Last weekend I had a Filipino potluck for the Mayweather/Paquiao fight. I was a little nervous about this theme, since I usually cook classic American dishes. I just wanted to make food as good as my Lola made when I was a kid. Dishes served included pork lumpia, ube rolls, lechon kawali (fried pork belly), turon and pancit. I also made Shoyu eggs as a topping for the pancit but had so many leftover I decided to make that an appetizer (recipe coming soon). The biggest hit was the Chicken Adobo Tacos. They came out perfectly moist, tangy and with a spicy kick that wasn’t overwhelming. I’m considering this to be my signature dish from now on but you guys can try it at home too.
Girls on Food Chicken Adobo Tacos
Serves approx. 12- 15
Ingredients:
2 chicken legs (with bone)
4 chicken thighs (with bone)
4 chicken breasts (I used skinless/boneless but you can use with skin and bone)
3 tbsp. coconut oil
1 large white onion
1 whole garlic bulb
2 medium red bell peppers
1/2 cup of water
1 1/2 cup of Marca Pina soy sauce
1 1/2 cup Tropics Spiced vinegar (strained)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 6 oz. can of tomato paste
6 – 8 bay leaves
4.5 inch corn tortillas
Topping options:
Cojita cheese
Chopped onion
Chopped tomato
Cilantro
Black olives
Lettuce
Sliced Avocado
Sliced lime
Preparation:
The best way to cook this is with a 6 qt. Crock-Pot. Start by slicing white onions, bell peppers and mincing the garlic. Brown them with the chicken in a large stovetop pan with the coconut oil. After they are brown, place all items in the Crock-Pot. There will be a lot of flavor left on the pan, so add 1/2 cup of water to it and let it boil to create a bouillon broth. Add broth to Crock-Pot, then add soy sauce, vinegars, tomato paste and bay leaves. Let that cook for 3 hours.
After that cooks, remove the chicken and veggies from the pot with a slotted spoon. Place them in a large bowl. I shredded the chicken piece by piece with tongs into a glass baking pan.
Make sure bones and knee joint is disposed. I like to leave the cooked skin in there for flavor. Then take out the veggies (dispose of the bay leaves) and add those to the shredded chicken mix. There is a lot of leftover juice in the Crock-Pot, so add it to taste.
Some guests didn’t need their corn tortillas heated, but it’s good to have a pan on the stove ready to go if they want it. Let the guests top their tacos and enjoy! I know it’s tough to find but if you really want to impress your guests, find bottled San Miguel beer.
