In a heavy pot on medium high heat with oil, add chicken and lightly brown on all sides. You don’t have to be precious about browning the chicken completely at this point. Sometimes I don’t even brown my chicken at all! Just make sure you dump all of your chicken in the pot to get it started.
To the pot, add garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, bay leaves, peppercorns, and just enough water to cover the top of the chicken.
Uncovered, bring adobo to a boil.
Once adobo reaches a boil, cover pot, turn down heat and simmer on medium low for 45 minutes, stirring once or twice.
After 45 minutes, uncover pot and cook for 15-20 minutes to reduce the liquid.
Keep the adobo on the stove on medium low to low heat until ready to eat. The sauce will continue to reduce and thicken while deepening in flavor.