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Puerto Rican Chicken Skewers With Guava BBQ Sauce

by:
June  7, 2018
5
2 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Makes 6 skewers
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Ingredients
  • For the chicken skewers
  • 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 4 1/2 pounds)
  • 1 lime, freshly squeezed
  • 1/2 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
  • 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
  1. For the chicken skewers
  2. In a small bowl, combine your lime and orange juice, seasoning, sazon and Kosher salt. Set aside.
  3. 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.
  4. Soak skewers in water for minimum 30 minutes.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  1. For the guava BBQ sauce
  2. In a saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a simmer. Allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes.
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3 Reviews

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Christine August 12, 2018
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. :)
Leslie G. June 20, 2018
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! ;-)
J June 11, 2018
There's absolutely nothing Puerto Rican about this recipe. And, no, the two packets of sazón aren't enough to make this even remotely authentic.