Crispy Flaked Chicken and Pork Adobo

I first read about crispy adobo flakes from the Filipino cookbook MEMORIES OF PHILIPPINE KITCHENS by Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan. As much as I wanted to try it at the time I was deterred by deep frying. That was 4½ years ago. Last week, I discovered the flaked adobo doesn't have to be deep fried. A tablespoon or two of olive oil and a cast iron pan do the job well. I was reheating some left over pork and adobo in a cast iron pot and left it for a few minutes on medium heat. The meat on the bottom of the pot became crunchy. I turned off the heat, let the meat cool down a bit, then I flaked them, returned some to the pot with a tablespoon of olive oil and pan fried, while stirring every 2 minutes until dark brown and crispy. There, crunchy flavorful adobo flakes without the inconvenience of deep frying.

Crispy Flaked Pork and Chicken Adobo
1 pound boneless chicken pieces
1 pound skinless pork belly, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 cup coconut or apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 whole garlic bulb, skinned and smashed
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
extra virgin olive oil for frying

• Place all ingredients, except olive oil for frying, in a medium nonstick pan and cook until dry, stirring once or twice. [Do not add water.] Remove bay leaf and discard. Let cool and flake meat. Fry small batches in a cast iron skillet on medium heat until golden to dark brown and crunchy. Serve as appetizer, on pandesal, or with rice.