Ryle anointed this chicken-pork adobo with an alternative name: Adobo Diablo. Chili garlic sauce gives this adobong manok at baboy an appetizing lick of heat.
Soupy adobo fans take note: This is a nagmamantikang adobo. Instead of a wet sauce, you get a sticky, glossy, chili-red glaze that coats the chicken and pork. If you prefer a wetter adobo, either adjust the liquid at the end of the cooking process, or increase the vinegar and soy sauce called for in the recipe.
Use a brand of chili garlic sauce that you like, making sure to pick up some red oil with every spoonful. We used Lao Gan Ma, a popular brand of Chinese chili crisp, in this recipe. It imparts a fragrant, tingly crunch from Sichuan peppercorns and fried soybeans. And if you want your adobo extra diabolical, switch out the green chilies for siling labuyo, or red chilies.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 500g pork belly or shoulder (kasim), cut into 1-inch cubes
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 5 garlic cloves, smashed
- 3–5 green chilies, minced, plus more for garnish
- 3 tbsp chili garlic sauce or chili crisp
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
Sear chicken and pork: Heat oil in a pot, wide pan, or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add pork chunks and chicken thighs (skin side down) and sear until golden brown; this should take about 3 minutes per side for the pork, and about 5 minutes for the chicken thighs. Remove meat from pan and set aside.
Make adobo sauce: Reduce heat to medium. Add smashed garlic and chilies into the remaining oil and rendered fat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is fragrant and slightly browned. Add chili garlic sauce and cook very briefly. Add vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and black peppercorns. Stir gently to dissolve sugar.
Simmer adobo: Return seared pork and chicken into the pan, stirring or flipping the meat to coat them in the adobo sauce. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer. Cover pan and simmer adobo until pork is fork-tender, about 30–40 minutes, lifting the lid to flip the meat occasionally to prevent burning. The sauce will reduce into a glossy, syrupy mixture with a slick of fat at the top, forming a dry, nagmamantikang adobo. Serve with hot rice.
