Introduction: Filipino BBQ Chicken on a Stick

By

Barbecue on a stick is a very popular traditional Filipino dish. It is  a popular street food in the Philippines, and is very similar to the Indonesian Satay . It is usually made from chicken or pork which is then grilled in a slightly sweet sauce on skewers. This version is made with chicken.

The recipe I give here may differ from the way others may make this, as almost everyone has their own version. This instructable will show how my family makes it. After reading it, feel free to make a version of your own!

Also, in my opinion, this is THE tastiest way to grill chicken.

Step 1: Find Ingredients

You don't have to stick strictly to the given measurements of each ingredient .

Add as much or as little as you like of each per your personal preferences
( as long as you stick to the general proportions).

Feel free to substitute ingredients

All measurements are approximate.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INGREDIENTS
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-  3 lbs of chicken breast or chicken thigh fillets ( used in this recipe)

-  1 to 1 1/3 cups distilled white vinegar

-  1/2 cup tomato ketchup or banana ketchup, or both

-  1/3 to 1/4 cup soy sauce

-  1/3 to 1 cup ginger beer ,ginger ale or  7-UP, Sprite,orange juice,pineapple juice, or any other kind of sweet drink

- 2 to 3 teaspoons garlic powder

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EQUIPMENT
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-Bamboo skewers

- 1 1-gallon plastic zip-lock bag
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Have all the ingredients and equipment? Move on to step 2 to start preparation!

Step 2: Cut the Meat

This is almost self- explanatory.

Cut the chicken breast or thigh fillets into small square-ish pieces, or into small, short strips. Remove any fat or skin, and discard the fat if you don't like big fat pieces (some people do).  It is OK to leave just a little fat on, as it will cook off in the grill.

If you want a tasty treat, save any chicken skin. You can put on the grill to crisp it up while brushing it with the marinade. It is very tasty.

Step 3: Make the Marinade

Remember, you can substitute ingredients with similar ones that you may have on hand. For example, you could use rice wine or apple cider vinegar instead of white vinegar. You probably got the point by now.

Anyway, combine all the other ingredients ( vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, ginger ale and garlic powder) into the zip-lock bag.

Step 4: Marinate the Chicken

Put the cut chicken pieces into the bag. Seal the bag, and move it around to help mix the marinade around.

Again, make sure the the bag is sealed, or even double bag it. Place bag on a plate or in a large bowl.

let sit in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.

Step 5: Skewer the Chicken

Take out the chicken from the bag. Save the used marinade, as we will make it into sauce later.

Put the marinated chicken on the skewers, and put the pieces close together. Make sure you leave enough room on the ends of each skewer so you can hold them while you eat.

You don't have to soak the skewers, as the chicken, dripping wet with marinade, will soak the skewers on its own.

Step 6: Make the Sauce

This is fairly simple. You can do this while you wait for the charcoal to be ready, or any other time before you start cooking the chicken.

Take the marinade that you saved from the chicken earlier (in step 6) and heat it up in a small saucepan on medium heat until boiling.

This is an extra step to ensure that the marinade is safe enough to use as a glaze and/or dipping sauce.

If you want the sauce to become a glaze on the chicken, then add about a teaspoon or tablespoon of sugar to the the marinade when it is near boiling.

Allow to cool down a little bit.

Step 7: Heat Up the Grill

Heat up the grill to about 300 degrees. While you are grilling the chicken, you will be opening the grill a lot, which means that when you are grilling the gauge will display the temp as about 155- 220 F, although the coals and the grill grate will still be at 300 degrees.

Step 8: Start Grilling!

Put the skewers of chicken on the grill. Flip every 2-4 minutes, or continuously flip. Every so often, brush on some of the sauce you made earlier in step 6. 

Cook until well done ( or however you like them).

Step 9: Enjoy!!!

You now have some delicious Filipino BBQ chicken all ready for you to eat!  Now you can either take the meat off the skewers and eat it that way, or you can eat it traditional style: just hold the skewer and eat!

The best way to eat this is with some grilled vegetables and some steamed white jasmine rice.

Feel free to comment if you have any ideas for improvements, or if you think you can make it better, etc.

Enjoy!

Chicken Recipes Contest

Second Prize in the
Chicken Recipes Contest