‘Adobo Queen’ reinvents adobo with US poultry
MILLIE: A proud and shining moment, one warm but breezy afternoon, was seeing my cousin Nancy, the self-proclaimed “Adobo Queen,” in cooking action with the esteemed US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson at latter's residence in Makati. The occasion was the book launch of Nancy Reyes-Lumen’s Adobo Collection, in partnership with the US Poultry and Egg Export Council and the United Soybean Board.
Nancy takes pride in sharing tips and her adobo know-how, gathered from extensive learnings, research, and self-cooking trials in her own test kitchen. She shares her priceless and treasured recipes and her most popular belief that “adobo should be slow-cooked, not rushed!”
At the cooking demo, she explains to Ambassador Carlson that marination is the first important step and states with utmost conviction that massaging the basic ingredients is key to capturing the perfect adobo flavor. Nancy puts her hands to work in kneading motion and rubs the fresh adobo flavors onto plump and juicy US poultry leg quarters which she favors because they are meaty with lots of skin and fat.
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KARLA: Ninang Nancy says that for a dish to be considered adobo, it should have a souring agent. In the Philippines, we have several varieties of vinegar varying from different regions; however, the souring agent doesn't even have to be vinegar to be considered adobo. The recipes in her cookbook use calamansi, tomatoes, lemon juice, as well as Japanese rice vinegar and apple cider vinegar. Interesting recipes I would love to try are the US Chicken Adobo Paella, US Chicken Adobo Tamales sa Palayok, and the US Chicken Adobo Galette, which is marinated, stir-fried, and baked on a pie dough.
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MILLIE: Nancy is currently based in Houston, Texas, where she resides with her husband Bob, and is in Manila to visit family and friends. She has rediscovered herself as a wonderful singer and performed at Red Rhino with the Music and Magic band. To keep fit, she is now also into ballroom dancing twice a week at The Studio with some of our cousins!
KARLA: The event was widely attended by trade partners such as importers, retailers, chefs, restaurateurs, and content creators. While the cookbook is not for sale and was given to attendees of the event, several recipes are already available on the US Poultry Facebook page.
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Buttery Baked US Chicken Adobo
Time: Prep 30 minutes / Bake 30-40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
8 US chicken thighs/drumsticks, make slits on the meaty parts
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Marinade:
- 2 tbsps. calamansi juice
- 4 tbsps. soy sauce
- 2 tbsps. oyster sauce
- Dry rub:
- 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp. garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup salted butter, melted + olive oil
- 1 cup cheddar cheese or ½ cup sharp parmesan cheese
*Nancy's note: Or why not use queso de bola?
Procedure:
- In a bowl, marinate the US chicken drumsticks. Massage for three minutes and let stand for 30 minutes or more.
- Combine the dry rub ingredients and season the US chicken. Let stand for another 15 minutes.
- On medium heat, pan-fry the chicken in butter-olive oil and brown on all sides. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Line the baking dish with the butter-olive oil and marinade. Arrange the US chicken in the baking dish. Sprinkle with herbs and cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350ºF for 25 minutes. Check for doneness (165ºF). Remove the foil cover and bake uncovered to brown for five minutes.
Let the dish rest for five minutes before serving.
