Adobo Chicken with Ginger

I am part Filipino and generations of my family have always browned the chicken pieces first, in a little oil with one small, chopped onion in a separate skillet - then transfer to soup pot or dutch oven. Browning the chicken with onion first makes a huge difference to the flavor. I use 1/4 cup red wine vinegar and 1 cup water. Eliminate the white vinegar and peppercorns. Add a little salt if needed. You can also substitute fresh garlic with a generous amount of garlic powder or granulated garlic. It's delicious!

i am filipino and this is a different version that i am used to .. but it is very good. the key is the right mix of vinegar to soy,*here is my mom's take on this....after boiling the adobo, pan fry in chicken to 2-3 tbsp. of oil.once it has brown, add the adobo sauce till you get a rich sauce . (once you cook it a few times you will get it.) i just can't eat it with plain rice... fry garlic till brown and add "day old rice and a bit of salt" yummy!

I love chicken adobo... I make it from time to time but not following any particular recipe. I thought i would follow this recipe and see how it turns out. I thought the vinegar was way to overpowering. I think its best to use equal parts soy/vinegar. I also prefer to add aprox. 1 cup of water.(which i didnt do with this recipe) It ended up way to strong. I give it a 3 because i wouldn't make it following this exact recipe again.

I m ake chicken adobo got it from a sweet little Phooipine lady years ago. Very similar to this recipe. Everthing the same except she told me 1/3 cup vinegar to 2/3 cup soy sauce. she also use 1 pkc Lipton cream of chicken soup and 1 cup water but I just use the can of soup too now. I debone my chicken sometimes or cut up whole chicken and cut breast and thighs in half for more portions. I just made it last night for friends and family my picky 10 year old son was begging for more today.

I made this tonight (foreign cuisine night) and it was awesome! I used quartered chicken pieces, and rice wine vinegar. I almost threw in the onions I'd cooked like another reviewer recommended but after a quick taste of the cooked chicken I discarded that idea as the dish was very flavorful in its own right. I'm positive we will make the again and again. I served with warm Japanese sushi rice (practicing for next week's meal) and it paired very well!

This is the worst recipe that I have had the misfortune of trying. This chicken tasted like vinegar. My step-son gagged and the only reason that my husband and I ate any is because it is what I had made for our dinner.

This tasty recipe is perfect as is! When I made this for my husband, he said it was delicious and very authentic. My husband grew up in the Philippines so he knows authentic Filipino food when he tastes it. For those not used to Filipino food, this dish may have too strong of a vinegar taste. You may want to reduce the vinegar to 1/2 cup. For extra kick, I added onions, more garlic, and a few whole jalepeno peppers. Overall, an excellent recipe! Thanks!

This recipe is pretty spot on. Being Filipina, you learn about dishes from the kitchen and not from recipes. However being away from the Philippines sometimes makes you forget, and measurements are really helpful. I think what this recipe doesn't discuss which is a very important step in making Chicken Adobo, is that before you turn on the heat, you need to let all of the ingredients sit for an hour. This lets the vinegar cook on its own. That way the dish never turns out vinegar-y. Instead, it has this awesome tangy taste. Also, if you add pork, the flavors are amazing. Chicken is good in itself though, if you don't eat pork. Lastly, if you can get a hold of "pandan leaves" Try stewing a leaf or two with this. Your guests will never be able to get enough.

Absolutely delicious! I love Chicken Adobo and I normally add a little water to the vinegar and low-sodium soy sauce. I did add a little pinch of white sugar. I grated fresh ginger instead of slicing it and used a few garlic cloves, not a whole garlic bulb. I added the bay leaves and lots of fresh ground black peppercorn to the sauce. I let the sauce come up to a full boil then added the chicken thighs, covered the pot and let it cook for 30 minutes, occasionally stirring and checking the chicken. I uncovered the pot and let the sauce simmer until some of the liquid reduced a bit, 5 minutes or so. I can't tell you how wonderful the soy sauce, garlic, ginger and vinegar smells in my house..Mmm...MMM!! The chicken is so juicy, tender and seasoned just perfectly! The flavors all balanced out in the sauce, each standing on it own, but not overpowering each other. The ginger is a nice touch to the sauce and flavored the chicken wonderfully. I poured extra sauce over my rice. This is a sauce you will have to adjust according to your tastes because while others like it more "vinegary", I prefer mine a little less which is why I always have to add a pinch of sugar with water. You can also use pork in place of chicken, which also tastes great. This paired perfectly with, "Roasted Corn with Garlic Rice, " and "Baby Bok Choy with Garlic," from this website.

