Grilled BBQ Chicken Thighs – Filipino Style

Filipino Street Food

I love me some grilled bbq anything. But this Grilled BBQ Chicken Thigh Recipe – Filipino Style is next level!

This classic Filipino Street food is the best!You can this everywhere in Manila (where I grew up). It is basically crack on a stick. Try eating just one, I dare 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. My kids prefer it. I made a pork version as well. Here is the recipe for my Filipino BBQ Pork Skewer.

What you need

chicken thighs

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

Weird but crucial. Can you believe this is made with bananas? It is a lot sweeter than regular tomato ketchup. I would only use this ingredient on my barbecue sauces. You can easily find this in most grocery stores. Go to the asian isle. I love it.

sweet dark soy sauce

aka Kecap Manis. This is an Indonesian sweet soy sauce. It gives an dish a great color and flavor. Who doesn’t like that? Available in the Asian food isle in most grocery stores.

Aromatics: garlic and ginger

Please do not use powder anything. Fresh is best.

Regular soy sauce

Regular or Low-sodium. Tamari for 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
• Air tight container to marinate the chicken thighs
• Knife and cutting board

Let’s make Chicken BBQ Skewers

Step 1 – MAKE YOUR SAUCE! 

1. Make the marinade / BBQ sauce

2. In a saucepot, add all the liquids.

3. Then smashed the garlic and slice the ginger. Add that to the pot.

4. Bring to a boil then simmer for 30 minutes.

Step 2 – PREP YOUR CHICKEN / MARINADE

1. Prep your chicken. Cut them into 1-inch cubes.2. COOL DOWN YOUR SAUCE 3. In a large mixing bowl, use 1 cup of the sauce to marinate the chicken. MAKE SURE THE SAUCE IS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE TO AVOID LISTERIA.

3. Keep it in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes. For best results, marinate overnight.

4. Keep the rest of your sauce in an air-tight container and store it in the fridge. This will be your BBQ sauce for basting.

Step 3 – lET’S CUE IT UP! 

1. Using bamboo skewers or flat metal skewers, poke your meat. Keep them tight. Prevents it from drying out on the grill racks.

2. Preheat your barbecue, make sure it is on low when cooking the chicken. I wouldn’t use direct heat as the sugar and fat content are extremely high. I have made this mistake in the past cooking it on medium-high heat and it almost exploded. I am exaggerating but be careful. Keep it low and keep it safe!

3. Using your basting sauce, baste as much as you turn it. I like to baste every 3 minutes.

4. Cooking time for this should be 15 minutes. With an internal temperature of 165 ºF

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: 

SESAME CUCUMBER SALAD

AIR FRYER EGGPLANT RECIPE

EASY CAULIFLOWER FRIED RICE

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