I have been meaning to share my review of the Instant Pot for a while now, and since I’ve received several inquiries about it, today I am sharing my recipe for this Slow-Cooker Filipino Chicken Adobo, and taking the opportunity to tell you about this seven-in-one appliance I love.
I have been hearing about the Instant Pot for years through the cooking websites I read, and my interest grew and grew as I noticed the adoration some bloggers have for it. It is an appliance sold by a Canadian company, and offers seven main programmable features. It is all at once:
- A slow-cooker, for low-temperature cooking over several hours,
- A pressure cooker with two pressure settings, high or low,
- A sauté pot, to brown ingredient before stewing or pressure cooking,
- A rice cooker, to cook rice, grains, and legumes,
- A steamer,
- A yogurt maker,
- A hot plate to keep dishes warm, which is very convenient for entertaining and parties.
I finally took the plunge and bought myself the 6-quart model last fall, taking advantage of a good deal on Amazon. I immediately adopted it, thereby replacing my pressure-cooker, my steamer, and my yogurt maker, which I gave away or sold. (For now we are keeping our rice cooker because we are very attached to it; I told you about it when I shared my recipe for coconut spiced rice.)
My Instant Pot, available on Amazon.
Among the many things I love about my Instant Pot, I will mention:
- Its high-quality stainless steel inner pot, of a size that’s perfect for my needs, easy to clean and dishwasher-safe, and compact enough to fit in my small refrigerator,
- Its programmable functions, especially the fact that you can set up a start time later in the day, go out and come back when everything’s ready,
- Its energy efficiency, for slow-cooking in particular,
- How little noise and little steam it makes when it’s on, even in high-pressure mode (one caveat: the beeping that signals the end of the cooking is loud and can’t be turned off),
- The great variety of recipes and inspiration available online for this very popular appliance.
After a few weeks of using the Instant Pot, I ordered two additional accessories: an extra inner cooking pot so I can start cooking something else while using the first pot to store the previous preparation, and a tempered-glass lid, which I use both as a cover for the pot when it’s in my fridge, and for slow-cooking preparations.
I now use the Instant Pot several times a week for:
- Homemade vegetable or chicken stock,
- Making coconut milk yogurt or ordinary yogurt,
- Cooking legumes at a high pressure, to make hummus for instance,
- Making everything soup in season,
- Cooking simple stews, such as this braised Filipino chicken.
All right. Let’s talk about this Filipino chicken, a.k.a. chicken adobo.
It became a part of my culinary landscape back when Maxence and I lived in California: we regularly visited Maxence’s father, who lives in the area, and stepmother Denise, who’s half Filipino. They often barbecued something in the garden (bliss!) but when it was a little cool to barbecue (which happens even in California), Denise might make a simple braised dish, and I have fond memories of this divine Filipino chicken, fall-off-the-bone tender and flavorful, a little sweet a little savory a little caramelized, served over white rice.
It is a perfect illustration of the Instant Pot in slow-cooking mode: you just plop all the ingredients in the inner pot, stir, turn the pot on, and go about your day. You can even set it up before you leave for work in the morning, and come home to find you supper waiting for you, and it is still hot, à la Where The Wild Things Are.
The braising liquid is a simple combination of cider vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar, with bay leaves, black pepper, and garlic. It is easy to keep those on hand, and all you need to get is fresh chicken legs. To make it into a complete dish, I add Napa cabbage or boy choy at the very end, and it is very very good. I serve it over white rice, as Denise does, or with a mix of rice and legumes I buy pre-made at the organic store, called riz mélo.
I think I’ve made it clear I have really good things to say about the Instant Pot, and I recommend it, but this braised Filipino chicken can also be made with a pressure cooker or an ordinary stew pot; I’ve included the corresponding instructions in the recipe below.
My model of Instant Pot, My Instant Pot, available on Amazon.
PS: The napkins in the pictures are DIY cloth napkins. This tutorial is one of my all-time most popular posts!
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Ingredients
- 4 organic chicken legs, cut in half at the joint
- 1 tablespoon oil for cooking (optional, see recipe)
- 2 yellow onions, finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 80 ml cider vinegar
- 80 ml soy sauce (substitute tamari is gluten-free, coconut aminos if paleo)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (use honey if paleo)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns, roughly crushed with the flat of the knife
- 300 grams (2/3 pounds) thinly sliced Napa cabbage or bok choy
- Steamed white rice, for serving (cauliflower “rice” for paleo)
Instructions
- In the slow cooker, combine the chicken with the onions, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, bay leaf, and pepper.
- Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, until the meat and onions are very tender.
- Add the cabbage, switch to high temperature mode, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the cabbage is just cooked through.
- Note: If your slow cooker has a searing function, you can start by browning the chicken on all sides in the tablespoon of oil, about 5 minutes on each side.
- In the pressure cooker set over medium heat, brown the chicken on all sides in the tablespoon of oil, about 5 minutes on each side.
- Add the onions, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, bay leaf, and pepper.
- Bring the cooker to pressure and cook for 15 minutes before releasing the pressure. The meat and onions should be very tender.
- Add the cabbage and continue to cook, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the cabbage is just cooked through.
- In the pot set over medium heat, brown the chicken on all sides in the tablespoon of oil, about 5 minutes on each side.
- Add the onions, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, bay leaf, and pepper.
- Cover, bring to a simmer, and cook over gentle heat for 45 minutes, until the meat and onions are very tender.
- Add the cabbage and continue to cook, uncovered, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the cabbage is just cooked through.
- Ladle over steamed white rice.
Notes
- If you have an instant-read thermometer, use it to check that the chicken is cooked through; the target temperature is 74°C (165°F).
- You can add some lemongrass and/or ginger, thinly sliced, if you have them on hand.
- This tastes even better the next day.