OMG the chicken is amazing!!! The only change I made was that I had Skinless Chicken Leg Quarters, multi colored Pepper corns and after straining I cooked frozen Stir fry veggies in the sauce. Recipe lends itself to using chicken that isn't quite thawed. The cooking style ensures they thaw and cook corretly. I served it over a bowl of steamed Rice. Get a rice cooker and some good rice - it makes a meal like this.

My Mom is filipina too and this almost tasted like what she used to make. I called her before I made this and she told me to add a 1/4cup of water so that the chicken would be more tender. I had to also add a 1/4 of soy sauce because the vinegar was too strong. My mom never browned hers like some of the other reviewers suggested. She also only used thighs and drumsticks and she never used ginger. Next time I won't use white meat because the breasts didn't come out as tender as I hoped. The dark meat was good and it was falling off the bones.

im filipino and this dish is definitely a staple during parties and special events.. it is simple, easy to make..and definitely yummy...i just want you guys to try out putting a bit of white sugar..yes what you read is right..white sugar... to the mixture approximately half a cup, to thicken the mixture and give it a nice sweet, salty, sour taste. it's also a great way to balance out the vinegar for those who used too much. believe me it's gonna add more flavor to your dish...enjoy!!!

I've been making adobo since my husband got the recipe from his Filipino grandmother. He loved this dish growing up, and I've tried a few variations. His grandmother boiled the ingredients in water to cover, so that there would be plenty of that delicious juice to soak into the bowl of rice, and that's how the family likes it. For this version, I did add some water and used an equal ratio of soy to vinegar. The fresh ginger was something I'd never used before, and it added a subtle, delicious layer to that sauce. Will definitely make this again.

This adobo is as good as my friends mother's! It tasted a bit different than I remembered, maybe it's because of the ginger. Easy to make.

Took the advice of another and used 1/3 c. vinegar and 2/3 cup soy. Also used less chicken and dried pepper and ginger to guess.

This is the best Chicken Adobo I've ever had! It is 100% authentic (I lived in the Philippines for two years) One tip - use Silver Swan soy sauce (you can get it at Filipino stores), it is the most popular soy sauce in the Philippines and is a million times better than kikkoman or any other american soy sauce.

I used chicken thighs and pieces of pork butt cut into chunks. After the liquid was reduced I put the meat back into the sauce to simmer a few minutes before serving. My Filipino husband thought he had died and gone to Filipino Heaven! Entire family considers it a favorite dish. THANKS!

Doubled the sauce... othewise it was great!

I have made this chicken adobo several times in the past few months and it has never failed to turn out great. My only call out would be to make sure that you are trully simmer this dish once covered- addressing that once the lid is on the pot this will make the temperature rise. Not simmering will reduce the liquid too much, make it overwhelmingly salty, and won't leave you with enough sauce to pour over your rice. Also, cut down the amt of vinegar to half. Using only dark meat definitely makes the dish more flavorful.

Adobo isn't supposed to be sweet by any means. If you're gonna add sugar or honey, please don't call it adobo. That's teriyaki. In this recipe, the vinegar to soy sauce ratio is off. Needs much more soy sauce. My mother is Filipina and this was a household staple. She never used a recipe, just went by taste and that's how I've learned. You can know when it's right because the color of the chicken should be a deep brown from the soy sauce. Adobo is a salty dish on it's own. That's why it's served over plain white rice to cut it. Also, I'm not sure about the whole peppercorns, regular black peper is just fine. I've never heard of using ginger either. The bay leaves are a must, though!!!

