Grilled Filipino Chicken Kebabs (Pinoy)
Pinoy chicken kebabs, or Filipino chicken kebabs, are a great way to mix up your standard grilled chicken rotation. They are deliciously flavorful, quick and easy, and bursting with Asian flavors.
We all love grilled chicken. It’s quick, it’s healthy, and usually pretty easy. Sometimes, though, it can start to get a bit boring, always eating it the same way.
That’s where Filipino chicken kebabs (or chicken kabobs or chicken skewers) come in. You still get your delicious grilled chicken but now with a totally new and very very delicious flavor.
This dish is basically the same as our Filipino pork kebabs recipe but of course, we’re using chicken this time. We loved the flavor so much on the pork we thought we would give it whirl on some chicken thighs. Yeah, we were right. They turned out awesome.
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Filipino Cuisine
Filipino cuisine is composed of the cuisines of 144 distinct groups found throughout the Philippine archipelago. The style of cooking and the food associated with it have evolved over many centuries. It is a mixed cuisine of Indian, Chinese, Spanish and American influences.
This cuisine centers around a combination of sweet, sour, and salty. The results are usually surprisingly pleasing.
Traditional dishes are both simple and elaborate, indigenous and foreign-influenced. Filipino cuisine is always changing as new techniques and styles of cooking and ingredients find their way into the country.
How To Make Grilled Chicken Kebabs (Chicken skewers)
The first step is to prepare the chicken. We used chicken thighs but that was just our preference. You are more than welcome to use chicken breast as well.
Debone the chicken thighs and remove the skin. Cut the thighs into 2-inch squares. Take your chicken pieces and place in a suitable container or ziplock bag.
Next, prepare the marinade and pour it over the chicken thighs. Move it around, coating the chicken and allow to marinate for at least 4 hours.
We marinated ours overnight for a total of 18 hours. The longer the better! Our recommendation is that you marinate the chicken for at least 12 hours.
When ready to grill the chicken soak the skewers. Soak them for at least 30 minutes to an hour before putting them on the grill. Yes, you can use metal ones if you like. We use wooden skewers, it really doesn’t matter.
Try our Orange Rosemary Chicken Kebabs recipe!
When the skewers are ready, thread the chicken onto the skewers. We recommend that you pack the chicken tightly, one piece against the other. This will make turning them easier and the chicken won’t spin around.
Light the grill and when the grates have gotten nice and hot, place the chicken kebabs onto the grill over medium-high heat. Grill the chicken kebabs until there is a good sear on them. Keep an eye on them and turn them when they have your particular sear preference.
Cook the chicken kebabs to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Our chicken thighs took about 20 minutes to finish, 10 minutes each side. If you’re using chicken breast, it may not take as long.
Do yourself a favor if you don’t already have one. Get yourself an instant-read thermometer. It’s a game changer when dealing with your meats. You can quickly see when your meat is ready to pull off without drying it out.
Pro Tip: Set up your grill with an area that does not have direct heat. If your chicken kebabs have your level of sear on them but haven’t reached 165 degrees F, move them off direct heat into the indirect heat section of your grill and allow to finish there.
Serving your Filipino Chicken Skewers
When the chicken skewers have finished, pull them from the grill and allow to rest for appx. five minutes to allow the meat to relax and redistribute their juices.
Pull the chicken off of the wooden skewers or serve them as-is. You can serve this up with your favorite rice dish or one of your other favorite sides. We served ours with our favorite rice dish. It has tons of cilantro and lime in it and it pairs well with the light spicy sweet of the chicken.
Check out our Rosemary Garlic Grilled Baby Potato Skewers recipe!
We hope you give this one a try. It delivers big on the flavor, it’s very easy to prepare, and it does break up the monotony of the same old grilled chicken every time. You will love it as did we.
Grilled Chicken Kebabs Recipe
Grilled Filipino Chicken Kebabs (Pinoy) Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Chicken thighs or chicken breasts deboned, skin removed
Marinade
- 1 Cup Soy sauce
- 1 Head Garlic Peeled and smashed
- 1 Onion small
- 2 Lemons
- 1/2 Cup 7-Up soda
- 1 Tsp Ground black pepper
- 5 Tbs Dark Brown sugar
- 1 Cup Ketchup
Instructions
Marinade
- In a large bowl combine soy sauce, garlic, onion, juice of 2 lemons, 7-UP, ground black pepper, dark brown sugar and ketchup.
- Whisk mixture to dissolve ingredients well
Preparing Kebabs
- Debone the chicken thighs and remove the skin. Cut the thighs into 2-inch squares. Take your chicken pieces and place in a suitable container or ziplock bag.
- Pour prepared marinade over cubed chicken and move around, coating well
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, up to 24 hours. The longer you marinade, the more the marinade flavor will saturate the chicken thighs
Grilling Chicken Kebabs
- 30 minutes to one hour soak wooden skewers in water
- Thread the cubed chicken onto the wooden skewers, packing tightly
- Light your grill and when the grill is hot, place skewers over medium high heat
- Grill on one side until it is seared to your preference. Turn and cook the other side
- Cook to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If your chicken has not reached temperature but has your preference of sear, move to indirect heat until done
- Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving
Can I brine the chicken thighs first?
The marinade is going to impart tons of flavor. I would be hesitant to brine them as well.
is that american or filipino ketchup?
We use American ketchup. But if you have access to banana ketchup, by all means, use it.
Just prepared the marinade and it smells sooooo good! Getting the grill ready. Thanks for the recipe! I have prepared my chicken this way in the past but it’s been so long that I couldn’t remember the ingredients! Thanks again.
Sounds good
Can you give me measurements to make the marinade please
I wouldn’t have the slightest idea on how much of everything to mix
Hey Derek, Yeah, I just noticed that I didn’t put in any ingredients in the recipe. I just expected everybody to read my mind from afar. :O I am fixing that right now!
Do you have any estimate on the amounts of the ingredients for the marinade?
I am so sorry, I forgot to put int the ingredients! So much for proofing my post before publishing. I am fixing it right now!
Where is the marinade ingredient amounts?
:/ I forgot to put them in. I’m putting them in now. I am so sorry!