Puerto Rican Pinchos de Pollo is super delicious. I will show you how to make it so they can taste just like you are in Puerto Rico!
Making and eating a Puerto Rican Pinchos de Pollo is a whole experience. From the smell of the grilled meat to the taste of the piece of soft pan sobao on top.
Pinchos de Pollo are what we Puerto Ricans call chicken skewers. They’re made with juicy chicken thighs, seasoned with that classic boricua flavor of the adobo and sazon.
Pinchos are a big part of the street food from Puerto Rico just like alcapurrias made with yuca, the Puerto Rican bacalaito, or the Puerto Rican style cheese dogs.
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Why This Recipe Works
- You don’t need a grill to get that same delicious chard taste!
- You can prepare these chicken skewers ahead making it the perfect party food for cookouts, game nights, and even 4th of July food.
Recipe Ingredients
- Oil & garlic- I used vegetable oil but you can use any neutral flavor oil you like. The garlic is used with the oil to baste the skewers while cooking.
- Chicken thighs- I always use chicken thighs because they tend to have more fat and this is great because it keeps the meat juicy while grilling.
- Seasonings- You only need adobo, sazon, black pepper, and onion powder. You can add chili flakes to add spice.
- BBQ sauce- As far as BBQ sauce goes you can use your favorite. I used G Huges sweet & spicy BBQ sauce because I like the flavor but any sauce will be just fine. When I have some guava I make a homemade guayaba sauce and add it to my sauce and is just so good.
- Bread- Use any type of bread you like but with pinchos pan sobao is the way to go. You can avoid the bread if you like.
Can I use Chicken breast to make pinchos?
Yes, you can! while thighs are preferred using chicken breast is perfectly fine. You just have to make sure your pieces are not too big because they can burn on the outside and stay raw on the inside. The internal temperature should be 165° F when cooked.
How To Make Pinchos de Pollo
- Photo 1: Mix the garlic paste with your oil. This you’ll use for the bread
- Photo 2: This is optional but highly recommended. Spread some garlic oil on both sides of the bread. Set aside the oil and bread for later use.
📓 Note: If you are cooking the meat on a grill, make sure to soak the bamboo sticks in water to prevent them from burning.
- Photo 3: Cut each chicken thigh into 4 pieces. Remove most of the excess fat of the chicken but not all. The rest will melt while cooking.
- Photo 4: Add the chicken to a large bowl and all the seasonings. Mix until every piece is seasoned well.
- Photo 5: Pierce 4 pieces of meat into a bamboo stick. This recipe yields 6 pinchos. If you have any meat left, distribute it evenly between all the skewers.
- Photo 6: Before grilling, baste each chicken skewer with the garlic oil. Do this on both sides.
- Photo 7: Cook your pinchos at medium-high heat for 24 minutes. Every 4 minutes baste the skewers and turn them. We do this the keep the chicken moist.
- Photo 8: In the last 4 minutes, brush BBQ sauce on every pincho. Rotate after 2 minutes. Add bread to the grill and add BBQ to each bread slice.
Recipe Tips
- It is best to wait until the very end to add the BBQ sauce to your pincho. If you add it before, all the sugar in the sauce will burn and it won’t taste as good.
- Make sure to leave a space between the top and the bottom part of your wooden stick. The bottom part space is to hold it and the top is to add anything from bread to a fried tostón.
What to Serve With?
Pinchos is not a meal that is served with any other foods besides the bread or tostón you put on top. It is a main meal by itself. But you can serve it with an authentic Puerto Rican piña colada or a parcha mojito.
Frequently Asked Questions
While authentic pinchos are made on a grill, you do not need one! You can still make this using a grill pan to have that same chard flavor grilled pinchos have. You can also make this in the oven but it won’t be as tasty as a grill but still an option.
To store in the freezer, place in a freezer bag or wrap all of your pinchos in the freezer for up to 6 months. Store in your fridge by wrapping in plastic, or foil, or place in an airtight container for no more than 4 days.
You can reheat in your grill at medium heat for about 6 minutes and make sure is at room temperature before heating up. You can also reheat the chicken pinchos in your microwave for 30 seconds at a time.
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Puerto Rican Pinchos de Pollo
- bamboo skewers
Ingredients
Instructions
- Put your garlic into the oil and mix. Cut your bread into 1-inch pieces. Brush every piece of bread with this oil on both sides and set aside.
- Remove any excess fat from the chicken and cut each thigh into 4 pieces. In a large bowl add the chicken, adobo, sazon, black pepper, and onion powder. Mix until all the chicken pieces are covered with the seasonings.
- Take the skewers and poke 4 pieces of meat per stick. Do this until you have done all the chicken. Brush all the chicken skewers with the garlic oil on both sides.
- Cook the pinchos over medium-high heat in a grill or pan for 24 minutes. Turn the chicken skewers every 4 minutes and brush with the oil each time.
- In the last 4 minutes of cooking, Brush all the chicken skewers with barbeque sauce and cook for 2 minutes. Brush again with sauce and cook for another 2 minutes. Serve and enjoy.
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