where the depth comes from.

4. simmer · 30m

   The rest of the garlic softened in the fat, marinade and bay in, then the vinegar poured over and the pan LEFT ALONE at a steady bubble for two full minutes before anything touches it. Then lid on, heat down.

5. boil · 15m walk away

   Rice rinsed and on, lid, lowest heat.

6. simmer · 10m

   Lid off, sugar in, and reduced until the sauce is glossy and coats the chicken rather than sitting under it. The meat should be coming away from the bone with no pink left anywhere against it.

7. finish · 2m

   Spooned over the rice with plenty of the sauce, spring onion on top. Better reheated the next day, which is the point of it.