Sweet Mango Barbecue Chicken Skewers are the perfect grill fare! Moist and juicy and bursting with fruity and savory flavors, they're a guaranteed crowd-pleaser!
Barbecues are a popular Filipino tradition, especially on New Year's Eve, when families and friends gather around a smoldering charcoal pit to welcome the coming year. Remember red hotdogs on skewers? Eating one after the other until my tummy hurt was one of my fun memories as a kid.
If you're planning a holiday grill fest and want to add to the usual Filipino Pork BBQ in sticks, these delectable sweet mango barbecue chicken skewers are a great way to switch things up. With a sweet, savory, and fruity glaze, they're a refreshing burst of flavor.
Looking for more grill-worthy recipes? Inihaw na liempo and pusit will surely be a hit at your next cookout!
Ingredient notes
- Chicken- Although you can use boneless chicken breast if you like, I highly suggest thigh or leg meat as they stay juicier and don't overcook as quickly.
- Barbecue sauce- Depending on your preference, you can use Western-style BBQ sauce with a tangy tomato-based flavor or a Filipino-type barbecue marinade like Mama Sita's, which has a more savory soy sauce taste.
- Mango nectar- you can use homemade or store-bought
- Dried red pepper flakes- or chopped fresh Thai chili peppers (siling labuyo).
- Sesame oil- for a touch of nutty aroma and flavor
How to make BBQ Chicken Skewers
- Combine mango nectar, barbecue sauce, and red pepper flakes in a bowl. Stir until well distributed.
- Trim chicken thigh fillets of excess fat. Rinse, drain well, and pat dry so the excess liquid does not dilute the marinade. Cut into uniform 1-inch strips and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add to the marinade and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain from the marinade, reserving the liquid.
- Thread 2 to 3 chicken slices onto each skewer. Ensure the skewers have a uniform amount of meat for even cooking.
- Simmer the mango nectar barbecue marinade in a wide pan over medium heat until reduced to about ยฝ cup. Add sesame oil and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Grill chicken skewers on a hot grill for 2 to 3 minutes each side. To prevent excessive charring and the meat from burning before it is fully cooked, grill for a few minutes until it loses its pink before brushing with the sauce.
- Continue to grill and baste, turning on sides, until cooked, and the internal temperature is 165 F. Remove from heat and serve hot.
Helpful tip
Soak the bamboo sticks in water for at least 30 minutes to keep them from burning during grilling.
How to serve
- These chicken skewers make a great appetizer and also a delicious part of a meal. I like serving them with coconut rice and tomato-avocado-cucumber salad, but really, anything goes. Try them with sides of Java rice, atsara, or even pancit bihon.
- Do you love waking up to a silog meal in the morning? This grilled mango chicken will be just as delicious as tocino with sinangag and sunny-side-up eggs.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless chicken thigh fillets
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup mango nectar
- ยผ cup barbecue sauce or marinade
- ยผ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Equipment
- 12 bamboo skewers
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine mango nectar, barbecue sauce, and red pepper flakes. Stir until well-distributed.
- Trim chicken thigh fillets of extra fat. Rinse and drain well. Pat dry and cut into 1-inch strips. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add to the marinade and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain from marinade, reserving liquid.
- Thread 2 to 3 chicken slices onto each skewer.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, simmer mango nectar-barbecue marinade for about 20 minutes or until reduced to about ยฝ cup.
- Add sesame oil and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Grill chicken skewers on a hot grill for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. When the meat starts to lose its pink, baste it with the sweet mango mixture.
- Continue to grill and baste, turning on sides, until cooked through. Remove from heat and serve hot.
Notes
- The recipe makes about 12 skewers; nutritional information is calculated at two sticks per serving.
- Drain the chicken well, and pat dry to prevent the excess liquid from diluting the marinade.
- Soak bamboo sticks in water for at least 30 minutes to prevent them from burning during grilling.
Nutrition Information
โThis website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.โ
Helen says
Delicious and so easy. My picky Partner loved it.
shelly says
all of your recipes are great...yumminess overload...can i have an ebook
Lalaine says
Yes, you certainly can. I'll email you the download link if you can please PM me the address.
Nickoy Wood says
Delicious! Can i please have a link to your ebook?
Sharlene Chan says
Can I use the mango nectar from Costco? I saw your recipe for mango nectar but I don't like the taste of mango I get from groceries here. Thanks!
Lalaine says
Hi Sharlene,
Yes, that would work. I use commercial mango nectar, too, when I can't find good mangoes here. ๐
angie says
i want to use this marinade for cut up chicken parts. can i bake them instead of grilling
them? we still have a winter like weather here in canada; so we can't grill outside yet.
Lalaine says
Yes, you can bake them. ๐
Christina says
I've been drooling over that blueberry bbq sauce recipe from Masterchef that I couldn't get my hands on. Wonder if that would also work with this. Would love to try your recipe first,though. Hubby loves mangoes! Thanks for coming up with this one!
Jim says
The flat skewers are best, they keep the pieces from "spinning". Also I would only use half the marinade and save the other half for the basting. The marinade used with the raw chicken should be discarded so no one gets sick!
CT says
That's why you boil and simmer the remaining marinade. I do this all of the time and have never gotten sick.
Deb says
I love cooking with skewers however, I always forget to soak my wooden skewers so they always catch on fire so, I have been using metal grilling skewers and absolutely love them.( yay...no more fires)