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A veganized version of a Filipino dish that is packed with bold flavors and is spot on to the classic recipe. This vegan filipino chicken adobo is easy to make and will be ready in about 30 minutes. With a marinade of vinegar, black peppercorns, bay leaves, and tamari, it has the perfect balance of sweet and sour, with a kick!
Today’s recipe is a bit different than others we have shared on our blog. I don’t want to be corny, but this dish truly does have a special place in my heart. I am excited to share a piece of my family with you to enjoy and I hope you love it! 🙂
Adobo has many different connotations across various cultures, but in the Philippines, adobo refers to a whole dish and not a specific marinade or spice blend. Many people have even claimed it to be the “national dish of the Philippines”. There are many different ways to make adobo (according to the region of origin in the Phillippines), and proportion (and even presence) of ingredients like soy sauce, bay leaves, garlic, or black pepper can vary from recipe to recipe. The recipe we are sharing today is based on how my family used to make it in the Philippines (Palawan).
When my mom came up to visit us in Washington in September, I took her to one of my favorite a restaurants (ever) called Ichiza. Not only did I want her to try their delicious food, but I also wanted to introduce her to their veganized versions of classic Filipino dishes she (and I) grew up eating. She was BLOWN away. She actually called the waiter over and talked to him for a good 5 minutes trying to get him to spill the deets on the recipe. Of course, he didn’t share, but he did give us some motivation to make our own.
Adobo was THE dish of my childhood. We had it at every family gathering (and still do to this day), and it was even something I requested every year on my birthday along with some pancit (Filipino noodles). After going vegan, I was sure that I was never going to be able to have the same adobo I grew up eating veganized. And by that, I mean I thought I wouldn’t be able to enjoy an adobo that was as nostalgic as the recipe my mom and aunties made for me growing up. Ichiza gave us the hope to squash that belief and try harder, and well, here we are!
My mom has on and off experimented with adobo for the last 6 years or so, since I started my vegan journey. She has tried various different vegan meat substitutes (store0bought seitan, jackfruit, tempeh, mushrooms) as well as all vegetable adobo, but nothing quite hit the spot. It wasn’t until I started eating more soy curls that I got the idea to try them out in the recipe. Soy curls are widely available up here in the Pacific Northwest, so when she came up to visit, we grabbed a few bags and tested it out. We also did more research to perfect the recipe–and by that I mean my mom called my aunties and asked them what they do and why. We made the changes we needed, and four batches later, we got it!
If you’re looking for more vegan Filipino dishes, we’ve got you covered!
- Vegan Filipino Chicken Afritada
- Vegan Filipino Garlic Fried Rice (Sinangag)
- Vegan Pandesal aka Filipino Bread Rolls
- + We have a ton in our ebook, Planting Our Roots (now offered at a discounted price!). In it, we have recipes for bibingka, pancit, beef stew and kare kare.
We originally used water instead of broth (in the video) but after testing it with broth, it is what we recommend for the best results. If you use broth, you do not need to drain it as mentioned in the instructions of the recipe. If you use water, drain it (like the video).
If you make this recipe, let us know what you think in the comments below! + If you post any photos on Instagram, make sure you tag us @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris so that we don’t miss it, we love seeing your photos!
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Vegan Filipino Chicken Adobo (Gluten-free)
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
Description
A veganized version of a Filipino dish that is packed with bold flavors and is spot on to the classic recipe. This vegan Filipino chicken adobo is easy to make and will be ready in about 30 minutes. With a marinade of vinegar, black peppercorns, bay leaves, and tamari, it has the perfect balance of sweet and sour, with a kick!
Ingredients
- 2 heaping cups soy curls*
- 4 cups Vegan chicken broth (or vegetable broth of choice) * (see notes)
- ¼ cup liquid refined coconut oil* (or cooking oil of choice)
- 5 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 5 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 small (1 ½ cups) white onion, finely diced
- 2 small (2 cups) potatoes, peeled and cut into medium-sized pieces
- 1 medium (1 cup) carrot, peeled and cut into medium-sized pieces
- 1 cup reduced sodium tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten-free)
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar*
- 1-inch fresh ginger, sliced (optional)
- 4–5 tablespoons light brown sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the soy curls. Add the broth to a small pot and bring to a boil. Remove the pot from heat. Add the soy curls into the pot and use a spoon to mix and make sure that every piece is covered. Allow the soy curls to rehydrate for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, set a medium sauté pan over medium heat and add in the oil. Once heated, add in the bay leaves and black peppercorns, and cook for 1 minute.
- Next add in the minced garlic and continue cooking until golden brown, being sure not to burn it. Add in the white onion and cook for 1 minute more, then add in the potatoes and carrots and mix until well combined. Adjust the heat to medium-low and cover the pot. Allow the vegetables to cook through for about 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, mix the soy curls (with the broth) into the pan along with the soy sauce, vinegar and ginger. Push the mixture to the side with a cooking utensil and mix 4 tablespoons of brown sugar into the liquid portion until mostly dissolved, then mix through.
