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Soy-free Chicken Adobo is that classic Filipino recipe made with coconut aminos instead of soy — for a FABULOUS Paleo, Gluten-free meal that’s unforgettable yet simple and super easy to make. This one-pan recipe is also great for AIP, VAD and many anti-inflammatory diets.
Enjoy this authentic recipe with a complex sauce that will seductively become a new favorite. I even love making this recipe.
Jump to Recipe
To start with, you might be confused …
What’s the difference between Mexican and Filipino Adobo
Yes!, they’re related, but Filipino Adobo came first.
In the 1600s, the Spaniards adapted what they observed cooks making in the Philippine islands: meat marinated in vinegar (fermented coconut juice) and then cooked with soy sauce.
Mexican Adobo includes chilies and tomatoes — not as healthy by our anti-inflammatory standards, since these produce items are nightshades and very much implicated in inflammation.
Filipino communities were first introduced to soy sauce by the Chinese in the 2nd century AD.
I’m grateful for the Adobo concept, and that in this modern world with so many inflammatory sources, we now have a wonderful alternative to soy, coconut aminos, that makes this dish gentle and perfect for so many of us.
I also use fresh ginger, and plenty of it, in place of the otherwise spicy black peppercorns that adobo usually contains.
Ingredients in Paleo Filipino Chicken Adobo
The other thing that makes my Adobo a little different is the use of anti-inflammatory peeled apples, in addition to, or instead of, onions — you get to choose: Use both, as I did in the photos, or choose if your body does better with onions or apples. Both taste perfect and amazing in this traditional recipe!
Other ingredients include:
Marinade ingredients
- chicken thighs , boneless and skinless
- garlic cloves — omit for VAD
- coconut aminos
- rice vinegar — or use apple cider vinegar for Paleo and AIP, or white vinegar if preferred
- dried bay leaves — omit for VAD
For cooking
- olive oil or avocado oil
- water
- coconut sugar
- fresh ginger root, minced or grated
- sea salt
How to make Soy-free Chicken Adobo
- Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl. Marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add diced onions and/or apples. Sauté about 8 minutes until beginning to brown.
- Add water, fresh ginger root and coconut sugar. Bring it to a simmer then turn heat down to medium. Simmer 5 minutes.
- Add chicken and marinade. Simmer uncovered 10 minutes over medium low heat. Then turn chicken and cook another 10 minutes, until the sauce reduces down a bit and thickens.
- After the 20 minutes of cooking total (10 minutes on each side for the chicken), remove chicken to a plate, and let the sauce simmer by itself, allowing it to thicken and reduce even more. When it’s much reduced and almost jam-like with solid bits of softened onion and apple, about 10 more minutes of medium low heat simmering, turn the heat to low. Add chicken back to the pot, and spoon sauce over the top.
- Heat chicken through over low heat. Serve.
To bay leaf or not
Yes, to bay leaf, do use them! 🙂 If you don’t have bay leaves in your herb and spice drawer, they are worth buying for this recipe. (Find them here.) The Philippines only have a handful of ingredients that are very unique to this group of islands, and bay leaves are one of them!
While being subtle, the bay leaves’ spice adds a note of cinnamon, spice and almost like warm weather Christmas-herbs — eucalyptus — to this incredible sauce. It adds a complexity of flavor that’s earned from a good recipe, and you don’t want to miss it.
Soy-free Filipino Chicken Adobo (Paleo, Gluten-free, AIP)
Equipment
- large frying pan
- large bowl for marinating chicken
Ingredients
Marinade
- 3 to 3-½ lbs chicken thighs boneless and skinless
- ⅓ cup + 2 Tablespoons coconut aminos
- ⅓ cup + 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar or use apple cider vinegar for Paleo and AIP, or white vinegar if preferred
- 3 cloves garlic minced or crushed (omit for VAD)
- 3 dried bay leaves omit for VAD
For Cooking
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 onion diced (or sub with peeled zucchini for VAD, Low FODMAP), or one additional peeled apple (see below) if you can't eat onions
- 1 apple peeled and diced, or one additional onion if you can't eat apple
- 1-½ cups water
- ¼ cup fresh ginger minced or grated
- 2 Tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl. Marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes, or overnight (covered in the fridge).
- Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add diced onions and/or apples. Sauté about 8 minutes until beginning to brown.
- Add water, fresh ginger root, coconut sugar and sea salt. Bring it to a simmer then turn heat down to medium or medium-low. Simmer 5 minutes.Add chicken and marinade. Simmer uncovered 10 minutes over medium low heat. Then turn chicken and cook another 10 minutes, until the sauce reduces down a bit and thickens.
- After the 20 minutes of cooking total (10 minutes on each side for the chicken), remove chicken to a plate, and let the sauce simmer by itself, allowing it to thicken and reduce even more. When it's much reduced and thickened/almost jam-like with solid bits of softened onion and apple, about 10 more minutes of medium low heat simmering, turn the heat to low. Add chicken back to the pot, and spoon sauce over the top.
- Heat chicken through over low heat. Serve.For Paleo and AIP, serve with cauli rice or Herb Roasted Cauliflower.Gluten-free and VAD, serve with rice. Spoon sauces over when you serve.
Nutrition
You can Pin Filipino Soy-free Chicken Adobo here:
Dorothy says
This seems like a great recipe. I would probably use zucchini and onion and omit sweetener, or maybe use some monk fruit drops. I wish I could find organic chicken thighs at a decent price. They are usually unavailable these days where we shop.
Megan says
Hi Dorothy, I wish you could find chicken thighs, too! So you will make this with breasts then? You’ll just need a shorter cooking time with lower heat. You could also chop the chicken into bite size pieces before cooking and cook it only briefly after marinating, and then cook the sauce longer on its own to reduce — to make sure the meat stays nice.
Dorothy says
Thanks Megan, I may need to search a little more. Thank you for giving those suggestions on alternate cooking times in case I try it with chicken breasts. It looks like a meal in itself!
Megan says
My pleasure! 🙂
Tabitha says
I LOVE this recipe. The first time I made it I used whole cranberries, and the longer the dish sat in the refrigerator after making the more delicious it was. I did add a little extra coconut sugar to the cranberries bf adding to the final cook.
I just made this dish again with the apple and onions. I adjusted the sauce ingredients to a pound less if the boneless, skinless chicken thighs. This is such a comforting dish.
Megan says
Mmmm, your cranberry version sounds like a fun twist. So glad you’re enjoying this recipe, and thank you for sharing!! 🙂