This is pretty much how I make my adobo, minus the ginger and with equal parts soy sauce/vinegar/water. My Lolo was a chef for the Navy and he made his with Teriyaki sauce, too. I like to make different variations from time to time, but I prefer the equal parts of sauces because you won't get too salty or too much vinegar. Adding water really helps for people that can't handle the taste. I do like the addition of the ginger, as used in teriyaki chicken. I can't imagine making chicken adobo without bay leaves, garlic, and pepper.... lots of pepper!!! And I agree having plain jasmine rice is the best way to eat it. Tear up your chicken after boiling for an hour, stick it over the rice, add some of the sauce to it....yummy!!!!!! (I'm Filipino)

This was fantastic! I had adobo once when a co worker brought in huge pans full, and I forgot to ask her for the recipe. I used chicken drumsticks but followed everything else to the T. Picky daughter loved this and there were no leftovers. thanks so much.

This was just ok for us. My husband has been raving about the chicken adobo he had while deployed in Iraq so i searched around to find out how to make it. I tried his but he said what he had was more spicy sooo I just have to tweak or search again.

I used equal parts vinegar and soy sauce and diluted my soy sauce with a little water I also browned chicken 1st with some onion then marinated it all over night. The next day I put it all in the slow cooker. I would really recommend marinating the chicken if you have the time. Also I added some sugar to cut down on the sourness.

Note: I added 1 cup of water to barely cover the chicken. Outstanding. Made it for our Phillipine friend at Christmas dinner and she said it tasted like home. Good for everyone as it isn't very spicy but could take spice well if that is your thing.

The thought of it was good but the end result not so good. Far too much vinegar flavour for us. The only thing me and my boyfriend ate was the rice! Normally we love food like this but this recipe was just not for us!

This recipe was fabulous!! I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. I browned them along with shallots, sliced garlic, ginger, and 2 seeded jalepenos. I then added 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce, 1/2 cup of vinegar, 1 cup of water, and two tblsp brown sugar. After bringing mixture to a boil I added zuchinni cut into matchsticks. Thickened the mixture with a little flour. The results were amazing! served over jasmine rice. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!

Very easy and yummy recipe. The only thing I didn't care for was the lack of sauce afterward. All the chicken adobo I've had in the past has a thicker sauce. Maybe I'll had a bit of flower to the leftover sauce next time. Besides that one thing it was great. (Oh, and if you're not okay with vinegar tastes you won't care for chicken adobo, so just don't try it.)

Tastes just like Adobo should. Recipe is so good! Love it!

Very good recipe -- the measurments seem to work well together. My boyfriend had never had chicken adobo but he really enjoyed it!

Very tasty and definitely a keeper. I make adobo all the time. Ginger adds a nice touch. I browned my chicken first in garlic and not too much oil. Then cooked all for about 4 hours.

This recipe is simply amazing. I could eat this chicken every week and never tire of it. That said, I did feel that it was a little salty for my taste.. even with low sodium soy sauce. So I added about 1/4 cup of water and it is now perfect!!

Too much vinegar

Definitely a dish to make again and again. I use chicken breasts on the bone cut in half instead of dark meat. You can't get easier than throwing everything in pot and turning the flame on.

This was great! My husband and kids loved it! Will make again. Thanks for the recipe!

i thought this was an excellent dish. i also added lemon juice, carrots and potatoes and served it over rice. it was a complete meal! I started cooking right when I got home and by the time I had finished walking the dog and celaning up, dinner was ready!

this recipe is great. this is very similar to how my filipino mother cooks adobo except she puts more soy sauce then vinegar. A tip to reducing the tanginess flavor is by adding a pinch of baking soda until u reach your desired flavor of tanginess. works like a charm :)

It tasted great and was so easy to make! I used chicken breasts with the bone in and I think the leftover chicken will taste good in an oriental type salad.

Will definitely make it again when I'm craving chicken adobo. I followed a tip to not stir/disturb the meat otherwise it'll make it more vinegar tasting. There was a little tweaking to adjust for 2 people using 6 drumsticks+skin on (1.5 lb of meat), 1/2 the size of the original recipe basically. However, I used rice vinegar which is milder than American white vinegar. Minced up the ginger instead, used ready made minced garlic from a jar in our fridge instead whole fresh garlic, added equal parts of regular soy sauce to vinegar to water which was close to 1/4 cup of each & 1/4 cup of chicken broth. I basted the chicken with the liquid trying not to disturb the meat every 10 mins during that 30 mins which turned out still moist since my pot wasn't dutch oven type which would be smaller in comparison to the dutch oven. I ended up removing the chicken & adding cornstarch to the liquid to thicken the sauce. Will definitely make it again & consider using peppers for some spice or even the slow cooker to make it even more tender.

