Chicken Adobo - cooking recipe

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs
1 quart water
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 - 1/2 cup soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
8 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thin
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preparation

In a large mixing bowl combine thawed chicken, water and salt.
Allow chicken to soak several minutes while preparing the other ingredients.
Just before adding to frying pan, drain on paper towels.
In a medium saucepan combine water, vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaves and pepper.
Heat on medium low setting, covered, about 15 minutes.
In a 12\" skillet or chicken fryer combine oil and sliced garlic over medium low heat.
Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Drain chicken pieces and add, skin side down, to garlic oil, increasing heat to medium high.
Cook 5 minutes per side.
Reduce heat to simmer and pour vinegar-soy mixture over chicken.
If finishing adobo in skillet, partially cover pan and continue cooking, turning occasionally for 30-40 minutes, or until sauce is reduced by half.
Alternate Slow Cooking Method: After browning chicken, place in 3 or 4 quart slow cooker, on low setting.
Pour vinegar-soy mixture over top, and cook 2 hours, covered.
Remove cover, increase setting to high and finish cooking an additional 1 hour.
Variations May substitute 1 1/2 pounds either cubed pork or beef for the chicken.
Brown 1\" cubes on all sides a total of 5 minutes, then proceed as above.
Stew meat works well here.
May use one, (1 to 1 1/2 pound), package boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts in place of the regular chicken thighs.
May replace one cup of water in the vinegar-soy mix with same amount of coconut milk.
Proceed as above.
*Discard bay leaves before serving.