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Pinchos De Pollo (Puerto Rican Hen Skewers)


In the event you’re in search of a straightforward, budget-friendly deal with everybody on the BBQ will love (particularly your Boricua buddies), you must make smoky, mouth-watering Pinchos De Pollo, AKA Puerto Rican Hen Skewers! This beloved island road meals is simple to recreate at residence, even should you don’t have a grill!

Overhead shot of Pinchos de Pollo on a black grill plate.

What Are Pinchos?

Pinchos is Spanish for “spikes” and refers to Puerto Rican meat skewers, one of many island’s most well-known road meals. They’re a late-night favourite of parents who’ve spent slightly an excessive amount of time on the bar and have to eat their means again to actuality. Boricuas make Pinchos with many various kinds of meat (and generally veggies), however the preferred decisions are hen and pork. The meat is chopped, marinated, skewered, grilled over charcoal, and topped with a chunk of bread or Tostones, AKA fried inexperienced plantain.

Substances For Pinchos De Pollo

Grilling Pinchos De Pollo over charcoal is conventional. Nonetheless, I’m an avid indoors particular person and don’t like being uncovered to the weather, so I made these on a grill plate. It’s best to def open the entire home windows or plan on explaining to the hearth division that you simply’re grilling inside. (This occurred to me a couple of days in the past after I couldn’t get my smoke alarm to show off and my safety system routinely summoned my native firefighters… throughout a stay digital cooking demo. Not mortifying in any respect.) Right here’s what you’ll have to make Pinchos De Pollo:

  • Hen Thighs– have sufficient fats in them to resist heavy grilling with out drying out. You’ll be able to, in fact, substitute hen thighs with no matter meat your coronary heart wishes. Bits of chopped marinated pork and beef are well-liked decisions, as are shrimp. In the event you’re a veg head, do this recipe with complete child bella mushrooms. Cooking occasions are totally different for various cuts of meat and veggies, so should you select to vary up the star of the present, use a thermometer that can assist you know when issues are cooked by.
  • Adobo and Sazón– these Puerto Rican spice blends are heavy-duty taste bombs and work rapidly to infuse your hen with earthy, tangy, notes. In the event you don’t have Adobo or Sazón, I’ve included recipes for you within the recipe card under.
  • BBQ Sauce– glazes the hen, provides deep taste, and helps create char marks. Use your favourite model, although I’d keep away from something too candy, as it’ll change the flavour profile and speed up the charring. You’ll be able to all the time make our simple recipe for Home made BBQ Sauce, which is ideal for Pinchos De Pollo.
Over head shot of hand lifting Pinchos De Side shot of hand lifting Pinchos de Pollo on a black grill plate.

What Can You Serve With Pinchos De Pollo?

These Pinchos de Pollo pair fantastically with Arroz Con Habichuelas (Puerto Rican Rice And Beans) and Tostones (Fried Inexperienced Plantain). You too can serve them with Ensalada De Aguacate (Avocado Salad) and Yuca En Escabeche (Pickled Yuca Root).

How To Retailer Pinchos

In terms of hen left at room temperature, you must eat it or retailer it inside 2 hours earlier than dangerous micro organism begin to kind. That timeframe reduces to 1 hour if temperatures are above 90°F. Retailer leftover Pinchos De Pollo in an air-tight container with as a lot air eliminated as attainable. Refrigerate for as much as 3 days. Freeze for as much as 3 months. Reheat in a 350°F oven or a microwave till steaming.

Over head shot of hand lifting Pinchos de Pollo on a black grill plate.


Pinchos De Pollo

Smoky, mouth-watering Pinchos De Pollo, AKA Puerto Rican Hen Skewers, are a beloved island road meals that is simple to make at residence! Prepare for slightly piece of heaven!

Overhead shot of Pinchos De Pollo on a black grill plate.

  • 3 lbs boneless and skinless hen thighs, about 5 to six ($5.97)
  • 2 tsp adobo* ($0.10)
  • 1 1/2 tsp sazón** ($0.19)
  • 2 tsp salt ($0.16)
  • 2 Tbsp cooking oil, plus a contact extra for greasing ($0.09)
  • 1 cup BBQ Sauce ($1.16)
  • Pat hen thighs dry with a paper towel. Then chop the hen into bite-size items (about 5 to six items per thigh).

  • Add the adobo, sazón, and salt to a big bowl and blend.

  • Add the chopped hen thighs to the bowl together with the cooking oil and blend till the hen is totally coated. Cowl with plastic wrap or parchment instantly on the floor of the hen and marinate for not less than an hour, however ideally in a single day.

