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 while awaiting 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 grill fest for the holidays and you’d like to add to the usual Pork BBQ, 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.
Marinade ingredients
Depending on your preference, you can use western-style BBQ sauce which has a tangy tomato-based flavor or Filipino-type barbecue marinade like Mama Sita’s which has a more savory soy sauce taste.
- 1 cup mango nectar-homemade or store-bought
- 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or chopped Thai chili peppers (siling labuyo)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Cooking tips
- Soak the bamboo sticks in water for at least 30 minutes to keep from burning during grilling.
- 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.
- Drain the meat well and pat dry, so the excess liquid does not dilute the marinade.
- Cut in uniform sizes to ensure even cooking.
- To prevent excessive charring and to prevent the meat from burning before fully cooked, grill for a few minutes first on each side before basting. Once it loses its pink, start brushing with the sauce.
How to serve
These chicken skewers not only makes a great appetizer but also a delicious part of a meal. I like to serve 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.
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.
Looking for more grill-worthy recipes? Inihaw na liempo and pusit are sure to be a hit at your next cookout!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @kawalingpinoy on Facebook and Instagram!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless chicken thigh fillets
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup mango nectar
- 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- 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.
- In a bowl, combine mango nectar, barbecue sauce, and red pepper flakes. Stir until well-distributed.
- Add chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight. Drain from marinade, reserving liquid.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, simmer mango nectar-barbecue marinade for about 20 minutes or until reduced to about 1/2 cup.
- Add sesame oil and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Thread 2 to 3 chicken slices into each skewer.
- Grill skewers on a hot grill for about 2 to 3 minutes each side. When the meat starts to lose its pink, baste with 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 calculated at 2 sticks per serving.
- To prevent from burning during grilling, soak bamboo sticks in water for at least 30 minutes.
Nutrition Information
“This 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.”
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.
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. 🙂
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. 🙂
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)