Adobo Chicken Wings
"This dish is fully inspired by my dad," says chef Anna Swann. "His family's chicken adobo is the first Filipino dish he taught me how to make when I first started getting into cooking." At her pop-up, Ulam, in Dallas, Swann combines the flavors of chicken adobo with another childhood favorite, fried chicken wings. The resulting Adobo Chicken Wings are flavored to the bone thanks to a stint in an umami-rich soy sauce and vinegar marinade. While they bake, the marinade is cooked down to concentrate its flavors — the better for tossing the cooked wings in — adding a final, sticky, finger-licking layer of deliciousness. "This dish was a natural blend of the two dishes, an ode to some of my favorite meals he cooked for us," Swann says. "I also think this dish shows the beauty of Filipino food. How it can take simple ingredients and the end result is a rich complex layering of flavors. So simple, but so good!" Serve the Adobo Chicken Wings as Swann does, with steamed rice and a bright and acidic Filipino Pico, which combines chopped fresh tomatoes with herbs, fish sauce, and thin slices of serrano chile.