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Juicy, tender grilled chicken, bursting with vibrant flavor. These Peruvian Grilled Chicken Skewers are a delicious fusion of South American and Asian cuisines!
Are you ready for an international culinary adventure? We're headed to Peru today, where the cuisine is an interesting fusion of Latin American, European and Asian - little bits and pieces of each, all thrown in a big pot and swirled around to produce some incredibly delicious eats. These Peruvian Grilled Chicken Skewers are the perfect example!
A delicious and unique combination of flavors!
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are marinated in (what might seem to be a crazy combination) herbs, spices and a few other wonderful ingredients: garlic, cumin, chili powder, crushed red pepper, smoked paprika, brown sugar, soy sauce, lime juice, fresh ginger and olive oil. Half of the mixture is used for the marinade and the other half as a basting sauce while the chicken is grilling.
I like to cut up the thighs and thread the meat on skewers, but if you're in a hurry, you could leave them whole and grill them without the skewers.
I usually serve these Peruvian Grilled Chicken Skewers with this Peruvian Green Sauce, although they're perfectly delicious 0n their own too!
Expect rave reviews!
The first time I served these Peruvian Grilled Chicken Skewers, our son, Nick made a comment that explains how delicious they are; he said, "Wow mom, this is one of the best things you've ever made!". But being a very considerate (smart and diplomatic too!) son, he added, "... and you make a lot of really good things!". I had to laugh - but also had to agree that these Peruvian Grilled Chicken Skewers are wonderful.
Want something special this weekend for dinner? Got friends coming for a picnic or party sometime soon? Tired of the same-old-same-old? Pick up some chicken thighs at the market next time you shop. Check the list of marinade and Peruvian Green Sauce (optional, buy SO good!) ingredients - you probably have most of them in the pantry or fridge, but jot down anything you're missing. You're in for a fabulous treat!
Someone might even say these Peruvian Grilled Chicken Skewers are, "The best thing you've ever made"!
Café Tips for making these Peruvian Grilled Chicken Skewers
- I really recommend using skinless, boneless chicken thighs for this recipe, as they don't dry out as easily as chicken breasts do. If however, you're a die-hard chicken breast lover, go ahead and use them for this recipe. Don't leave the breast skewers on the grill as long and get them nice and chilled before you start grilling in order to give the exterior a chance to brown a little before the inside gets done.
- This recipe calls for smoked paprika. Just like regular paprika, smoked paprika is made from pimiento peppers, but instead of just drying the peppers, they are also smoked over an oak fire before being ground into a fine powder. It's delicious and worth keeping in your spice cabinet. Smoked paprika can be found in the regular spice section of most larger groceries. I often pick it up at Trader Joe's. It can also be purchased online and be at your front door in two days.
- Smoked Paprika comes in two varieties, sweet and hot. If it's not labeled, it's usually the sweet variety. I prefer sweet paprika as the hot variety doesn't work in all recipes. You can always add a little heat with cayenne, chili powder or crushed red pepper.
- I love metal skewers vs. wood or bamboo skewers. It seems no matter how long you soak the wood/bamboo ones, they always tend to burn on the grill, especially if you're going for a nice char on the meat. These metal skewers are some of my favorites. They're not too long and have a nice flat surface, making it easy to thread the meat and turn the skewers. They're also the perfect size for serving a dinner plate.
P.S. Craving these flavor but don't have a grill? No worries! We also have a fabulous Peruvian Chicken recipe that can be made right on the stovetop!
Thought for the day:
May the God of HOPE
fill you with all joy and peace
as you trust in Him,
so that you may be filled with HOPE
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
What we're listening to for inspiration:
- 3 medium cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons finely minced fresh ginger
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
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Trim chicken of excess fat and cut into approximately 1-inch wide pieces. Set aside.
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Combine all marinade ingredients in a medium-size bowl and stir to mix. Add chicken to a large zip lock bag along with half of the marinade/sauce. Reserve the remaining marinade and set it aside.
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Massage the bag with the chicken to evenly coat the chicken with marinade. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
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Heat a gas grill to medium-high or start a medium-hot charcoal grill. Thread chicken onto skewers (if using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes, so they don't catch on fire.)
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Clean grill surface and oil with spray or brush with a tongs and an oil-dipped paper towel. Place skewers on grill and cook, turning one-quarter turn every 3-4 minutes until golden, about 10-12 minutes. Brush with the remaining sauce, turning frequently until chicken is charred in spots. The exact timing will vary, depending on the temperature of your grill. Remove the chicken skewers from the grill, tent with foil and let rest for 5 minutes.
See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips
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Debbie says
These Peruvian chicken skewers and green sauce look delicious Chris! I can only hope mine will turn out as nice as yours (my skills on the BBQ need improving). I have recently posted on my blog a Peruvian fish chowder, which has been a family favourite for years. Thanks to you I now have more than one Peruvian recipe!
