Culture Kitchen: Filipino Chicken Adobo Fried Rice

For our April Culture Kitchen, our guest chef Dani led us through an incredibly easy, simple, and delicious recipe called Chicken Adobo Fried Rice. The recipe can be eaten at any time of day, and can be substituted with meat alternatives such as crispy tofu. Dani's family is from the Philippines, and she finds that cooking allows her to connect to her culture despite the distance between her and the Philippines. Below is the recipe for this dish! Let us know what you think and be sure to tune in for our next Culture Kitchen event in May!

Ingredients

• 1-2 cups of leftover rice

• 2 lbs chicken thighs/breast, cubed

• 3 dried bay leaves

• 8 tablespoons of soy sauce

• 4 tablespoons vinegar

• 5 crushed garlic cloves

• 5 tablespoons cooking oil

• 1 teaspoon of peppercorns

• Chopped green onions (optional)

Instructions

1. In a saucepan or pot, heat up 3 tablespoons of cooking oil on medium-high heat. Once your oil is hot, add in the cubed chicken meat.

2. Add in the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic cloves, bay leaves, and peppercorns.

3. After the sauce has reduced, add in 1-1.5 cups of water to bring the sauce level near the top of the chicken. The sauce should not cover all of the chicken.

4. Let reduce further.

5. After your sauce has reduced and your chicken is completely cooked through, turn off the heat and set aside.

6. If desired, take out some of the chicken and chop into smaller pieces. This depends on the texture you would like to achieve for the fried rice.

7. In a frying pan or a wok, heat up 2 tablespoons of cooking oil on medium-high heat.

8. Add in the leftover rice, and additional garlic if desired.

9. From the pot of chicken, add a couple tablespoons of sauce to flavor the fried rice.

10. After the rice has been cooked for a few minutes, turn off the heat. Plate the rice with the chicken and additional sauce if desired. This dish pairs well Calamansi juice, which is a common juice in the Philippines. It is said to taste similar to a mixture of lemon, lime, and orange.

Special thanks to Dani for helping us with this event and bringing such a delicious recipe!