Instant Pot Chicken Adobo Recipe (2024)

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Make authentic Filipino Chicken Adobo in your Instant Pot – so delicious! This Instant Pot Chicken Adobo is so full of flavor and cooks in 15 minutes!

Instant Pot Chicken Adobo Recipe (1)

Filipino Chicken Adobo is a great recipe to cook in the Instant Pot! Instant Pot allows you to brown the chicken in the same pot and also cooks the chicken in 15 minutes instead of 40!

Instant Pot Chicken Adobo Recipe (2)

No Instant Pot? No problem! You can make chicken Adobo in a crockpot or on the stove with my classic chicken Adobo stovetop and slow cooker recipes!

Instant Pot Chicken Adobo Recipe (3)

A classic Filipino Chicken Adobo recipe calls for marinating the meat, then browning it before cooking in a marinade. If you are short on time or like to keep things simple, you can skip the marinating and/or browning! You can make this into a “dump dinner” by simply dumping the chicken, garlic, bay leaves, soy sauce, vinegar and water into the Instant Pot and pressure cooking it for 15 minutes! Dinner is ready!

Instant Pot Chicken Adobo Recipe (4)

The best cut of chicken for making chicken Adobo is the chicken thighs or chicken legs. You can use bone-in or boneless. Or you can use the whole cut-up chicken!

Instant Pot Chicken Adobo Recipe (5)

I usually use boneless skinless chicken thighs as I usually have them on hand. They are so tasty, tender and juicy!

Instant Pot Chicken Adobo Recipe (6)

On the picture above, Chicken Adobo is served alongside mushroom rice. If you’d like the recipe for this rice, check out my easy mushroom rice. Chicken Adobo goes really well with rice in general! Did you know you can cook perfect rice in your Instant Pot? Check out my Instant Pot White Rice and Instant Pot Brown Rice recipes.

Instant Pot Chicken Adobo Recipe (7)

How To Make Instant Pot Chicken Adobo

First, make the Adobo marinade by mixing equal parts of white vinegar, soy sauce and water. Add chicken thighs, a whole head of peeled garlic cloves and several bay leaves and marinate in Adobo overnight. You can also marinate for 20 minutes on the counter instead, or skip the marinating altogether!

The next step is to brown the chicken to seal in the flavor. A great thing about the Instant Pot is that you can brown meat directly in the pot! This way you won’t have to wash another frying pan :) Brown the chicken in some oil for 2 minutes per side. If you are in a rush, you can just skip this step as well!

Next, cook the chicken in the Adobo marinade in the Instant Pot. Instant Pot does a perfect job of cooking the chicken quickly and making it tender and juicy! The chicken cooks completely in 15 minutes, and it’s so soft and full of deep Adobo flavor!

After the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot and switch the Instant Pot to a Saute mode. Cook the Adobo sauce on a saute mode until it thickens and reduces to a desired consistency. Spoon some of the Adobo sauce over the chicken.

Instant Pot Chicken Adobo Recipe (8)

If you like this Instant Pot chicken adobo, you will also love these other easy & yummy Instant Pot recipes:

Instant Pot BBQ Chicken – you can make this recipe with chicken breasts or thighs, it’s super easy and tastes amazing!

How To Cook Frozen Chicken Breast In Instant Pot – Instant Pot is a life-saver for people who forget to defrost meat in advance :)

Instant Pot Lemon Garlic Chicken Legs – you can cook them directly from frozen! Just dump and cook! So simple you won’t believe it!

Instant Pot Meatloaf – cut the meatloaf cooking time in more than half by making it in the Instant Pot! This is the easiest meatloaf recipe ever!

Instant Pot Meatballs – meatballs in the Instant Pot are so tender and juicy! Ready in 15 minutes!

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Instant Pot Chicken Adobo Recipe (10)

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Instant Pot Chicken Adobo Recipe

This Instant Pot chicken adobo recipe is amazing! Make an authentic Filipino chicken adobo right in your Instant Pot! So quick and easy and full of flavor!

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time20 minutes mins

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6 servings

Author: MelanieCooks.com

Ingredients

Instructions

Marinate the chicken

  • Mix the vinegar, water, soy sauce and pepper in a cup to make Adobo marinade.

  • Put the chicken in a bowl and pour Adobo marinade over it. Add garlic cloves and bay leaves to the bowl. Marinate the chicken in refrigerator overnight (or for 20 minutes on the counter).

Brown the chicken (optional)

  • Put the Instant Pot on a Saute setting. Add the oil in the Instant Pot. Take the chicken pieces out of the sauce and saute right in the Instant Pot in batches until the chicken is just browned (2 minutes per side).

Cook the chicken

  • Add browned chicken, Adobo sauce, garlic and bay leaves to the Instant Pot. Close the lid and turn the valve to Sealing position.

  • Press the "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" button and set the time for 15 minutes on High Pressure. When it's done cooking, do the Quick Release (QR) of the steam.

