These are the ultimate Grilled BBQ Chicken Thighs - on a stick. Filipino style is on another level. It's sweet, salty, and full of umami goodness! You will devour 10 of these.

bbq chicken skewer with zucchini, rice, lime, mango

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This classic Filipino Street food is the best! You can find them everywhere on the streets of Manila (where I grew up). Luckily, you don't have to go there to make it. I have an easy recipe for you!

This is super easy to make from scratch. The chicken doesn't need much time to marinate. This recipe is awesome with chicken thighs. I made a pork version as well. Here is the recipe for my Filipino BBQ Pork Skewer.

Here are some other recipes you should try. Asian Coleslaw, Garlic Fried Rice, and Asian Garlic Noodles would be so good with this dish.

What you need to make Grilled BBQ Chicken

bbq sauce ingredients banana ketchup, sweet dark soy, brown sugar, pepper, soy sauce, ginger, garlic

Chicken thighs
Banana Ketchup
Soy Sauce
Brown sugar
Sweet dark soy sauce (kecap manis)
Apple cider vinegar
Garlic
Ginger
Black pepper

Substitutions

CHICKEN - Chicken thigh is the best. You can't have grilled BBQ chicken thighs without boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1" pieces. My favorite chicken to work with. It is so forgiving and flavorful.

Chicken breast will work but you won't get the same fat content so overcooking is a risk. No one likes their chicken dry.

BANANA KETCHUP - This ketchup is made with bananas. It is a lot sweeter than regular tomato ketchup. I love using this on my barbecue sauces. You can easily find this in most grocery stores. Go to the Asian isle.

SWEET DARK SOY SAUCE - aka Kecap Manis. This is an Indonesian sweet soy sauce. It gives a dish a great color and flavor. Who doesn't like that? Available in the Asian food aisle in most grocery stores.

SOY SAUCE - Regular or Low-sodium. Tamari if you're gluten-free.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR - Any vinegar should work. White or Rice vinegar. I prefer Apple Cider Vinegar.

Equipment

Metal or bamboo skewers
Medium pot for barbecue sauce
Airtight container to marinate the chicken thighs
Knife and cutting board

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How to make Chicken BBQ Skewers

Make the marinade

Add all the marinade ingredients to a medium-size pot
Bring to a low simmer and cook for 15 minutes. The sauce should be sticky, and darker in deep red color.

Prepare the chicken thighs

Cut into 1" bite-size pieces. Set aside.

Marinate the chicken

Cool down your sauce.
Use ¼ cup of the sauce as the marinade.
Marinate the chicken thigh pieces for 1 hour or overnight for best results.
Keep the rest of your sauce in an airtight container and store it in the fridge. This will be your BBQ sauce for basting.

Skewer the chicken

If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes prior to grilling.
When you are ready to grill, skewer the chicken thighs closely together.

Grilling the chicken skewers

Preheat your barbeque, make sure it is on low when cooking the chicken.
Start basting right away with the reserved marinade to start developing the flavors.
The chicken skewers should be done in 15 minutes. With an internal temperature of 165 ºF

Meal Planning Tip

I like to make a huge batch of this recipe to have throughout the summer. Therefore, I like to freeze my marinated meat until I am ready to skewer it and barbecue it. The BBQ sauce is also freezable. It should be good in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Other recipes to try with Grilled BBQ Chicken Thighs:

What to serve

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