Donna O says
Oh, my goodness! I just made this (only marinated an hour, but I brined the chicken before I marinated it.) This is fabulous, and I didn't even make the Peruvian Green Sauce to go with it! Spicy, flavorful, delicious!
Valerie says
YUM! I made this with whole bone-in chicken legs. I heated the grill up to a high temperature then turned off one of the burners and cooked the chicken for about an hour over the burner that was off, turning the chicken over every 5-10 minutes. The marinade was so delicious!
TheKitchenLioness says
Chicken skewers are always a big hit in summer and rightly so. Your Peruvian marinade and green sauce sound wonderful and and are most certainly perfect summer food to be enjoyed by family and friends.
And your Kitchen Aid burner is to die for, of course.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much! We are loving the grille, it's so versatile and easy to clean up!
Laura | Tutti Dolci says
These skewers look incredible, Chris! Such a perfect summer meal!
Wendy says
Marinaded grilled chicken is our favorite summer dinner. We love it so much, I have been known to make it in the winter too, standing out in the snow to grill! This Peruvian marinade sounds full of interesting flavors. Though I usually use chicken breasts (I know they tend to be drier), you have convinced me to give chicken thighs a try!
Susan says
I definitely need to branch out into new chicken recipes! Your green sauce recipe and the skewered chicken thighs sound wonderful, Chris. Love your new grill!
Anne@ASaladForAllSeasons says
That chicken looks incredible, Chris! A little sweet, a little spicy! Pinning this and promise to try it before the summer is over! (good looking grill, too!)
John/Kitchen Riffs says
Oh, wow! I'm tempted to go out right now and fire up my grill! What a terrific looking dish. A+ -- thanks so much.
Adina says
Absolutely gorgeous! I know I would love these, not to mention my daughter, she loves everything chicken and she loves eating anything from a skewer as well.
Kim says
This really looks amazing, perfect for BBQ season:)
Candy says
That's funny, I just noticed we have the same grill (Costco special this spring). Lol
I made this tonight - it was so incredibly delicious. Thank you, thank you, thank you for the recipe. I was looking for a good chicken marinade and this is perfect! I left the thighs whole and served with the green sauce. My whole family enjoyed it!
Liz says
Now this is fusion food at it's finest! What an amazing marinade---it will be perfect for one of our Sunday night family grill fests 🙂
Tonya says
My chicken is marinating as I type. Any suggested side dish?
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, I will probably post a Peruvian Rice coming up but I also love to serve this chicken in bowls with jasmine rice, sliced mango, sliced avocado, black beans (I just use canned beans and add a scoop of salsa if I have it) and fresh corn (off the cob). It’s really fun to just put everything in bowls on the counter and let people make their own bowls. I always serve it with the Peruvian Green sauce too - so good!
Tonya says
Wow! I just have to tell you how good this was. The hubs even loved it. But as good as the chicken is that green sauce is AMAZING! I'm so excited about that recipe not just because it tastes amazing but I've been on a search for a dip/sauce that is not made up primarily of dairy and/or mayo. I realize it has a some in there but I can live with that. If you have anymore recipes like this please direct me to them.
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
I'm loving this culinary adventure! These skewers look delicious. I'll be trying these, because I'm all about food on sticks in the summer time 🙂
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says
I can't wait to try these! We are really into the boneless skinless thighs these days - thanks to you! The sauce and the marinade sound great - thanks for this trip to something new!
Robyn @ Simply Fresh Dinners says
Wow, that's one flavourful marinade, Chris! I can't wait to try this fabulous combo of ingredients. This chicken looks delicious and with your green sauce added, I can see why your son was raving about it. Love his diplomacy, too! lol.
Oh yeah, I'm doing this! Thanks for a great recipe 🙂
Jenna says
Another delicious looking kebab from your kitchen Chris!
Ginny Hartzler says
Wow, this is beautiful!!!! It is making my mouth water!
cheri says
We love the thighs and this looks like a fabulous way to enjoy them, love all the flavors you have added. I can see why your son enjoyed this so much.
Beverley Press says
delicious recipe xoxo
Debra Eliotseats says
These sound more than delightful! Perfect for summer grilling, Chris. I'm sure we will all be enamored with them too after trying them!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
That's a great marinade! These chicken skewers look droolworthy, Chris.
sue|theviewfromgreatisland says
Oh gosh I've been waiting for this! What a glorious meal, between the sauce and the marinade the whole thing must be incredibly flavorful. The combination of spices is new to me, too, I can't wait to give it a try this week.
Pondside says
I have two huge packages of skinless chicken thighs in the freezer and I know what I'm going to do with them. Your recipes have never steered me wrong, and I look forward to trying this one. We spent a couple of weeks in Peru 8 years ago and thoroughly enjoyed the food there. This will be a treat!