Recipe: Chef Rosebud Benitez's Chicken Adobo with Lemongrass

MANILA, Philippines — Adobo isn’t the country’s "National Dish" for nothing. 

A very versatile dish whose name refers more to a cooking technique than a dish, it comes in many variants, including chicken, pork, chicken and pork, chicken feet, atay (chicken liver), balun-balunan (chicken gizzard), even duck and lamb. They also differ in terms of ingredients used, with Adobo sa Puti using only vinegar and no soy sauce, while Adobong Pula adds achuete (annatto) to the equation. The regions offer a variety of adobo dishes.    

This one, whipped up by Chef Rosebud Benitez-Velasco for her Healthy Cooking with Tefal Cookware demo, banks on the refreshing flavor of lemongrass (tanglad) for a twist.

Chicken Adobo with Lemongrass

Ingredients:

250 grams chicken breast

3 Tbsps. canola oil

3 Tbsps. fish sauce

10 pcs. garlic cloves, minced

3 Tbsps. Lee Kum Kee Soy Sauce

1 1/2 pcs. lime, juiced

Crushed black peppercorns

1 cup chicken stock

3-4 pcs. lemongrass stalks, pounded

1/2 Tbsp. Lee Kum Kee Chili Garlic Sauce

Basil leaves

Procedure:

1. In a Tefal Expertise Shallow Pan, heat oil. Add chicken pieces. Sear both sides. Add the fish sauce and the garlic.

2. Add soy sauce and lime juice.

3. Season with crushed black peppercorns.

4. Add chicken stock and lemongrass

5. Add chili garlic sauce.

6. Garnish with basil leaves.