Peanut Butter Pork and Chicken Adobo

My husband, Speedy, has been doing quite a bit of cooking again and he comes up with pretty unique ideas for our meals. This peanut butter pork and chicken adobo, for instance.

Sharing flavors of Malaysian chicken satay, peanut butter takes the place of liver puree that I usually add to adobo during the last stage of cooking. Because sweetened peanut butter is used here, the cooked pork and chicken adobo is tangy, sweet and salty all at the same time.

Does the adobo have to have both pork and chicken? No, not really. You may go all pork or all chicken only. If using chicken, however, I suggest that you do not use breast all the way because adobo needs fat for maximum flavor, and chicken breast just doesn’t have enough fat to meet that requirement.

What kind of peanut butter is best? Smooth or chunky? Either will do. Use smooth is you want a silkier sauce. Use chunky if you prefer to get bits of crunch from pieces of peanut. Personally, I prefer smooth peanut butter. Roasted salted peanuts are added as garnish for the delightful crunch that adds an interesting texture to the peanut butter pork and chicken adobo.

Peanut Butter Pork and Chicken Adobo

Cook your pork and chicken adobo as usual, and pour in diluted sweetened peanut butter during the last few minutes of cooking.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Modern Filipino

Keyword: Adobo, chicken, Pork Stew

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings: 4 people

Author: Connie Veneracion

Ingredients

• 750 grams pork belly skin on
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil divided
• 1 whole garlic smashed and skins discarded
• 1 teaspoon peppercorns
• 2 to 3 bay leaves
• ¼ teaspoon oregano
• ½ cup vinegar divided
• ½ cup soy sauce divided
• 1 cup bone broth
• 750 grams chicken bone-in and chopped into serving-size pieces
• 5 tablespoons sweetened peanut butter
• roasted salted peanuts to garnish
• sliced scallions to garnish
• rice to serve

Instructions

• Cut the pork belly into two-inch cubes.
• Heat one tablespoon cooking oil in a pan.
• Brown the pork cubes. Give them quarter turns every minute or so to brown all sides evenly.
  
• Add the garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves and oregano.
• Pour in half of the vinegar and cook, uncovered, until the vinegar has been soaked up.
• Add the soy sauce and bone broth.
• Cover the pan and simmer for 30 minutes.
• When the pork has been simmering for 20 minutes, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in another pan.
• Brown the chicken pieces in the hot oil, turning them over for even browning.
  
• Add the browned chicken to the pork.
• Stir in the remaining vinegar and soy sauce.
• Simmer the pork and chicken together for another 30 minutes.
• Place the peanut butter in a bowl and pour in about four tablespoons of hot water. Stir until smooth.
  
• When the pork and chicken are done (see notes after the recipe), pour the peanut butter mixture over them and stir.
• Simmer the peanut butter pork and chicken adobo for another minute.

Cook’s Notes

If you prefer a drier adobo (as against a saucy one), before adding the peanut butter, boil the adobo uncovered until the liquid has been reduced to your specification. 

As with any stew, this peanut butter pork and chicken adobo tastes even better the next day after it has sat in the fridge overnight.

To reheat the dish without danger of scorching, steam the peanut butter pork and chicken adobo in a heat-proof bowl. If you do that while cooking your rice, the adobo and the rice will be ready at the same time.

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