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Pinchos de Pollo (Puerto Rican Chicken Skewers) topped with a piece of garlic bread and served on a white platter.
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4.34 from 6 votes

Pinchos de Pollo

These delicious authentic Pinchos de Pollo (Puerto Rican Chicken Skewers) are perfectly marinated in simple spices.  Pinchos de Pollo are chicken chunks that have been marinated in Puerto Rican spices and then cooked over an open flame or grilled and traditionally topped with a sliver of bread.  If you have never had Puerto Rican Pinchos/Pinchos de Pollo, then you are certainly in for a major treat!

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Lunch, Snack
Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Servings: 3
Calories: 682kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs rinsed, skin removed, cut into 1 inch chucks
  • 1 packet Sazon with Annatto
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 2 dry bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon adobo I use Goya brand, find in the International aisle of your supermarket or Amazon
  • 3 garlic cloves peeled
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Garlic Mojo

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 5 garlic cloves peeled

French Baguette Bread

  • cut into 1 inch slices

For Grilling

  • hickory BBQ Sauce
  • lump Charcoal
  • wooden skewers for authentic pinchos

    soaked for 20 minutes in water to avoid to much charring and burning... but you can also use metal skewers.

Instructions

  • Begin with rinsing the chicken thighs, remove skin (save in a ziploc bag in freezer for future use to make chicken broth or fry to make crispy chicken chicharrones)
    Cut chicken into 1 inch chunks, set aside in a bowl or ziploc bag.


    Note: If you cannot find de-boned chicken thighs, follow instructions in post for chicken thighs with bone in.

Prepare the Marinade

  • Add all the ingredients to a blender..
    1 packet Sazon with Annatto, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 2 dry bay leaves, 1 teaspoon adobo, 3 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon oregano, ¼ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon salt
    Blend until almost smooth.


  • Add the marinade to the chicken pieces and stir.
    Cover and refrigerate. 
    Allow chicken to marinade for 2 hours or better if left to marinate overnight.

  • Once chicken has marinated, skewer chicken chunks onto wooden skewers.

  • Light lump charcoal and let it start to heat, wait until it forms some "white ash" on top, then lightly oil grill grate with a brush.

  • Add pinchos and cook on one side for about 10 minutes and check that they are not burning.

  • With a pair of tongs, flip pinchos over and cook for another 10 minutes.
  • While pinchos are cooking, make the garlic mojo. 
    Add peeled garlic and oil to a blender and blend until smooth or use a morter and pestle.
  • Cut bread into 1 inch width slices and brush with garlic mojo.
  • Place bread slices on grill to toast a little.  (Watch not to burn bread!) Remove and set aside.

  • Flip chicken pinchos over again and cook for another 5 minutes.


  • Flip one more time and cook for another 5 minutes.
    Pinchos are done.
    Brush with garlic mojo, barbeque sauce or leave plain.
    Remove from grill and top each skewer with a slice of bread!  Done!

Notes

Download recipe card for Pinchos de Pollo.
The key to making truly authentic Pinchos is not just the marinade but how they are cooked.
Using lump charcoal (leña in spanish) Puerto Rican Pinchos is key!  Not charcoal briquettes but instead lump charcoal.  

NOTE:  If you do not have a charcoal barbecue or grill, don't worry, you can still enjoy these cooked in your oven.
Also, if you cannot find lump charcoal in your area or local depot, you can then use briquettes.

Although they will still be delicious there is no better or more truer method of cooking Puerto Rican Pinchos than over an open flame of lump charcoal.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 3g | Calories: 682kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 296mg | Sodium: 908mg | Potassium: 652mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 236IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg