Adobo Fried Rice is a simple yet flavorful Filipino stir-fried side dish. Made with rich adobo sauce, rice, and egg, it is a versatile dish that can be enjoyed as a side to larger Filipino meals or as a clever way to repurpose leftover adobo.
Let’s get into how to repurpose leftover Chicken Adobo into a delicious fried rice dish. Alternatively, we’ll also provide a recipe to prepare this easy side dish from scratch!
Adobo Fried Rice is a ubiquitous Filipino dish, commonly found in both restaurants and homes. At establishments like Jollibee or Filipino barbeque spots, you can order a side portion of adobo fried rice to accompany your Filipino fried chicken, lumpia, or grilled pork belly.
Filipino culture emphasizes that food should not be wasted. Growing up, my grandmother would always take my plate and pick at every piece of leftover chicken, even sucking the bones clean.
As an adult, I follow the same practice, using my hands to finish off every last bit of the chicken.
In this same spirit, we transform our leftover Chicken Adobo into a new dish, Adobo Fried Rice, to get an extra meal or two out of it. This practice is common in many Filipino households.
Two Ways to Make Adobo Fried Rice
You can make Adobo Fried Rice using one of two methods:using leftover Chicken Adobo or preparing the fried rice from scratch. We’ll provide recipe instructions for both approaches.
Making Adobo Fried Rice with leftovers is super easy if you’ve already cooked up a batch of Chicken Adobo. Just follow our recipe for the tastiest Chicken Adobo, and the steps to turn it into Adobo Fried Rice are a breeze.
With the hard work and flavor development already complete, you’ll have a delicious, virtually ready-to-eat dish on your hands.
Making Adobo Fried Rice from scratch is a bit more involved, but it allows you to customize the dish however you like.
Since you’re starting with a blank canvas, you can get creative – swap out the chicken for pork belly, add spicy chili peppers, or make it a meatless or vegetarian/vegan version. The extra effort is worth it for the flexibility to tailor the recipe to your tastes.
No matter which approach you take, you’ll end up with a delicious dish that’ll have you craving more! Be sure to let us know in the comments which method you went with!
Chicken Adobo Fried Rice from scratch – topped with fried garlic!
Pairing Adobo Fried Rice with Dishes
Try Adobo Fried Rice as a delicious side to these Filipino dishes:
Here are some helpful tips based on our experience so that you can make Adobo Fried Rice with success!
When using leftover Chicken Adobo, it is best to keep it chilled. The sauce will solidify into a jelly-like consistency, making it easy to scoop and measure.
This also allows you to visually distinguish between the sauce and fat, enabling you to adjust the amount used to suit your preference. Once the solidified sauce is added to the pan, it will quickly liquefy again.
Use high-quality soy sauce or low-sodium soy sauce. When making Adobo Fried Rice from scratch, consider using a high-quality soy sauce or a low-sodium variety.
Adobo dishes have a relatively short list of ingredients, allowing the soy sauce to take center stage. A high-quality soy sauce will provide rich umami flavor and depth, while a low-sodium option will give you more flexibility to salt the dish through other ingredients.
Our recipe uses a high-quality soy sauce alongside Better Than Bouillion, adding nice umami and chicken flavors with a pleasant level of saltiness.
If either of these soy sauce types are available to you, we recommend using them to achieve the most flavorful Adobo Fried Rice.
Heat a pan with cooking oil over medium high heat.
Add the day old rice and stir fry until the rice is heated and the grains are well separated.
Add the leftover adobo sauce and toss well.
Chop up adobo chicken thighs and add to the pan to reheat.
Toss the fried rice until well heated through. Serve with fried egg, atchara, green onions, and tomatoes.
Adobo Fried Rice (From Scratch)
In a mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, chicken bouillion, and black pepper. Set aside.
Heat a pan on low heat. Add oil, garlic, and bay leaves.
Gently cook the aromatics for about 2 minutes, until the garlic is golden brown and oil is fragrant. Use caution to avoid burning the garlic. Discard the bay leaves. Place the fried garlic on a paper towel to cool.
Add the day old rice to the pan with garlic oil. Stir fry until the rice is heated and the grains are well separated.
Add butter, onion, and chicken. Cook for a few minutes until the onion is wilted and chicken is heated through.
Add adobo sauce, garlic powder, and a pinch of MSG (optional.)
Serve with fried garlic, fried egg, atchara, green onions, and tomatoes.
Final Thoughts
This effortless fried rice dish will make you rethink braised chicken. Enjoy the savory, flavorful taste of Chicken Adobo reimagined as a homestyle fried rice that’ll have you going back for seconds!
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This effortless fried rice dish will make you rethink braised chicken. Enjoy the savory, flavorful taste of Chicken Adobo reimagined as a homestyle fried rice that'll have you going back for seconds!
Heat a pan with cooking oil over medium high heat.
Add the day old rice and stir fry until the rice is heated and the grains are well separated.
Add the leftover adobo sauce and toss well.
Chop up adobo chicken thighs and add to the pan to reheat.
Toss the fried rice until well heated through. Serve with fried egg, atchara, green onions, and tomatoes.
Adobo Fried Rice (From Scratch)
In a mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, chicken bouillion, and black pepper. Set aside.
Heat a pan on low heat. Add oil, garlic, and bay leaves.
Gently cook the aromatics for about 2 minutes, until the garlic is golden brown and oil is fragrant. Use caution to avoid burning the garlic. Discard the bay leaves. Place the fried garlic on a paper towel to cool.
Add the day old rice to the pan with garlic oil. Stir fry until the rice is heated and the grains are well separated.
Add butter, onion, and chicken. Cook for a few minutes until the onion is wilted and chicken is heated through.
Add adobo sauce, garlic powder, and a pinch of MSG (optional.)
Serve with fried garlic, fried egg, atchara, green onions, and tomatoes.
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Noelle Noriesta, a Filipino-American home cook, is the principal creator of Fork and Spoon. Her recipes have a modern and playful approach inspired by her food experiences growing up in the Bay Area and now in Los Angeles. --Read more about me