Pineapple Chicken Adobo is our favourite Filipino recipe to cook at home.
This easy Chicken Adobo Pineapple recipe features tender drumsticks marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaf, black pepper, sugar, garlic and ginger. The marinades combination of unique ingredients produces a complex salty, sour and sweet taste.
We suggest eating Chicken Adobo with Pineapple with steamed rice or stir fried noodles.
Save this story to Pinterest!
What Is Pineapple Chicken Adobo?
Adobo is a popular Filipino dish and cooking process in Philippine cuisine that involves meat, seafood, or vegetables marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves, and black peppercorns, which is browned in oil, and simmered in the marinade.
The cooking method for adobo is indigenous to the Philippines. The various pre-colonial peoples of the country often cooked or prepared their food with vinegar and salt to preserve them in the tropical climate. Vinegar, in particular, is one of the most important ingredients in Filipino cuisine, with the main traditional types being coconut, cane, and nipa palm. These vinegars are all produced naturally through the process of fermentation.
When the Spanish Empire colonized the Philippines in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, they encountered the adobo cooking process. It was first recorded in 1613 by the Spanish Franciscan missionary Pedro de San Buenaventura. He referred to it as adobo de los naturales “adobo of the native peoples.”
Our Pineapple Chicken Adobo recipe has a characteristically salty, sour, and sweet taste thanks to the addition of tropical fruit.
Enjoy this traditional Filipino chicken recipe with steamed rice or noodles.
Travel to the Philippines by Cooking Chicken Adobo Pineapple at Home
I love traveling to Asia.
My first visit had me living in South Korea for a year as a teacher and it’s where I was first introduced to fermented vegetables like kimchi.
After my contract ended in Seoul I travelled throughout southeast Asia for 6 months, visiting Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.
On my first visit I spent over a month backpacking through the Philippines. Over the years I’ve explored Filipino destinations such as Manila, Cebu, Bohol, Banaue, Batad and Boracay,
What I found most fascinating is the Philippine’s distinct regional food cultures. Much like the regional cuisines found in Germany, Italy or Spain, each island in the Philippine’s had its own local speciality.
I’ll never forget my first visit to the Philippines. I landed in Manila around the dinner hour and after checking into my hotel room I ordered a plate of Chicken Adobo Pineapple from a local restaurant.
I fell in love with the dishes unique flavour profile, a blissful combination of sweet, salty and sour.
You May Also Enjoy Reading The Filipino Travel Stories…
- The Lind Hotel in Boracay
- Shangri-La Boracay Resort’s Rima Restaurant
- Things To Do in Boracay
- Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort & Spa
- Discovery Shores Resort in Boracay
- Hiking the Ancient Rice Terraces of Banaue and Batad
- Exploring the Chaos and Colour of Manila
- The World’s Most Beautiful Beach Found on the Island of Boracay
- Colonial Cebu and the Beautiful Nature of Bohol
Where To Eat Filipino Adobo
If you live in a large city in Canada or America you’ll likely have access to a local Filipino restaurant that serves traditional Chicken Adobo with Pineapple.
Haven’t traveled to the Philippines before? It may be helpful to first sample Chicken Adobo Pineapple at a local Filipino restaurant to better understand how the dish is served. You can determine the prefered cut of chicken to use, ideal chicken to pineapple ratio and other Filipino dishes to serve at the table.
In Toronto, popular Filipino restaurants in that may serve Adobo include Lake Inez, Lamesa Filipino Kitchen, Tinuno, Casa Manila, Wilson’s Haus of Lechon, Islas Filipino, Sampaguita Village and Lechon Republik.
My Family Loves Chicken Adobo with Pineapple
I love cooking at home for my family and friends.
I adore pairing fresh chicken with bold Asian flavours. You may also like to try our popular Korean Gochujang Wings, Thai Cashew Chicken or Indian Shahi Korma.
I first made this Filipino Pineapple Chicken Adobo on a cold winter day for my parents as a way to transport our taste buds to a hot and sunny beach like Boracay.
The quick and easy recipe is a great way to use up chicken drumsticks that may be sitting in your freezer. I find so many people get bored with drumsticks, simply tossing them in store bought barbecue sauce then baking them until crispy. This unique recipe proves there are a lot more interesting finger-licking-good ways to cook chicken drumsticks at home!
The combination of sour vinegar, salty soy sauce and sweet brown sugar give this Filipino Chicken Wing Stew a bold and addictive flavour profile. It’s honestly unfathomable to me that anyone would have leftovers!
The recipe is perfect for a family gathering like a dinner party, potluck or summer barbecue. Even picky kids love to eat these drumsticks with their bare hands. Clean up is a breeze as you don’t have to use cutlery.