- Bring the mixture to boil over medium heat, cover the pot again and allow it to simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through. Adjust seasoning to taste. We added in 1 more tablespoon of brown sugar.
- Remove from heat and cool before serving. If you would like, you can remove the bay leaves and peppercorns as best you can, but my family leaves them in and we just eat around them.
- Serve with brown or white rice and enjoy!
Notes
- We tested this recipe with several different meat substitutes and we were the happiest with the soy curls. We have also made this recipe using our seitan chicken, but we did not list that in the recipe as it would require you to make that from scratch since it would taste different than store-bought seitan. If you would like to make the homemade chicken seitan, just follow all of the steps up until the boiling. After you boil the seitan, it will be ready for the adobo. We suggest also making the seitan pieces 1/2 of the size that you would have used in that recipe for the nuggets.
- We originally used water instead of broth in the video, but after testing it with broth, it is what we recommend for the best results.
- Check your local health food store or even Whole Foods for Soy Curls. If you are unable to find them local to you, they are available on Amazon.
- We used refined coconut oil to ensure that there was no coconut flavor in the dish.
- Apple cider vinegar is our preferred vinegar for this recipe. We tested it with white vinegar as well and it was too strong for our liking.
- Adobo is traditionally made with pork or chicken, but since we are using soy curls here, we added ¼ cup of oil to try and mimic the fat content that the non vegan version has. It seems like a lot, but keep in mind that there are 6 servings.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Entree, Dinner
- Method: One Pot
- Cuisine: Vegan, Filipino
Nutrition facts label provided by Nutri Fox.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional’s advice. This page may contain affiliate links, which simply means that we earn a commission if you purchase through those links, but your price remains the same. Thank you for supporting Sweet Simple Vegan!
I just made this (sans the veg- my mother in law made veg to the side, not with) and this is spot on! Now, since I’m the only vegan in the house, can I freeze it or, if not, how long does it keep in the frig?
I haven’t had adobo in years since I quit meat. This is delicious! Thank you!
Fantastic recipe and I think it got even better leftover. I ate the last of it cold from the fridge and was still excellent. I did tweak a bit and added extra veg. It has a lot of liquid and next time I will double the veg. I did a water saute instead of oil. So good. Thank you.
I made this dish with fried tofu and it came together beautifully. As a vegan who grew up in the Philippines, this recipe has brought me back to my childhood and I will definitely be making it again. Every bite is just so flavourful and makes me happy. Thank you so much for this recipe!
My husband and I love this recipe so much! Thank you for sharing it! I love the combination of tangy and slightly sweet flavors in the broth. I have made it about half a dozen times and keep coming back. Made it for my parents too, and they both enjoy it as well. My dedicated omnivore father even asked for seconds!
P.s. I’ve started making my own seitan chickn and I usually use that instead of soy curls. But that’s a whole project, and I sometimes use other fake chickn from the fridge section in the grocery store, in a pinch. The broth flavor really is what makes the dish though 🙂
Hi, will it be okey to make this vegan adobo using the gardein chick n’ strips?
Thanks for your reply.
Hey! Yes, that should work fine 🙂 Hope you love it!
It was delicious and a hit for my church’s Filipino theme potluck! Reminded me of before I became a vegan and ate this all the time with my Nanay. ❤️
This is simmering on my stove now and I was reading the other reviews I now see mine will basically be soup because your instructions on step four clearly state “mix in the soy curls (with the broth)” Grrrr why didn’t you instead say drain the soy curls and add to the pan?!?!
The broth will cook off! The idea is to infuse as much flavor into the soy curls as possible.
Just made this for my Filipino nephew who is not a vegan but loved this dish! He said that he only knew it was vegan because he knew I wouldn’t cook anything with animal products. This is a total success! Thank you for veganizing traditional dishes. Please continue to expand the Filipino/Asian offerings.
I grew up with my mom making chicken adobo for me. I am half Filipino and I went vegan 2 years ago, and I have really missed being able to eat some of the Filipino food my mom used to make me. Well this recipe brought me back to my beloved childhood meal!!! It tasted so close to the one my mom used to make! I love how simple this recipe is. I can’t wait to try more of your Filipino recipes!
This is my go to when I have to cook! I was even able to make it while living in the dorms when I was in college. Great recipe and easy to follow instructions! I feel closer to my Filipino side when I make this.
Delicious and my Filipino family was so impressed by how it turned out– they couldn’t believe it was vegan! Thank you so much for this recipe <3
Words can’t explain just how good this dish was.
This dish was easy to make and the flavors were amazing.
You will not be disappointed in any way.
This recipe made me do the happy dance. It is very good and simple to pull together. Thanks for sharing
My husband is Filipino and enjoyed this vegan adobo very much! I put the soy curls in the air fryer at the end to crisp it up and it turned out delicious! I highly recommend using the airfryer for the soy curls.
Nice twist! Never tried an adobo recipe with carrots. Looks so colorful and yummy!