Reduce the sauce (optional)

  • Remove the chicken from the pot and switch the Instant Pot to a Saute mode. Cook the Adobo sauce for 5 minutes, or until it's thickened and reduced to a desired consistency. Spoon some sauce over the chicken.

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Instant Pot Chicken Adobo Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why does my Instant Pot chicken come out rubbery? ›

Oddly enough, it can be really challenging to get the right texture when cooking boneless chicken breasts. They cook quickly in the Instant Pot, but if you don't cook them long enough they get a weird, rubber-like texture that's nearly impossible to chew, and if you cook them too long, their texture gets dry.

Does cooking chicken longer in Instant Pot make it more tender? ›

This dinner staple cooks up perfectly every time in the Instant Pot. You can aim for firm but juicy chicken for cubing, or let it cook a little bit longer for tender shredded chicken.

Can you overcook chicken in the Instapot? ›

While all cuts of chicken are fair game for the Instant Pot, thighs are the most forgiving. Because chicken breast is so lean, just a couple of extra minutes of cook time turns them from juicy to overcooked and dry.

Why does adobo need vinegar? ›

Flavor Enhancement: Depending on the type of vinegar used, it can add a tangy and acidic flavor to the meat.

Why is chicken tough in pressure cooker? ›

Chicken can get a rubbery texture in the instant pot when over cooked. To avoid this, try not to over cook your chicken. Storing the chicken in chicken broth can help rehydrate the chicken and make it less rubbery.

Is woody chicken breast safe to eat? ›

The specific cause is not known but may be related to factors associated with rapid growth rates. Companies often use a three-point scale to grade the woodiness of a particular breast. Although distasteful to many, meat that exhibits woody breast is not known to be harmful to humans who consume it.

Does chicken need to be submerged in pressure cooker? ›

By placing cooking liquid in the bottom of the pressure cooker and placing the chicken in the steamer basket above the liquid, you are guaranteed tender, moist chicken every time. However, you can also use the cooker to make a sauce and cook your chicken submerged in flavour.

Is it better to pressure cook or slow cook chicken? ›

Ultimately, slow cooking allowed our chicken to be perfectly seasoned without compromising the meat texture, a luxury pressure cooking can't afford.

Do you cover meat with liquid in pressure cooker? ›

There's lots of water in the meat too, so even 1 cup added water will result in a fair amount of liquid after cooking. No you do not have to cover it. I usually do about 2 cups or so of stock.

How long do you can chicken in a pressure cooker? ›

Once you're getting 4 “jiggles” per minute, or your dial gauge has come up to pressure, start your timer and process the chicken. If you're canning pint jars, you will process them for 1 hour 15 minutes (75 minutes). If you're using quart jars, you will process for 1 hour 30 minutes (90 minutes).

Does a pressure cooker dry out chicken? ›

If you quick release, all the pressure in the meat forces the liquid out... resulting in a dry finish. If pressure is release naturally (slowly) equilibrium occurs and the moisture stays in the meat.

How do you know when pressure cooked chicken is done? ›

Be forewarned: You must check the internal temperature of the cooked meat at the thickest part has reached 165℉ with a food thermometer. A Quick pressure release is recommended immediately after cooking is finished – natural release is likely to overcook chicken breast.

Should you stir vinegar in adobo? ›

Another technique to note is the step in adding vinegar. It's important not to stir the simmering chicken once the vinegar is added. The vinegar tightens up the chicken, preparing it to work with the soy sauce and take on that rich brown color.

What vinegar is best for chicken adobo? ›

What is Filipino adobo sauce made of? Soy Sauce: I like to use low-sodium soy sauce, but regular works too. Vinegar: Use a third cup of apple cider vinegar, white vinegar can also be used. Garlic: Crush a small head of garlic – about eight garlic cloves.

Why is Filipino adobo so good? ›

There's no doubt that adobo is a mainstay in Philippine cuisine — thanks to its complex flavours rooted from a simple vinegar-braised method, it's one of the most well-known gateway dishes that introduces foreigners to the curious and nuanced world of Filipino food.

How do you keep chicken from getting rubbery in an air fryer? ›

Just follow the instructions and make sure you keep an eye in the temperature of the chicken in the final minutes. Since the Air Fryer works with convection heat, there is no need to cook chicken at very high temperatures, as it may quickly dry out and turn rubbery.

Why does my chicken have a weird texture? ›

What causes woody chicken breasts? Scientists are still working on finding the root cause of woody chicken breasts. But based on her research, Owens believes woody breasts are related to the development of the muscle. "If birds are growing really efficiently and fast, they're synthesizing muscle and that adds stress.

Why is my cooked meat rubbery? ›

Yup, cooking most meat too long is a bad thing. Cooking lamb too long like that will result in rubber. Its also possible that you accidentally cut with the grain instead of against it - which would result in a very chewy, rubber like texture. You end up with long proteins that are harder to chew.

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