  • Half an hour earlier than you pull the hen, soak not less than 6 wooden skewers in water so they do not burn. It is best to soak a couple of further skewers simply in case considered one of them breaks.

  • While you’re able to cook dinner, preheat a grill pan on excessive. Then thread a thigh’s value of hen items on every skewer, about 5 or 6 chunks. You need the hen chunks shut however not pressed tightly towards one another. Brush each side of every skewer with BBQ sauce, about 1/2 cup complete.

  • When the grill pan is smoking scorching, brush it with a contact of cooking oil. Then, place the skewers on the grill pan, ensuring to not crowd the pan or place the skewers too shut to one another.

  • After 5 minutes, brush 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce on the highest floor of the hen. Subsequent, flip the hen, and brush one other 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce on the highest layer. Cook dinner for five extra minutes, till char develops and the interior temperature of the hen registers at 160°F. Now all you’ve gotten left to do is eat! Buen provecho!

See how we calculate recipe prices right here.



cast iron grill pan
*In the event you can not supply adobo, combine your personal after which use the quantity referred to as for within the recipe. Retailer the remainder in an hermetic container.
2 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp floor oregano
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp floor cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric

**A packet of sazón comprises about 1.5 teaspoons of sazón. In the event you can not supply sazón, use the next:
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon floor cumin
1/4 teaspoon floor coriander
1/3 teaspoon floor annatto
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon floor oregano

Sazón and adobo share lots of comparable elements however are used at totally different factors within the cooking course of and can develop barely totally different colours and flavors.

Serving: 1skewerEnergy: 623kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 37gFats: 43gSodium: 1531mgFiber: 1g

Learn our full vitamin disclaimer right here.

Methods to Make Pinchos De Pollo – Step by Step Pictures

Overhead shot of cut chicken thighs on a wood cutting board.

Pat 3 kilos of hen thighs (about 5 to six thighs) dry with a paper towel. Then chop the hen into bite-size items (about 5 to six items per thigh). You don’t must line up your hen obsessively as I did. For the document, I’m jealous of your freewheeling methods.

Overhead shot of spices to make Pinchos de Pollo in a white bowl.

Add 1 1/2 teaspoons adobo, 2 teaspoons sazón, and a pair of teaspoons salt to a big bowl and blend.

Overhead shot of cut chicken marinating in a white bowl.

Add the chopped hen thighs to the bowl together with the two tablespoons of cooking oil and blend till the hen is totally coated. Cowl with plastic wrap or parchment instantly on the floor of the hen and marinate for not less than an hour, however ideally in a single day.

Overhead shot of wood skewers soaking in water in a white sheet pan.

Half an hour earlier than you pull the hen, soak not less than 6 wooden skewers in water so that they don’t burn. Soak a couple of further skewers simply in case the skewer gods determine to bless you with weak wooden.

Overhead shot of Pinchos De Pollo being brushed with BBQ sauce.

While you’re able to cook dinner, preheat a grill pan on excessive. Then fastidiously thread a thigh’s value of hen items on every skewer, about 5 or 6 chunks. You need the hen chunks shut however not pressed tightly towards one another, so go away room for Jesus. In any other case, the hen received’t cook dinner evenly. Brush each side of every skewer with BBQ sauce, about 1/2 cup complete.

Overhead shot of Pinchos De Pollo cooking on a black grill plate.

When the grill pan is smoking scorching, and I imply LITERAL smoke is billowing from it, brush it with a contact of cooking oil. Then, place the skewers on the grill pan, ensuring to not crowd the pan or place the skewers too shut to one another. (Did you open these home windows???)

Overhead shot of Pinchos De Pollo cooking on a black grill plate.

After 5 minutes, brush 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce on the highest floor of the hen. Subsequent, flip the hen and brush one other 1/4 cup of BBQ sauce on the highest layer. Cook dinner for five extra minutes, till char develops and the interior temperature of the hen registers at 160°F. Now all you’ve gotten left to do is eat! Buen provecho!

Side shot of hand lifting Pinchos de Pollo on a black grill plate with a loaf of bread in the back ground.

Will you have a look at that savory, succulent, meaty, mouth-watering goodness?! Sigh. I need some proper now!!!! Serve the Pinchos De Pollo as is. Or go the normal route and high the skewers with slices of bread or Tostones (AKA fried inexperienced plantains). PS If you would like my simple recipe for Tostones, let me know within the feedback!

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