Grilled Pinchos de Pollo (Cuban Chicken Thighs Skewers)

Pinchos de pollo are grilled marinated chunks of chicken on a skewer glazed with guava bbq sauce. This Cuban version of the popular street food is made with a citrusy garlic marinade and homemade Cuban sazon completa spice blend making it the perfect meal for just about any day of the week!

📝 Ingredients

• 1/4 cup neutral oil
• 1/2 cup sour orange juice ((naranja agria))
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 2 tablespoons homemade sazon completa
• Salt + pepper to taste
• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup Guava BBQ Sauce (or your favorite BBQ sauce)
• Metal or wooden bamboo skewers ((roughly 10” long))
• Lime wedges for serving

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1In a bowl, whisk together the oil, sour orange juice, garlic, sazon completa, salt + pepper to taste. This is your marinade. Set aside.
2. 2Cut the chicken thighs into 1-inch pieces, making sure they are cut as evenly as possible, so that they’ll cook evenly. Transfer the chicken pieces to a resealable freezer bag and add the marinade.
3. 3Toss and massage the chicken pieces really well with the marinade. Place the resealable bag in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour (or up to overnight).
4. 4If using wooden bamboo skewers, soak in water for 20-30 minutes prior to grilling. Doing this will keep the skewers from burning while grilling.
5. 5Remove the chicken from the marinade and thread the chicken onto the skewers. No need to pat them dry. Make sure to leave a 2-3-inch space at the bottom which will act as the handle for our pinchos.
6. 6Preheat a grill to medium-high heat and lightly oil the grill grates to keep the chicken pinchos from sticking.
7. 7Place the skewers on the oiled grates. Grill for 3 minutes then flip them over and brush with bbq sauce. Grill for another 2 minutes, flip again, and brush them again with the bbq sauce.
8. 8Reduce heat to medium and grill for another 5 minutes per side or until the chicken is cooked through, golden brown, and the bbq sauce is caramelized. Enjoy!