Instant Pot Chicken Adobo

Chicken Adobo

Adobo is sometimes referred to as the unofficial Philippines national dish.

Authentic Filipino adobo is often made of meat, seafood, or vegetables cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and other spices.

If you haven’t tried Filipino cuisine before, Chicken Adobo is a delicious gateway to a flavor-bursting adventure.

Filipino Chicken Adobo: The incredibly bold flavors – sharp tart, deep savory, slightly sweet, and spiced adobo sauce soaked in the juicy tender chicken. The flavor punch makes it really appetizing to eat.

If you want to try Pork Adobo, here’s the recipe: Pork Adobo

How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Adobo

Here are the ingredients for cooking Chicken Adobo in Instant Pot:

Chicken: Best to use chicken thighs or chicken legs for this chicken adobo instant pot recipe. But you can substitute them with other parts of the chicken.

Whole Black Peppercorns + Dried Red Chili: Don’t worry! The 1 dried red chili and 4g whole black peppercorns won’t make this chicken adobo spicy.

Filipino Soy Sauce & Vinegar

Soy sauce and vinegar are essential ingredients in this chicken adobo recipe. So the quality, flavor complexity, and flavor intensity heavily impact the final product.

We decided to develop this chicken adobo instant pot recipe with “Made in Philippines” or “Filipino Soy Sauce” (aka “toyo”) and Filipino Vinegar. Since these brands cater to Filipino cuisine.

We taste-tested different brands and combinations of vinegar and soy sauces.

• Taste-Test Finding #1: We liked the Silver Swan Soy Sauce the best.
• Taste-Test Finding #2: The Filipino Soy Sauce tastes more sour than the Chinese Light Soy Sauce (not low sodium soy sauce). We’re most satisfied with the flavors by mixing the two soy sauces.
• Filipino Soy Sauce & Vinegar Substitutes: You can substitute them with regular soy sauce (or light soy sauce) and white vinegar. It’ll work but the flavor profile will change according to your soy sauce and vinegar. So make sure to taste and adjust accordingly.

Fish Sauce

Fish sauce may not be a common ingredient in Filipino chicken adobo recipes, but it’s a common flavor enhancer in Amy + Jacky’s recipes! 😉

Don’t worry! The amount of fish sauce won’t make your chicken adobo taste fishy. But, you can omit it if you like. Your chicken adobo will still be delicious.

Optional: Pot-in-Pot Rice

If you want to make Instant Pot Chicken Adobo without rice, you can skip the pot-in-pot rice and use the same pressure cooking time.

If you’re making the Pot-in-Pot Rice, best to use a Stainless Steel Bowl. You can learn more with this Pot-in-Pot Guide.

Tools for Chicken Adobo Instant Pot Recipe

• Instant Pot Pressure Cooker (6qt)
• Pyrex Glass Measuring Cup
• Wooden Spoons
• Kitchen Tongs
• Stainless Steel Steaming Rack
• Stainless Steel Bowl or 3qt Stainless Steel Inner Pot
• Small Mixing Bowl

Prepare Instant Pot

Heat up Instant Pot using “Sauté More” function. Wait until Instant Pot says “HOT” (roughly 8 minutes).

Make Adobo Sauce

In a medium glass measuring cup, mix and combine 1 tablespoon (12.5g) sugar, 1 tablespoon (15ml) fish sauce, ¼ cup (63ml) Filipino soy sauce, ⅓ cup (83ml) regular soy sauce, and ⅓ cup (83ml) Filipino vinegar.

Sauté Onions and Spices

Add 1 tablespoon (15ml) oil in Instant Pot.

Sauté onions for 2 minutes.

Add 12 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 teaspoon (4g) whole black peppercorn, dried red chili, and 4 dried bay leaves in Instant Pot. Then sauté for another 45 seconds.

Deglaze Instant Pot

Add adobo sauce mixture (from Step 2) in Instant Pot. Then deglaze by scrubbing the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.

Pressure Cook Chicken Adobo and Pot in Pot Rice

Coat the chicken with adobo sauce by dipping the skin side into the adobo sauce. Then flip and place the chicken with skin side up in Instant Pot.

Place a steamer rack in Instant Pot. Then layer a stainless steel bowl of 1 cup (235g) Jasmine rice and 1 cup (250ml) cold water on top of the rack (as shown in the photo below).

With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position.

Instant Pot Chicken Adobo Cook Time: Pressure cook chicken adobo at High Pressure for 6 minutes, then 10 minutes Natural Release.

After 10 minutes of Natural Release, carefully turn Venting Knob to the Venting position to release the remaining pressure.

Once the floating valve drops, remove the lid.

Thicken Chicken Adobo Sauce

Remove the stainless steel bowl and steamer rack.

Set aside the chicken adobo in a serving bowl.

Press Cancel button, then Sauté button to heat up the adobo sauce.

In a small mixing bowl, mix 2.5 tablespoons (22.5g) cornstarch with 3 tablespoons (45ml) cold water. Mix it into the adobo sauce one third at a time until the desired thickness.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with more vinegar, sugar, or soy sauce accordingly.

Coat the chicken with adobo sauce by placing them back in the Instant Pot.

Optional: Crisp Skin

Note: If you want to kick it up a notch, finish the chicken under a broiler to enjoy the deeply caramelized adobo deliciousness. Yum~

Place chicken adobo (coated with a thin layer of sauce on top) on a baking tray. Then, put it under a broiler for 5 to 10 minutes. This will maximize the flavor and crisp up the skin.

Serve Instant Pot Chicken Adobo

Serve Instant Pot chicken adobo with rice.

Lightly drizzle the chicken with more adobo sauce, then garnish with green onions.

What to Serve with Filipino Chicken Adobo

This Instant Pot Chicken Adobo and Rice makes a quick and easy one pot meal. You can serve chicken adobo with delicious Filipino dishes like Kare-Kare, Sisig, Sinigang, Lechón, Kaldereta, or Lumpiang Shanghai.

You can also serve it with other side dishes, soups, or desserts.

Vegetables: Instant Pot Broccoli, Instant Pot Cabbage, Instant Pot Green Beans, Instant Pot Carrots, Instant Pot Beets

Soups: Instant Pot Tomato Soup, Instant Pot Minestrone Soup, Instant Pot Mushroom Soup, Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup

Dessert: Flan, Tofu Pudding, Halo Halo

Enjoy the Instant Pot Chicken Adobo!

More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes

• Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
• Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
• Instant Pot Whole Chicken
• Instant Pot Butter Chicken
• Instant Pot BBQ Chicken
• Instant Pot Chicken Tacos