Instant Pot Chicken Adobo

Article by Emily Saladino

Instant Pot chicken adobo gets long-simmered flavor in a fraction of the amount of time it takes to marinate and prepare traditional chicken adobo recipes—and there’s only one pot to clean. Food Network Kitchen’s recipe developers streamlined this Filipino comfort classic so you can serve beautifully tender chicken in a tangy, aromatic sauce any night of the week. Here’s everything you need to know.

What Is Adobo Chicken?

Adobo chicken is a Filipino recipe consisting of chicken pieces braised in a mixture that typically includes soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves and black peppercorns.

The exact ingredients in and approach to Filipino adobo differ by region and household. Some people prefer a sticky and viscous adobo, while others opt for a saucier consistency. Chicken isn’t the only protein used, either. Pork adobo is another popular option, as in Food Network Kitchen’s pork belly adobo recipe.

Adobo dishes take various forms around the world, too. Spanish, Mexican and Caribbean adobo sauces and seasonings contain other ingredients and are used differently than in this Filipino chicken adobo recipe.

How to Make Chicken Adobo in the Instant Pot Like a Pro

Food Network Kitchen’s recipe developers use several Instant Pot functions—sauteing, pressure cooking and simmering—to create the flavors and textures of a dish that typically marinates and simmers for hours.

Use bone-in chicken legs: Our recipe developers brown well-seasoned, bone-in chicken legs in the Instant Pot to build flavor, then add the adobo ingredients and cook until the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender. They don't recommend using boneless thighs, which cook too quickly for this sauce to come together, or chicken breasts, which lack the same connective tissue and can dry out.

Cut the chicken legs into pieces: Separating the drumsticks and thighs not only makes them easier to handle, but also helps them cook evenly in the Instant Pot.

How long to cook chicken in a pressure cooker: The size and cut of your chicken pieces effect how long you need to pressure cook them, as does the recipe you’re using to make adobo. In this chicken adobo recipe, you brown the chicken in the Instant Pot using the sauté setting, pressure-cook it for 8 minutes, then bring it to a boil and simmer it with the other chicken adobo ingredients, so your overall active time is less than 30 minutes.

Give it time to reduce: When you simmer this chicken adobo recipe, the sauce reduces and thickens. This develops flavor and texture and cooks the chicken through, so don’t skip or rush this step.

Every multi-cooker is different: Settings may vary on your Instant Pot depending on the model, so always refer to the manufacturer's guide.

Sop up the sauce: Our recipe developers like to serve this Filipino chicken dish with rice to soak up all the rich, savory sauce.

Cook’s Note

Settings may vary on your Instant Pot depending on the model. Please refer to the manufacturer's guide.