Chicken Adobo and Simmered Kabocha Bento

Chicken Adobo and Simmered Kabocha Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Chicken adobo (recipe here), simmered until the meat falls tenderly apart, is packed in a lettuce cup in one section of my favorite MRB. I also simmered some kabocha wedges in the sauce for added flavor and textural interest, and placed them in the next section alongside steamed broccoli and a purple carrot skewer. Some cara cara orange slices and scattered blueberries finish out this bento for my second-grader. Has it seemed like there's been a lot of chicken and kabocha going around? Well, I guess because it's a fantastic combo. Have you tried it yet? Next up are red kabochas at our house. I just picked up some mini ones last weekend. Pretty and yummy!

Chicken Adobo Bento

Chicken Adobo Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Today's Earth Day bento contains chicken adobo, a pea/jade rice cup with carrot and nori details made to look like a lion, cottage cheese with blackberries and chopped almonds, a few broccoli spears, and a fruit cup of mandarins and sliced kiwi.

I used Ivoryhut's recipe for the chicken adobo, although there are many variations you can try. Here's the recipe I used, adapted from Ivoryhut:

Chicken Adobo

8 chicken thighs
6 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 cup shoyu
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 T packed brown sugar
cracked pepper

Mix everything together in the pot you'll be cooking in.
Marinate at least 20 minutes.
Bring to boil, then reduce heat, cover and cook 15 minutes.
Remove cover, flip chicken, and continue to simmer until fully cooked, and liquid has reduced.

Super easy, right? The chicken gets nice and dark and tender, and the sauce thickens and becomes rich dark brown. The flavor is tangy and sweet, and the sauce is amazing over rice and with veggies. Your kids will eat the whole head of broccoli if you let them dip it in the sauce. Yum!

Finally, I used all stainless steel for this bento -- the box, cups, chopsticks and spoon (not pictured). Well, the heart and earth picks are plastic. All reusable. Yay!