Health Benefits
Our Chicken Adobo Pineapple recipe is packed full of healthy ingredients!
Chicken is high in protein and provides B vitamins such as niacin, which helps your body access the energy in foods.
It is only recently that scientists have begun to identify the components responsible for garlic’s myriad health benefits. Rich in phytochemicals and potassium, garlic helps boost your immune system, fight cancer and protect your heart.
Ginger contains at least 14 phytochemicals, many of which have impressive antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It also has a good source of copper, which supports your bones, blood and nervous system.
Onions are a humble vegetable packed with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Regular consumption of onions can help boost digestive health and reduce the risk of developing heart disease.
Pineapple features vitamins and minerals that are known to help shorten viral and bacterial infections and strengthen bones. There’s also evidence that the tropical fruit may help prevent cancer and help fertility by improving the quality of sperm.
Pineapple Chicken Adobo Recipe Cooking Tips
This delicious Filipino Chicken Adobo Pineapple recipe is quick and easy to make at home.
- Use a large nonstick skillet with a high rim and lid to reduce splattering when cooking.
- In the summer we like to grill Chicken Adobo Pineapple on the barbecue for a smoky flavour and crispy exterior. You can simply heat the marinade with fresh pineapple in a small pot or skillet until reduced then spoon it over the grilled chicken as a sauce.
- We’ve used apple cider vinegar in this recipe but you can substitute with traditional Filipino Nipa Palm Vinegar.
- We’ve used drumsticks in this recipe but you can substitute for bone-in skin-on chicken thighs or wings. We do not suggest using chicken breast meat as it dries out and doesn’t have as much moisture or flavour as brown meat.
What To Serve with Adobo
We love the versatility of this Pineapple Chicken Adobo recipe! We’ve used drumsticks but you can swap out for other cuts of chicken easily.
You can also switch up the cooking method based on the time of year. In the winter we like to cook the dish over the stove in a large skillet but in the summer the drumsticks cook beautifully on a barbecue grill.
Serve Chicken Adobo with Pineapple on its own or with steamed rice or stir fried noodles.
For a light lunch or dinner, pair Adobo with fresh Asian salads like Vegan Citrus “Rojak” Singapore Salad, Laos Papaya Salad Tum Mak Hoong, Goi Xoai Vietnamese Mango Salad, Goi Ga Vietnamese Salad and Nam Tok Authentic Thai “Waterfall Beef” Salad.
If you’re hosting an Asian dinner party you may like to serve Chicken Adobo Pineapple with these popular dishes:
- Gaeng Phed Ped Yang Roast Duck Thai Red Curry
- Kanom Jeeb Thai Steamed Dumplings
- Moo Ping BBQ Grilled Thai Pork Skewers
- Cha Trung Vietnamese Meatloaf
- Crispy Spicy Fried Lemongrass Vietnamese Tofu
- Sweet & Spicy Thit Ram Vietnamese Caramel Pork
- Penang Prawn Noodle Soup Hokkien Mee
- Roti Canai Curry
- Gaeng Hung Lay Burmese Pork Belly Curry
- Burmese Khow Suey Pork Coconut Noodle Soup
- Creamy Coconut Burmese Chicken Curry
- Singaporean Bak Chor Mee Minced Pork Noodle Soup
- Citrus “Rojak” Singapore Salad
- Seafood Laksa Singaporean Shrimp & Fish Soup
Storing Chicken Adobo
If you have leftover Chicken Adobo you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
To reheat simply zap it in the microwave or use an oven or air fryer to achieve a crispier texture.
How To Make Chicken Adobo with Pineapple (VIDEO RECIPE)
Filipino Chicken Adobo with Pineapple
Equipment
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Mixing bowls
- Large Nonstick Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 lb Chicken Drumsticks
- 1/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 tsp Brown Sugar
- 4 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 tsp Fresh Ginger minced
- 1/4 cup Water
- 2 tbsp Canola Oil
- 400 ml Canned Pineapple diced and drained
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine the chicken legs, vinegar, soy sauce, pepper, bay leaf, brown sugar, garlic and ginger. Let marinade for an hour in the fridge.
- Drain and reserve marinade. Pat chicken pieces dry with paper towel.
- Heat oil in a skillet or wok over medium high heat. Pan fry chicken, in batches, until golden brown.
- Combine browned chicken, reserved marinade and water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat then reduce heat to medium. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes or until chicken is tender. Add more water if needed.
- Stir in pineapple and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
- Serve with steamed rice.
Nutrition
Some of the links in this story use affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase through our site, Dobbernationloves will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Your support helps us to produce comprehensive content.
Save this story to Pinterest!
