Got leftover adobo and/or leftover rice? This Adobo Fried Rice recipe is one of the best leftover recipes you can make that combines two dinner faves! It's a quick and flavorful family dinner that you can make in under 30 minutes.
My Filipino-American family loves chicken adobo. It's a classic Filipino dish that's the unofficial national dish of the Philippines.
One of our favorite recipes to make is our Instant Pot Chicken Adobo, which we cook often. And, we make Spam Fried Rice and Filipino Fried Rice often. So when we happen to have leftovers, guess what's one of our favorite rice recipes that we love to make?
That's right: Adobo Fried Rice!
This is a delicious family dinner that's a creative way to make the most of leftovers. Whether you have leftover chicken adobo or leftover rice - or both! - it's a quick and easy recipe. Perfect for those busy weeknights when you are feeling too tired for anything other than leftovers!
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🌟 Why this recipe works
This Adobo Fried Rice is a winner and I hope you and yours love it as much as we do!
- Easy - Any home cook, whether you are a beginning cook or a pro, can make this recipe! I've included step-by-step photos below to help you see how easy it is to make.
- Fast - One of the best things about leftover fusion recipes how quickly they come together. Because you're not starting totally from scratch, this is a dinner recipe that you can get on the dinner table quickly.
- Flavorful - With big flavors from two favorite Filipino dishes, this recipe delivers a lot of flavor in every bite.
🛒 Ingredient notes
- Leftover chicken adobo and adobo sauce - You can use any amount of meat from leftover chicken adobo. Ours is made with 2 - 3 cloves garlic (or more!), onions, soy sauce, white vinegar, paprika, and bay leaves.
- Cooked Calrose rice - Hinode Calrose rice is one of the best types of rice you can use for fried rice. Cook it a day ahead of time or even an hour ahead of time for the best results.
- Vegetable oil - When cooking fried rice, use a neutral cooking oil such as vegetable oil or olive oil. You can also use peanut oil.
- Soy sauce - Even though the adobo is cooked in soy sauce and white vinegar, I like to add a little bit when cooking it with the adobo rice. This helps add that classic adobo flavor that might get lost if you no longer have enough adobo sauce with the leftover adobo chicken.
- Spring onions - Thinly slice green onions to add a bright herbal flavor to each bite.
- Fresh parsley - Garnish the fried rice with chopped parsley.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
A full list of ingredients and detailed cooking instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here are step-by-step photos to help you make the most delicious chicken adobo fried rice!
- If using fresh rice: In a large pot, boil water and add the uncooked rice. Cook rice according to package instructions. If you're using day-old rice, start with Step 2.
- Meanwhile, take all of the chicken meat off of the bones and shred with two forks or chop into small pieces.
3. Heat vegetable oil in a wok over medium-high heat.
4. Once the wok is hot, add the leftover chicken meat and any leftover adobo sauce and cook, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute.
5. Add the fried rice. Stir constantly and cook for 2 minutes.
6. Add some of the adobo sauce - just enough as needed. Save the rest or discard.
7. Cook and stir together until all of the ingredients are heated through and the added sauce has been evenly distributed.
👩🏻🍳 Cooking tips and recipe FAQs
Topping ideas, substitutions, and mix-In ideas:
- Top each serving with a fried egg.
- Chop up any leftover or extra vegetables in your fridge and stir-fry into the fried rice.
- Substitute leftover pork adobo to make pork adobo fried rice.
- Fried rice is best if you use day-old rice. But you can also use fresh rice.
- Feel free to add a little more soy sauce, oyster sauce, or hoisin sauce to add extra flavor to this easy adobo fried rice.
You can use almost any type of white rice to make fried rice. I love using Calrose rice, jasmine rice, and basmati rice.
Yes! You can use pork adobo leftovers in this recipe instead of chicken adobo.
A best part about fried rice? It's even better the next day! Since this dish already contains leftovers, it's best to store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3 or 4 days.
🍽 Serving ideas
Like most fried rice, this rice dish can be served as either a main course or a side dish.
This adobo fried rice is absolutely delicious served with any of these Filipino side dishes:
- Lumpia (Filipino egg rolls)
- Pancit Bihon
- Asian Carrot and Cucumber Salad
If you're serving this as a side dish, consider serving it along with any of these main dishes:
🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
The tangy flavors of adobo pair well with either a high acidity white wine or a fruit forward light-bodied red wine.
If you're in the mood for a dry white wine, pair this adobo fried rice with a Chenin Blanc.
If you're in the mood for a high acidity red wine, pair this dish with a Pinot Noir or Gamay.
🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment
Ready to make this recipe? Here are the kitchen tools and equipment you'll need:
- Wok - Use a high quality wok to cook this dish. If you don't have a wok, you can use a skillet with high sides.
- Wooden spoon - Fried rice needs to be constantly stirred and moved around the wok. Use a wooden spoon to do this.
More Filipino recipes
Love Filipino food? Be sure to check out our entire Filipino recipe collection.
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Adobo Fried Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked rice
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 - 1½ cups meat from leftover chicken adobo, taken off the bone and chopped or shredded
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon sliced green onions plus more for garnish
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- In a rice cooker or large pot, cook the rice according to package directions. While the rice is cooking, take the leftover chicken meat off the bones and shred or chop into small pieces. Set the meat aside.
- Add the oil to a wok over medium-high heat. Once it's hot, add the leftover chicken meat and stir to heat up, about 1 minute.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly to keep the garlic from burning.
- Add the cooked rice, soy sauce, and green onions. Stir and cook about 2 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
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