Excellent! This tastes is just like my mother's adobo. I added one cup of water as another reviewer suggested and it turned out perfect. I forgot to buy fresh ginger at the market so I used the powdered kind. It still turned out great. We're having it for dinner again tonight.

Sooo yummy! I did not use a whole chicken -- used a pack of boneless, skinless breast and a pack of boneless, skinless thighs. Also, after reading reviews I adjusted the amount of vinegar and added a cup of water. Everybody loved it.

Wow... I was very impressed with this dish...It was perfect for a low carber. I did add a little cornstarch flurry to thicken it up (That added 7 carbs to the entire dish)... I also added a teaspoon of splenda to balance out the taste and a little chicken broth. This is great with some steamed veggies. Will definitely make this again.

Followed the recipe to the T and I think its decent.

I'm Filipino and this is probably the best adobo I've ever had! It's very flavorful with the ginger and garlic. I like to use boneless and skinless drums/legs.

My whole family loves this recipe - even my pre-schooler who only eats mac-n-cheese or chicken nuggets!

YUMMY! Reminds me of every delicious Adobo Chicken dish I had as a kid.

I could see this being good, but next time I will make one change. For me personally, it was just too much vinegar! The dish tasted too sour. I caught myself making the puckered sour face! Next time I would probably do only 1/2 a cup of white vinegar.

This really is as good as everyone says it is! I tweeked it like many said to. I used red wine vinegar, added some sugar, chili powder, cumin and added sauted mushrooms, onions, add a few other veggies to the mix after it cooked. I served it over jasmine rice and WOW it was fantastic. My hubby loved it and I just shared this recipe with two co -workers. Thanks

marinate for awhile

I've made this a bunch of times, always with great results. I like to use 2 6-packs of boneless chicken thighs (or substitute 1 of the packs with a couple of thick boneless pork chops, cubed). I prefer to substitute at least half of the vinegar with cider vinegar, to cut down on the harshness of the vinegar, and to bring out a little tangy sweetness. I also use only about 1 teaspoon of peppercorns (counting them to make removal easier later). Before serving, I only try to remove the bay leaves and peppercorns, but I leave the bits of garlic and ginger in, since they add so much good flavor. My husband and our picky 2-year old love it, and so do I!

This recipe is SO good! Even my Filipino friends flip for it!

A nice change of pace and easy. I used corn starch to thicken the gravy. Also, I used chicken breast b/c it was all I had. I think it would have turned out better if I used dark meat on the bone.

I thought this recipe was really good. I especially liked the addition of the garlic. I browned the chicken first because I like the extra flavor it adds. This is perfect served with steamed rice and broccoli. The leftovers are great too.

This is a good recipe but I prefer the vinegar/soy ratio more even and I add water, like others have mentioned. I like to make this in the oven or slow cooker so I can go off and leave it. By the way, potatoes cut in large chunks are amazing. No butter needed when you eat them! Just add a vegetable or salad. Great meal.

I made this recipe last night and I got RAVE reviews from my husband, but I did make some adjustments...My step mother is from the heart of Manila and I remember going to Manila and spending lots of time there being cooked for by everyone...so my memory of Chicken Adobo was a bit different... I used 1 cup of chicken stock/broth instead of water. 1/4 cup of White Wine, 1/4 cup of Orange juice, 2 small potatoes. I also chose to brown the chicken in a pan with a bit of oil, garlic, onion and ginger and then added it to the cup of chicken stock/broth in the sauce pan. I did the same with the potatoes, letting them simmer for about 8 minutes before adding them to the mixture. Then I added the rest of the onion (I used one medium sized yellow onion.), garlic and ginger. As far as the vinegar/soy mix. I used 1 pound, .50 kilo's of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chunked, so I adjusted the mix to 3/4 cup of soy sauce and I used 3/4 cup of vinegar (Half white and half wine) Turned out...extraordinary!!!!!!! I will be making this one again...and again..........and again!!!!!!!

One of my faves and so easy to make. As others have mentioned, you have to play with the soy sauce/vinegar ratio to suit your taste (I like it 1:1 and use low-sodium soy sauce). Also, I marinate my chicken thighs in the sauce/aromatics mixture a few hours before cooking. Serve with garlic fried rice (another allrecipes recipe).

