Pinchos de Pollo al estilo Puertorriqueño (Puerto Rican Chicken skewers)

Pinchos are not just food in Puerto Rico, they are part of the culture!

If you're going to Puerto Rico any time soon, do yourself a favor and stop to get a pincho. Pincho's are skewers made with pork or chicken, typically covered in a bbq sauce and topped with a piece of bread. They are considered street food and can be found on the side of the road at a stand or in chinchorros, which are small food kiosks. If you're not planning to go to PR any time soon, not to worry because I'm sharing my husband's recipe today! As many of you know my husband is from Naguabo, PR and he makes these often to please our family's cravings and now you can too!

How to make pinchos de pollo?

Pinchos are typically cooked on a grill but feel free to throw them in an oven or air fryer if you don't have a grill. My husband likes to grill them in his pellet Pit Boss Grill, and they come out perfectly cooked each and every time.

Ingredients:

• 3lbs Chicken Thighs (2-3 skewers per lb)

• Olive oil

• Garlic powder

• Smoked Paprika

• Black pepper

• onion powder

• adobo

• Salt to taste

• Wooden skewers or stainless steel skewers

Instructions:

1. Wash, clean and remove excess fat from the chicken thighs. Then cut each chicken thigh into 2-3 pieces and add them to a large mixing bowl.

2. Add olive oil or oil of preference and mix well, this will serve as the binder. Add in all the other seasonings listed above and mix until seasoned evenly and let set it to marinate over night.

3. About an hour before you are ready to put the skewers together, place the wooden skewers in water, this will prevent the skewer from burning in the grill.

4. Make a sauce! if we are in a hurry we mix BBQ Sauce, Sriracha and mustard. Other times we like to make a chimichurri to top the pincho with!

5. Now it's time to "pinchar," which is to pinch the chicken on the skewer. Depending on how big or small you want to make each skewer you will use 2-4 pieces of chicken thigh on each one.

6. Pre-heat your grill, over or air fryer to 350 degrees and cook for 15-20 mins or until internal temperature reaches 165. If you're using a grill we usually place the skewers on the top rack and then the last two minutes we pass them through the flame to give them a charbroiled taste.

7. Once the skewer is cooked, spread some sauce on all over and top it off with a piece of pan sobao or any bread. You can also warm or toast the bread on the grill.

This is the perfect meal for pool days with grilled vegetables on the side to enjoy with your family. Hope you enjoy it and if you make it don't forget to tag @flourishwithg. For more recipes follow @flourishwithg on Instragram and Tiktok.