Put vinegar, bay leaves, pepper, soy sauce and water in a saucepan. Cover and cook slowly about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the cooking oil in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan. Peel the garlic, break the cloves into chunks and brown them over medium-low heat (about 5 minutes). Add the chicken to the frying pan and brown it over medium-high heat (about 5 minutes).

Add the broth to the frying pan and simmer, partly covered, until the chicken is done (about 30 minutes). Do not let it come to a boil.

Remove the bay leaves and serve over rice. This dish is too strongly flavored to go well with wine; try serving it with beer.

* Filipino chicken with garlic - Adobo is the national dish of the Philippines. Most warm-weather countries have through the centuries developed recipes that preserve food while flavoring it. This dish is different than many because of its strong component of vinegar. It is at once sour, salty and drenched in garlic.

* You can substitute pork for the chicken, or mix the two. In the Philippines it is the custom to marinate the meat for two days rather before simmering; with the top-grade meats that are universally available in our grocery stores, that is not necessary (though it does deepen and enrich the flavor). To marinate the chicken, mix in the broth and 3 of the garlic cloves after step 1, then put the chicken in a glass dish and pour the marinade over it.