Yummy and Tender and Juicey

Sooo good! I used a crock pot on low for a few hours and then deboned and skinned the chicken and put the meat back in on warm until dinner time. I also used another reviewers suggestions and did 1 c water, 1/4 c soy and 1/2 c red wine vinegar then all of the seasonings.

Very tasty, however I expected the more traditional spicy (hot) adobo chicken. But it still makes a very good dinner.

Very flavorful. Will definitely make again Skimmed the fat before serving. We all loved it, the soy/vinegar/ginger seasonings were perfect. I'll make it again.

Thank you for this perfect adobo recipe! Yeah I'm filipino and I love this!

This was delicious. I added 2 cups of shredded carrots and used apple cider vinegar instead of regular. I used chicken breasts cut into strips and crock potted it for about 3 hours. Served it over basmati rice and it was just delicious.

This was quick and easy! I made it with boneless chicken breasts using apple cider vinegar(instead of white) and shallots. The sauce was thin so I thickened it with flour. I paired it with coconut flavored white rice, which complimented this dish so well. I would definately make this again!

Sooo delicious! I think I outdid my Philippino friends with this recipe! My daughter asks me to make this all the time! It's really easy, too! I added diced onions one time and it was really good.

This chicken is so delicious and easy. I played with the amounts and ended up with 1/2 cup soy sauce and 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, plus 1/2 cup water. This is a great recipe that can be easily changed to suit how intense you want the flavors to be. The chicken was extremely moist and was even good as left overs.

I used just chicken thighs instead of the whole chicken. It was just excellent! I've made a similar recipe several times before in the slow cooker, but this will definitely replace that dish. It was quick, easy, and delicious. Thanks, Liza

This was simple & so good! I loved the vinegar taste-- very exotic.

Awesome. We just adjusted the soy sauce a bit (added some more). The best soy sauce for this is the Lauriat soy sauce (it has a swan on its red label). The vinegar is called Datu Puti. Our Phillipino friend, who makes the BEST adobo in the world, only cooks adobo with these two brands. If you want it spicy, add little pieces of Thai chili pepper to taste, also known as rocket pepper. Habanero peppers work as well. GREAT recipe, basic but authentic. Thanks!

The vinegar was way too overpowering. I'm filipino and this is NOT how it should taste. Its not clear to me how this got such a high rating. Why doesn't allrecipes have the option for me to rate 0 stars??

I took one reviewer's word and added 1/2 cup of sugar... This is FANTASTIC! It's been added to our weekly menu!! So easy too! LOVIN IT@!@

easy and delicious!! Thanks!!

I love adobo and this is a great recipe. For those non-filipinos who think the soy sauce-vinegar is too heavy here is my solution: put 1 TBS soy sauce and 1 TBS apple cider vinegar in 1/2 cup and fill the rest with water. Use this mixture for 2 boneless skinlless chicken drumsticks (abour 1/2 pound). Enjoy!

we love it!!!

super easy to make and tasty :)

I tried it once just to be a little different and my family loved it. It has quickly worked its way into the rotation of meals regularly served at our house. I typically add a little less vinegar than called for and it turns out great.

My husband, who swears that adobo is his favorite food ever, LOVED this recipe!! It had a wonderful flavor and the meat was so tender. Highly recommend! Yum!

liked it alot. have never had authentic adobo before so i didn't know what to expect. served it at a family gathering it was nice and easy to prepare. i think it's better if cooked longer than the recipe suggests. i cooked it in my dutch oven on low for four hours. i tasted it after the suggested cooking time and the vinegar was a bit overpowering but after a couple more hours it mellowed out alot. needs a little more spice i think. we sprinkled red pepper on it after plating. also i tossed in fresh whole mushrooms for the last hour they added a nice flavor to the broth and were a really tasty accompaniment. four stars because everyone was eating it for the first time and liked it and ate a lot of it but nobody was raving.

This is delicious! It came out tender with just the right spice- plus perfect ingredients for if you are sick like ginger and garlic (great for the immune system). I used crushed black pepper since I didn't have peppercorns. Great over white long grain rice!

Great! I would recommend adding a 1/3 cups sugar to make it sweeter (sweet, sour, salty, etc). I did add some cornstarch to thicken the sauce though as the sauce is really watery. Also used less vinegar, 1/2 cup is plenty.

