Chicken Adobo with Coconut Milk (Adobong Manok sa Gata)

Adobo sa gata is Filipino chicken adobo cooked in coconut milk. You can make this dish by braising chicken in a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, and coconut milk.

The coconut milk adds a creamy element to the savory dish, and makes the chicken even more succulent. Other ingredients include bay leaf, garlic, peppercorns, and onion.

When Elijah and I made chicken adobo together for the first time, we found out that we had totally different perspectives on adobo. I grew up eating chicken adobo served with a side of sliced bananas and rice. My Lola taught me how to cook it, and told me that eating it with bananas was how she ate it as someone from Pampanga.

On the contrary, Elijah grew up eating chicken adobo with coconut milk, in which he claims that his dad makes the best version. Elijah’s dad is from Los Banos, which is part of Southern Luzon where adobo sa gata is very popular.

This recipe is our personal version of chicken adobo with coconut milk. We’re a big fan of mushrooms, so we added it to bring a bit more savory, earthy taste. Adobo sa gata usually uses green finger chili peppers, but since we couldn’t find it at the groceries we decided to stick with black peppercorns.

Cooking By Taste

To begin making adobo, you’ll want to combine all the stew ingredients in a mixing bowl (except the chicken.) This is the step where most Filipino cooks will say, “taste it to make sure it’s good.” Filipinos rarely cook with measurements, and therefore everything is by taste and VERY subjective — I still remember how confused I was when my Lola said it when she taught me how to cook adobo! Because what really is “good?” That being said, feel free to use our recipe as a guideline and “taste it to make sure it’s good” lol.

The rest of the recipe is fairly simple. Sear the chicken skins to get a golden, caramel color. Then, transfer it to a pot and add the sauce. Once you get it up to boiling, bring it back down to a low simmer. Then cover the pot and let it do its thing. After simmering for about an hour, your home will smell divine and you’ll want to eat it right away. You can eat it then, or you can let it simmer even longer for a thicker, richer sauce.

Final Thoughts

This popular Filipino dish is an easy recipe that you can make any day of the week. Enjoy the rich taste of chicken braised in fragrant spices and creamy coconut milk.

References & Further Reading

https://theculturetrip.com/asia/philippines/articles/a-brief-history-of-adobo-the-philippines-national-dish/

https://www.pepper.ph/the-history-of-adobo/#:~:text=The%20word%20adobo%20is%20derived,Spaniard%20Pedro%20de%20San%20Buenaventura.&text=The%20Chinese%20traders%20who%20later,soy%20sauce%20to%20early%20Filipinos.

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