2
packets Goya Sazón ("con achiote and culantro")*
2 tablespoons
your favorite seasoning blend (Puerto Ricans use Goya Adobo, but I like to use Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute)
Kosher salt, to taste
6
wooden skewer sticks, soaked in water
Guava BBQ sauce, recipe follows
For the guava BBQ sauce
2 cups
ketchup
1/4 cup
water
1/4 cup
light brown sugar
2 tablespoons
apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons
lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 tablespoon
soy sauce
1 tablespoon
fish sauce
1 tablespoon
Sriracha
1 tablespoon
chili-garlic sauce
1 tablespoon
onion powder
5
cloves garlic, finely minced
1 cup
guava paste, from the concentrated block, cut into small pieces
Directions
For the chicken skewers
In a small bowl, combine your lime and orange juice, seasoning, sazon and Kosher salt. Set aside.
Cut each chicken thigh into 8 cubes. Toss into bowl of marinade as you go along. When all the chicken has been cut, massage marinade into chicken. Let sit overnight, no less than an hour if you're in a pinch.
Soak skewers in water for minimum 30 minutes.
Place 8 chicken cubes onto each soaked skewer. Place on grill for 15 minutes, lightly bathe skewers in bbq sauce, cook another 5 minutes, slather another coat of bbq sauce. BBQ sauce should have slightly charred.
Serve on skewer with a slice of french bread on top.
* Sazón is a Puerto Rican pantry staple. These days, it can be found in most supermarkets like Safeway. There are several Sazón blends, but I always use the one that says "con culantro y achiote." It contains achiote, which is considered the poor man's saffron. It gives your food that vibrant orange color and a slight musky flavor.
For the guava BBQ sauce
In a saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Not sure if this is authentic either. Fish sauce, soy and sriracha lend a more Asian flair to this recipe... but it doesn't matter to me! This had us fighting over the last stick when we made it. :)
Not sure if this is truly Puerto Rican or not and really don’t care. What I do know is this is absolutely delicious! I’ve made it twice in two weeks. First time, went mostly by the recipe but used guava nectar as I couldn’t find the guava paste. It was good; the second time, I used guava paste but used chicken breast and it made all the difference. I felt the breasts held up better to the marinade, which I let soak for 8-10 hours. You can find the guava paste at Walmart.com for less than $3. I will be keeping this in rotation for a very long time or until I get sick of it! ;-)
See what other Food52ers are saying.