Padma Lakshmi reveals adobo recipe that didn’t make it to ‘Taste the Nation’ episode

Indian-American TV host Padma Lakshmi shared that adobo is one of her all-time favorite dishes | Screencap from @padmalakshmi/Instagram

While Padma Lakshmi may have just recently discovered Jollibee fried chicken (and has fallen head over heels for it), it turns out there’s another Filipino chicken dish that she’s loved for a long time.

In an Instagram post, the Indian-American TV host and former “Top Chef” host shared a recipe for chicken adobo. Lakshmi said she was introduced to this Filipino recipe through her closest friends in high school who were Filipino American. “I always loved when their parents made chicken adobo for dinner.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Padma Lakshmi (@padmalakshmi)

Her recipe uses chicken thighs marinated in vinegar and spices and then browned on each side before gently simmering for an hour in a “luscious but tangy” sauce. “I could eat the sauce over rice forever,” she added.

Lakshmi also revealed that the recipe for chicken adobo was supposed to air as part of her travel and food show “Taste the Nation” Season 2’s Filipino episode titled “Ube in the Bay,” but was cut for time.

You may also like: Adobo 101: Everything we need to know about the popular Filipino dish

In the 30-minute episode, she highlighted beloved Filipino dishes as told by immigrants. She covered the history of halo-halo, the multi-ethnic influences of kare-kare, and the care that goes into a bowl of sinigang, all while discussing the struggles of identifying as Filipino in a foreign land, shared by Filipinos in various sectors.