The secret to this “dry” style adobo is removing the chicken after pressure cooking and rapidly boiling the sauce down to a thick syrup.

Featuring non-traditional (but absolutely delicious) carrots that act as little flavor bombs, this is the ultimate savory comfort food to serve over rice!

What is “Dry” Style Adobo?

Filipino Adobo generally falls into two categories.

Some families prefer a very saucy, brothy adobo meant to be spooned generously over rice. Others prefer the “dry” style. In a dry adobo, the cooking liquid is reduced until it transforms into a thick, sticky glaze that intensely coats the meat.

We highly prefer the sticky glaze method. It concentrates all of those savory, tangy flavors and makes the chicken incredibly irresistible.

The Ultimate Frozen Chicken Hack

One of the best features of this recipe is that you do not even need to thaw your meat!

We designed this as a true dump-and-go recipe.

You will use 2 pounds of bone-in chicken thighs and 1 pound of chicken wings right from the freezer. Cooking them under high pressure ensures they break down perfectly and become fall-off-the-bone tender.

Key Ingredients for the Perfect Glaze

To build that signature sweet and savory profile, you need a few specific pantry staples.

• The Sauce Base: You will need 1/2 cup of standard soy sauce, 1/4 cup of dark soy sauce, 1/2 cup of vinegar, and 1/2 cup of water. The dark soy sauce is absolutely crucial for giving the chicken that beautiful, deep mahogany color.
• The Aromatics: We go heavy on the aromatics! You need 15 cloves of garlic (we love using jarred minced garlic for convenience), 3 diced onions, 4 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon of whole peppercorns, and 1 star anise.
• The Flavor Bombs: Carrots are completely non-traditional in a classic adobo, but you must try them! We add 3 carrots cut into bite-sized chunks. They soak up all of the savory soy and vinegar sauce and become incredible little bursts of flavor.
• The Sweetness: To balance the sharp vinegar, we sprinkle 2 tablespoons of brown sugar over the top.

Mastering the Dump-and-Go Method

This recipe could not be easier, but there is one very important rule to follow before you close the lid.

Step 1: Layer and Do Not Stir Place your frozen chicken, onions, garlic, carrots, aromatics, and all of your liquids directly into the Instant Pot. Finally, sprinkle the brown sugar right on top. The most important rule is to not stir the pot. Leaving the ingredients layered prevents the dreaded burn warning. Seal the lid and pressure cook on high for 25 minutes, followed by a 10-minute natural release.

Step 2: The “Secret” Reduction Step When you open the pot, the chicken will be perfectly cooked, but the sauce will be thin. Do not serve it yet! Carefully remove the delicate chicken pieces and set them aside. Switch the Instant Pot to Sauté mode on High. Let the sauce boil rapidly for 10 to 15 minutes until it reduces down into a dark, sticky glaze.

Step 3: Coat and Serve Once the sauce is thick and syrupy, gently toss the chicken back into the pot to coat every single piece. Serve it immediately over a massive bowl of hot white rice!

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Instant Pot Chicken Adobo

This Instant Pot Chicken Adobo features fall-off-the-bone chicken thighs and wings coated in a ridiculously sticky, rich soy-vinegar glaze. The secret to this "dry" style adobo is removing the chicken after pressure cooking and rapidly boiling the sauce down to a thick syrup. Featuring non-traditional (but absolutely delicious) carrots that act as little flavor bombs, this is the ultimate savory comfort food to serve over rice!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Filipino

Keyword chicken adobo with carrots, dry chicken adobo, Filipino chicken adobo, frozen chicken adobo, Instant Pot chicken adobo, pressure cooker chicken adobo, sticky chicken adobo

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 6 servings

Calories 480kcal

Equipment

• Instant Pot Pro (8 QT) This recipe was made with an 8 QT Instant Pot in mind.

Ingredients

Protein:

• 2 lb chicken thighs bone-in
• 1 lb chicken wings

Vegetables:

• 3 onions diced
• 3 carrots cut into bite sized chunks

Aromatics:

• 15 cloves garlic we used jarlic
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 star anise
• 1 tsp whole peppercorns

The Sauce:

• ½ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup dark soy sauce
• ½ cup vinegar
• ½ cup water

Sweetness:

• 2 tbsp brown sugar

Instructions

Dump it in:

• Place frozen chicken, onions, garlic, carrots, aromatics, and liquids into the pot. Sprinkle sugar on top. DO NOT STIR.
  2 lb chicken thighs, 1 lb chicken wings, 3 onions, 3 carrots, 15 cloves garlic, 4 bay leaves, 1 star anise, 1 tsp whole peppercorns, ½ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup dark soy sauce, ½ cup vinegar, ½ cup water, 2 tbsp brown sugar

Pressure Cook:

• Pressure cook on high pressure for 25 minutes.

Release:

• Natural release for 10 mins, then quick release.

The “Secret” Step: Remove the chicken.

• Switch mode to SAUTÉ (High). Boil the sauce down until it reduces into a dark, sticky glaze (about 10-15 mins).

Finish:

• Toss chicken back in the pot to coat. Serve over hot rice!

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