A Filipino Restaurant in Chicago Inspires Our 4th of July Main Dish This Year

Chicken gets top billing on the grill. (JeanMarie Brownson/TNS)

On the Fourth of July, we love inviting friends from far and wide to our backyard for a delicious celebration. When dusk falls, we’ll head to the local high school for patriotic music and fireworks.

Before the pyrotechnics, we’ll make some of our own by lighting the grill. The afternoon begins with an array of foods that represent our recent international favorites. For example, our party might start with skewered olives, peppers, and anchovies (known as Gildas) from our travels to Spain, alongside red wine mixed with lemonade. Roasted peppers with garlic and fresh herbs, from a fall trip to Provence, make a beautiful side dish to anything off the grill.

Chicken gets top billing on the grill. A Filipino restaurant in Chicago inspires our holiday chicken this year. There, we relished the highly flavored, salty, acidic plate of chicken adobo, considered the national dish of the Philippines. This adobo is vastly different from the red chile adobo versions of Mexico or the Spanish adobo condiment of oil and garlic.

As with most beloved national dishes, every cook makes a personal recipe; the restaurant version that we enjoyed simmered cut-up chicken in a braising liquid of vinegar, soy, whole garlic cloves, aromatic bay leaves, and plenty of black pepper. The restaurant reduces the braising liquid to a glaze to coat the tender chicken and flavor the accompanying white rice.

At home, I employ those same flavors as a marinade and opt for grilling the chicken rather than braising it. The same marinade ingredients become a golden brown glaze for the finished chicken.

Palm vinegar often forms the base of the marinade and braising liquid. Because many brands contain preservatives, I prefer a combination of organic apple cider vinegar and mild, unseasoned rice vinegar. Select an all-purpose soy sauce or gluten-free tamari sauce for color and flavor. Plenty of crushed fresh garlic and ginger enhance the vinegar and soy.

Adobo always arrives with steaming hot rice. In summer, a room-temperature rice salad would do the trick. I like to serve tangy, smashed cucumbers to refresh the palate.

For dessert, the Fourth of July calls for red, white, and blue. To our family, that means our favorite lemon sheet cake topped with white frosting and decorated with berries to resemble the flag.

Adobo-Glazed Chicken Drums

You can substitute 6 to 8 whole chicken wings, 3 to 3 1/2 pounds, for the drumsticks. Serve the wings as an appetizer.

Makes 5 or 6 servings

• 10 small chicken drumsticks, 3 to 3 1/2 pounds total

For the Marinade

• 1/3 cup soy sauce or tamari
• 1/3 cup unfiltered apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger or 1 1/2 tablespoons refrigerated ginger puree
• 3 or 4 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Adobo Glazing Sauce

• 1/2 cup soy sauce or tamari
• 1/4 cup unfiltered apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1/3 cup cold water
• 1 tablespoon agave syrup or corn syrup or light honey
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger or 1 tablespoon refrigerated ginger puree
• Green onions, sliced for garnish
• Small limes, cut into wedges, for serving

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Place in a large zippered plastic food bag. Mix marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over the chicken. Close bag securely. Turn to coat chicken well with the marinade. Lay the bag in a baking dish (to catch any leaks) and refrigerate. Let chicken marinate, turning the bag every so often, for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

Meanwhile, for the adobo glazing sauce, mix soy, vinegars, dissolved cornstarch, syrup, garlic, and ginger in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat. Stir constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil, about 3 minutes. Let cool. Refrigerate covered up to one week.

Preheat a gas grill to medium-hot or prepare a charcoal grill and let coals burn until covered with gray ash. Turn off burners on one side of the gas grill or arrange coals at the sides of the charcoal grill. The idea is to have two areas for cooking: one directly over the heat and the other away from the heat.

Remove chicken from marinade (discard marinade). Arrange chicken on grill directly over the heat source. Cover the grill and cook without turning for 10 minutes. Turn chicken. Cover grill and cook to nicely brown the second side, about 5 minutes. Move chicken to the cooler portion of the grill, away from the heat source. Grill covered until juices run clear, about 10 minutes. Baste generously with the glaze, cover grill for 2 minutes and turn chicken to repeat the glazing until all sides are nicely glazed.

Arrange chicken on a serving platter. Sprinkle with green onions. Garnish with lime wedges. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Smashed Cucumbers With Ginger and Mint

This salad can be made one day in advance. Add the green onions, mint, and cilantro just before serving.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

• 2 large seedless cucumbers, ends trimmed
• 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar (or 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar and 1 teaspoon agave syrup)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon refrigerated ginger puree or grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 2 green onions, trimmed, chopped
• 1/4 cup loosely packed sliced fresh mint leaves
• Fresh cilantro leaves

Use the tines of a fork and draw it down the length of the cucumber to lightly score the skin on all sides. Cut cucumber in half lengthwise. Lay cut side down on a cutting board. Pound with a meat mallet or small heavy skillet to crush the cucumber lightly. Cut into 1-inch pieces.

Mix vinegar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, salt, and pepper flakes in the bottom of a serving bowl. Stir until salt dissolves. Add cucumber pieces and carrots. Stir well. Refrigerate, covered, about 1 hour.

Serve cucumbers generously sprinkled with onions, mint, and cilantro.

Dear Readers: We would love to hear from you. What topics would you like to read about? Please send your feedback and tips to [email protected]