• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipe Index
  • Puerto Rican
  • Cuban
  • About

Latina Mom Meals

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • Puerto Rican
  • Cuban
  • About
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • Puerto Rican
    • Cuban
    • About
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home

    Published: Apr 8, 2019 · Modified: Dec 16, 2019 by Neyssa

    Puerto Rican BBQ Pinchos (BBQ Shish Kabobs)

    Sharing is caring!

    • Share
    • Tweet
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Puerto Rican pinchos are one of the easiest and tastiest kabobs you will make! This BBQ chicken shish kabob is perfect for grilling on the weekends.

    BBQ skewers with a red background

    WHAT ARE PINCHOS?

    Pinchos are made of bite size pieces of meat, typically chicken, pork, or beef (or shrimp) that is then threaded onto a stick and cooked on the grill or baked in the oven. You can make all meat pinchos or add variety by adding some chunks of onions, peppers, pinchos with pineapple, or be creative and design your own shish kabob! Pinchos are then often draped with a savory, sweet, or spicy sauce.

    Try our Cuban Mojo Pinchos!

    IS PINCHOS THE SAME AS TAPAS?

    No, pinchos are not the same thing as tapas. For a more thorough explanation on what tapas are, read this article by Trip Savvy. Although, pinchos can fall into the category as being a tapas. Tapas is a big umbrella word for “small portion”. 

    raw seasoned chicken in a bowl

    How To Make Puerto Rican Pinchos

    Puerto Rican pinchos are easily made by seasoning chunks of chicken breast with Adobo seasoning and oregano! Seriously, it's an easy dish. Later you'll brush the chicken with BBQ sauce, but that's not yet.

    Once your Puerto Rican chicken is seasoned, let it marinate for half an hour before threading chunks of chicken through metal or wooden skewers. Keep the seasoned chicken snug by each other, but allow the chicken to sit naturally, not completely squished. 

    TIP FOR MAKING PINCHOS WITH WOODEN SKEWERS.

    If you are using wooden skewers, be sure to soak the skewers in water for at least an hour or two before threading with meat.

    raw seasoned chicken on skewers

    HOW TO GRILL PINCHOS

    For the fun part! To grill pinchos, you’ll want to oil your grill and preheat it over medium high heat. After your grill has preheated, add in your pinchos and close the grill lid. After 4 minutes, flip the pinchos and grill an additional 4 minutes. Depending on the thickness of your chicken, it may be done now, if not flip and cook another 4 minutes. Pinchos de pollo typically take 8-12 minutes to cook. 

    Your Puerto Rican BBQ chicken pinchos are done once the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear, or if you’re like me, pull out the digital thermometer and check that the temperature is at least 165.

    Once your chicken pinchos reach 165 degrees, generously brush with your favorite BBQ sauce. Cook a few more minutes until the BBQ is sticky.

    Want a more authentic Puerto Rican pincho experience? Add a chunk of toasted bread to the end of the skewer when ready to serve!

    BBQ skewers with toast on the end

    These Puerto Rican BBQ chicken pinchos are a great family friendly recipe to switch out the normal hot dogs and hamburgers for!

    BBQ skewers on a wooden platter

    More Puerto Rican Recipes:

    • Coconut Vienna Rice
    • Potato Salad
    • Corned Beef
    • Pizza Empanadillas

    Recipe

    bbq kabob on a wooden board

    Puerto Rican BBQ Chicken Pinchos

    Savory and smoky Puerto Rican BBQ chicken pinchos are made on the grill!
    4.20 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories:
    Author: Neyssa

    Ingredients

    • 3 boneless chicken breasts cut into chunks
    • 2 teaspoon of Adobo seasoning
    • 1 tablespoon of dried oregano
    • BBQ sauce as desired
    Get Recipe Ingredients

    Instructions

    • In a large bowl toss together chicken, Adobo seasoning, and oregano. Let chicken marinade for 30 minutes before threading chicken through metal or wooden skewers.
    • Oil grill and preheat over medium high heat. Add chicken pinchos and close lid. After 4 minutes, flip. Every 4 minutes flip until juices run clear and chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Once chicken is cooked, brush on BBQ sauce, cook a few more minutes until BBQ sauce is sticky.

    More Chicken Recipes

    • close up of air fried chicken tenders
      Puerto Rican air fried chicken tenders
    • crispy chicken in air fryer basket
      Puerto Rican Fried Chicken
    • roasted drumsticks on a blue plate
      Baked Puerto Rican Chicken
    • Pollow a la barbacoa chicken on a teal plate
      Pollo a la Barbacoa (Cuban Soy Butter Chicken)

    About Neyssa

    Neyssa is a Latina food blogger who shares her Cuban and Puerto Rican family recipes for home cooks to make.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lara says

      April 24, 2022 at 9:02 pm

      5 stars
      These are fabulous. ¡Muchas gracías!

      Reply
    4.20 from 5 votes (4 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Neyssa is a Puerto Rican and Cuban self-taught home cook who lives right outside of Philly and is on a mission to share recipes that are inspired by her Cuban and Puerto Rican heritage.

    More about Neyssa →

    Latest Recipes

    • Close up shot of coquito in a glass cup with cinnamon on the rim and a Puerto Rican flag.
      Classic Coquito with Tea
    • Tea for coquito is inside of a glass cup with a gray and blue background, spices, and Puerto Rican flags.
      Spiced Tea for Coquito
    • Close up shot of freshly made loose yellow rice and green pigeon peas in a silver pot.
      Arroz con gandules
    • A close up shot of crema de maiz inside of a bowl with a spoon, topped with fresh berries.
      Harina De Maiz: Cornmeal Porridge

    Winter Favorites

    • pernil | roasted pork shoulder
      Cuban Pernil
    • rice and shrimp stew in a blue plate
      Asopao de Camarones | Shrimp Stew
    • Instant Pot Puerto Rican Sancocho Recipe
      Sancocho
    • Homemade Puerto Rican Salami Soup | Sopa de Salchichon estilo Boricua
      Puerto Rican Salami Soup

    Footer

    Copyright © 2025 Latina Mom Meals All Rights Reserved

    PRIVACY POLICY + TERMS OF USE | ABOUT & CONTACT

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.