Slow cooked Balsamic Chicken aka Soy free Chicken Adobo

We just had our first teaser of snow here in New Jersey.  Though I’m praying for at least 12 inches, my luck ran out.  Oh wait, let’s see how much is in store tomorrow.  Winter is just starting after all.

With the arrival of the colder temperatures, this season also brings along cravings for hearty comfort food. For a Filipino household in particular, what else can be more homey than a warm Chicken Adobo served with steamed white rice?

Considered as the national dish of the Philippines, Adobo, is a stew made with either pork or chicken slow cooked in a concoction of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and lots of black pepper. Simple yet the flavors are complex and not mention delectable.

The sauce alone mixed with rice is enough to make my children ask for seconds and even more. Can you just imagine the sad faces I got when I told them that we can’t have the dish anymore because of the Child #2 and Child #3’s soy allergy?

Since then, it became my mission to recreate their beloved Adobo.  After countless attempts, finally, this recipe was born.  By using balsamic vinegar instead of the traditional white cane vinegar, the dish was able to get that familiar sweet and savory notes that soy sauce brings. Not to mention, the deep dark caramelized color.