Chicken Adobo & Rice

📝 Ingredients

• 4 skin-on chicken legs (about 250 g each)
• 120 ml soy sauce
• 80 ml white vinegar + 150 ml water
• 8 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 320 g long-grain rice
• 2 spring onions
• Salt (for the rice water)

🍴 Utensils

• Large sauté pan with lid
• Large saucepan
• Colander
• Mixing bowl
• Kitchen tongs
• Chopping board and knife

📖 Steps

1. Peel the garlic cloves and crush them with the flat of a knife blade. Coarsely crush the peppercorns with the base of a saucepan. In a mixing bowl, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, water, brown sugar, garlic, pepper and bay leaves.
2. Add the chicken thighs, turn them several times to coat them well and leave to marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature, turning them halfway through. For more flavour, you can marinate them the day before, covered, in the fridge.
3. Remove the thighs from the marinade (keep it) and pat them very dry with kitchen paper: dry skin browns better. Place them skin-side down in the cold sauté pan, without any fat, then turn the heat on to medium.
4. Let them brown for 8 to 10 minutes without moving them, until the skin has released its fat and is a deep brown, then turn them over with tongs and cook for 2 minutes. Pour off the excess melted fat by tilting the pan, keeping only about 1 tbsp.
5. Pour all the marinade over the chicken and bring to the boil. Let it bubble for 2 minutes, uncovered and without stirring, to mellow the sharpness of the vinegar. Cover, reduce to a low heat and simmer for 40 minutes, turning the thighs halfway through.
6. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the rice for 11 to 12 minutes, until tender but not sticky. Drain it, return it to the pan and keep it covered. Finely slice the spring onions.
7. Take the lid off the pan and turn the heat up to medium-high. Reduce the sauce for 8 to 10 minutes, frequently spooning it over the thighs, until it turns syrupy and coats the meat in a glossy glaze. Remove the bay leaves. Don't add salt; the soy sauce is enough.
8. Check that it's cooked: the meat should come away easily from the bone. Divide the rice between 4 plates, place one thigh on each, spoon over plenty of the glossy sauce and scatter with spring onion.