Begin by patting the chicken wings dry with paper towels and gathering all your ingredients. Set your stove to medium heat and warm the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan. Once the oil is hot, add your thinly sliced onions and cook them until they become soft and translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until you can smell its wonderful aroma.

Now add your chicken wings to the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook the wings for about 8-10 minutes, turning them occasionally until they're nicely browned on all sides. You'll know they're properly browned when the skin turns a beautiful golden color.

Once your chicken is browned, sprinkle the tamarind powder over the wings and stir well to coat each piece evenly. Pour in the water and soy sauce, then give everything a good stir. When the liquid starts to bubble, lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and let everything simmer gently.

Let the chicken cook for about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. During this time, the sauce will gradually thicken and the chicken will become tender. You can tell the chicken is done when you can easily pierce it with a fork and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.

When the sauce has thickened to your liking and the chicken is cooked through, taste and add salt and pepper as needed. If you find it too sour, you can add a small pinch of brown sugar to balance the flavors.

Turn off the heat and let the adobo rest for 5 minutes. This short rest allows the chicken to soak up more flavor. Transfer everything to a serving bowl, scatter chopped green onions and crispy garlic on top if you like, and serve hot with steaming rice. The sauce should be perfect for drizzling over your rice.

Remember, like any good adobo, this tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had time to develop further. Any leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator and reheated gently on the stovetop.