I made this for my family, (Parents, Nephews, and Nieces, Kids and Wife). The Wife is Philippino, she told me it tasted like being back home. The rest of us Americans loved it too. Of course I had to change the number of servings. Thank you.

Delicious! tastes just like my mom used to make it!

I love this recipe and have made it many times. If you are a sauerkraut fan, you also might want to try adding shredded cabbage to the recipe (I've used the 16 oz package of shredded cabbage available in the produce section of your grocery store). Wonderful!

I made this with 9 boneless skinless chicken breasts and left out the ginger and bay leaves. Also, I used ground black pepper instead of peppercorns and didn't think the sauce needed to be strained. I used only 1/2 cup of vinegar instead of 3/4 cup and 3 cloves of garlic rather then 1 bulb. I served it with pancit, lumpia and Jasmine rice. It was a wonderful meal!!!

Me & my husband LOVED this recipe. I changed it a bit by using cubed thinly sliced chicken breasts on placing all ingredients in a baking dish for 25 minutes on 350. I added a couple more cloves garlic (believe it or not), lowered the vinegar to a little more than 1/2 cup and a little less soy sauce (I also used low sodium soy sauce). Further, I changed the peppercorns to one tablespoon cracked lemon dill pepper. I served it on rice mixed with peas and pearl cocktail onions - and boy - was it DELICIOUS !!!!! My husband said - this is a keeper !!

I've never had Adobo chicken before so I can't comment on authenticity as other reviewers have, but I thorough enjoyed it. I loved the tangy flavour and the sauce was amazing over rice and veggies. Thanks!

I have tried numerous recipes for adobo chicken but this one tops them all. (The others just didn't seem to get the right balance of soy sauce and vinegar) I changed it a bit by adding half an onion and 1/2 teaspoon of brown sugar and changing the vinegar portion to 1/2 cup white and 1/4 apple cider. I also used split chicken breasts on the bone and allowed it all to marinate for about an hour. The breasts didn't take long to cook and I didn't strain the liquid. I just served the whole thing in a big bowl for a family style dinner. Yummy!

Great recipe.

I loved this recipe. I cut up a 5 lb chicken and cooked it in the liquid as directed then I deboned the chicken and set aside. I strained the liquid then added a can of cream of chicken to it. Mixed it well then add the deboned chicken to the gravy mixture. It was GREAT with hot rice.

Similar to teryiaki but better!

I tried to take too many reviewer suggestions. I did marinate my chicken thighs, but then I tried to brown it, and that did not work. I may try it next time the alternative way, but the marination without browning still tasted darn good. If I had cooked the chicken for the full 30 min (since I did not use the whole chicken), it would have been overcooked. I used the condensed sauce to sautee some long beans to really good results too. This recipe is definitely a repeat!!!

family favorite. I like to take out the chicken after it is done cooking and fry in heated oil to crisp the skin. Then we like a little thicker sauce for your rice, and add a tablespoon corn sauce to 1/4 cup water and stir in simmering sauce.

I changed a couple of things. I used low sodium soy sauce (less salty), used bone in chicken thighs and cooked in the oven with the marinade at 350 for 45 min and then took out of marinade and broiled under broiler until skin was nice and crispy. My kids love this!

this was very simple and straightforward. If your not a big fan of soy sauce this isn't for you. I served this with Jasmine rice and some lime..thanks for sharing

We loved this! It was super easy to prepare too. We'll definitely make it again.

I had ten drumsticks that I saved from a ruined Malaysian curry (bleck!), and had an hour to make something edible with ingredients I had on hand before the boyfriend came home. This is some of the most delicious, easiest meal that I made! The vinegar smelled a little too pungent while it was cooking, but the balance was just perfect in the end product, and all the vinegar tenderized the meat perfectly! YUM. Definitely will be keeping this in my rotation!

i thought the recipe was too vinegary but otherwise very tasty. i will try it with less vinegar next time.

My mom always made a honey sauce with this, she took chili powder and honey and let it sit over night, heated it up right before serving.

we love this recipe. the ginger makes it really special. we have tried coconut vinegar and sherry vinegar and are torn between which we like better. my toddler LOVES it both ways

I've made this recipe a couple of times for my family and we all enjoy it, just the way it is.