Grilled Puerto Rican Pinchos de Pollo (Chicken Skewers)
Follow these steps at home to make grilled Pinchos de Pollo, a popular Puerto Rican street food of marinated and grilled chicken on skewers. For best results, marinade bite-size pieces of chicken in the fridge for at least one hour (or overnight) before barbecuing the chicken skewers. Yields 4 servings.
These Puerto Rican chicken pinchos are a delicious summer staple.
They’re typically served with a side of bread and some sort of BBQ sauce (often guava flavored 😍) but feel free to add your favorite sides like ensalada verde, arroz con habichuelas, or guineos en escabeche.
And if you’re into grilling chicken, another must try recipe is this Pollo Asado with homemade achiote paste!
Instructions
What Kind of Chicken To Use
Here are some options for the chicken to use:
- Bone in Chicken Thighs – feel free to use these and remove the bone while chopping the chicken into pieces.
- Skin On Chicken – similarly to the method mentioned above, simply remove the skin with a knife while processing the chicken.
- Breasts – while I really encourage using chicken thighs, you can make this recipe with chicken breasts if need be. Just be aware that they will be significantly less juicy!
Top Tip
Make sure to have a loaf of crusty bread (Pan de Agua works great) to serve the traditional way with your pinchos de pollo. Bonus points if you rub them with some fresh garlic, olive oil, and a sprinkle of adobo seasoning.
Buen provecho,
Juicy Pinchos de Pollo (Grilled Chicken Skewers)
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Entree, Dinner, Lunch
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: Puerto Rican, Latin, Spanish
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Follow these steps at home to make grilled Pinchos de Pollo, a popular Puerto Rican street food of marinated and grilled chicken on skewers. For best results, marinade bite-size pieces of chicken in the fridge for at least one hour (or overnight) before barbecuing the chicken skewers. Yields 4 servings.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp fresh oregano, minced finely
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 tsp adobo seasoning
- 2 tsp sazon seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 lb (approximately 4) chicken thighs (boneless & skinless)
- 1/2 cup bbq sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Make the marinade. Combine oil, vinegar, oregano, garlic, adobo and sazon in a bowl, mortar & pestle or food processor. Process until a smooth paste is formed and then add the bay leaves.
- Prep the chicken. Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces, place in a bowl, and coat with the marinade. Marinate covered in the fridge for at least an hour (or overnight).
- Grill the chicken. Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers and prep your grill surface, heating to medium heat. Grill the chicken skewers for 10 minutes on both sides, or until cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Serve. Keep it traditional and serve with toasted white bread and additional bbq sauce brushed on top if desired.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
If using wooden skewers, make sure to soak them in water for at least 20 minutes before using.
If you don’t have a grill, bake your skewered chicken in the oven on a baking sheet at 400 degrees (keep in mind the texture won’t be exactly the same).
I’m going to be making these tomorrow. What type of BBQ sauce? I was thinking of making a traditional guava bbq sauce, would that work?
Hi Tara, thanks for your comment. I think a guava bbq sauce would be fabulous! Buen provecho!
I use this as the base for my pinchos recipe. My family doesn’t marinate theirs, and just puts adobo. They are tasty- but I like this recipe better 🙂 I change the oregano for poultry seasoning.
It came out prefect. My dad is Puerto Rican, my grand kids and my lovely mom is American. It came out so tender. Gracias mami.
Which sazon is the best for this recipe. I see sazon season used in many recipes but I don’t know which one to use. Is it the one with sofrito or achiote? I haven’t cooked Puerto Rican food in a long time. I was there for 3 years back in the 80’s. I want to try this.
Most store-bought sazon seasonings will work, but I do recommend using one with achiote. My go-to brand is Loisa and I like using their salt-free version as it’s easier to control the salt levels when cooking. You can also learn how to make your own with this recipe: https://salimaskitchen.com/sazon-seasoning/