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Grilled Adobo Chicken Kebabs
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
14 mins
marinating time
2 hrs
Total Time
29 mins
 
Grilled chicken kebabs marinated in a yogurt adobo sauce gets so tender and full of flavor. The adobo sauce adds a wonderful smokiness with bright flavors from the chilis and apple cider vinegar. There are so many variations you can do with adobo chicken kebabs. Serve them as is with fresh corn or a fruit salsa. Or, you can use the chicken kebabs and make chicken tacos or fajitas with poblanos rajas and Crema Mexicana or crème frâiche. See blog post for poblanos rajas recipe. 

Also, adobo sauce tastes delicious with shrimp or fish so you should have no problem using up the sauce. If you do not want to make the adobo sauce, buy a 7 oz can of chipotle chilis in adobo sauce and purée until smooth. Try to add as much adobo sauce into your purée by scraping it off the chilis. You may not need all the chipotles. This sauce may be spicier and smokier than if you made the adobo from scratch.

Adobo sauce recipe is from Truly Mexican by Roberto Santibañez

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Keyword: Adobo Chicken, Adobo Sauce, Chicken kebabs
Servings: 5 people
Author: Ginger
Ingredients
Adobo Chicken Kebabs
  • 2 lbs (1 k) boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 tsp (3 g) Kosher salt
  • 1 tsp (1 g) granulated garlic
  • 1 tsp (1 g) dried onion
  • 1 ½ tsp (2 g) Mexican oregano or Italian oregano
  • 1 tsp (less than a gram) ground coriander
  • A few rounds of black pepper
  • ½ cup (125 ml) plain yogurt or buttermilk (see note)
  • ½ cup (125 ml) adobo sauce or ½ cup (125 ml) of chipotle chilies in adobo sauce puréed
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) apple cider vinegar or more to taste
  • Vegetable oil for the grill
Adobo Sauce from Truly Mexican by Roberto Santibañez
  • 3 ounces (75 g) guajillo chilies about 12
  • ¾ cup (185 ml) water plus water for soaking the chilies
  • 2 garlic cloves peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 ½ tsp (22.5 ml) apple cider vinegar
  • 1 ½ tsp (4.5 g) Kosher salt
  • ¾ tsp (4 g) granulated sugar
  • Rounded ¼ tsp of ground cumin
  • 9 inch 23 cm bamboo skewers or metal skewers for the kebabs
Instructions
For the chicken
  1. Cut the chicken thighs up into 1 ½ inch chunks.
  2. Place the cut up chicken thighs in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle in the Kosher salt, dried garlic, dried onion, oregano, ground coriander and black pepper. Mix the spices in the chicken turning the chicken pieces over with your hands until the spices are evenly mixed. Set aside on the counter.
  3. In a small bowl mix together the yogurt, adobo sauce, and apple cider vinegar. Mix until smooth and well incorporated.
  4. Pour the yogurt adobo sauce into the bowl with the chicken and thoroughly mix until the chicken is evenly coated with the marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate for two hours or up to 6 hours.

  5. 30 minutes before you want to start cooking your kebabs, soak the bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes.
  6. Take your bowl of chicken out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before you want to start grilling to bring the chicken up to room temperature.
  7. When the skewers are sufficiently soaked, thread the chicken pieces on the skewers. I fit 6 pieces of chicken on each skewer. Be careful not to pack the chicken in too tight and therefore will take longer to cook. Set the chicken kebabs on a tray when done.

  8. In the meantime, get your grill ready. Prepare your gas or charcoal grill for a medium-hot fire.
Grill the Kebabs
  1. When the coals and grill grate are nice and hot, add some oil to a wad of paper towels. Hold onto your paper towel wad with long barbecue tongs and rub oil over the hot grill grate.

  2. Place the kebabs on a diagonal over the grate directly over the heat source. Grill the kebabs for 3 minutes then turn them over to the other side. Grill that side for 3 minutes. Continue cooking the chicken kebabs turning them over every 2 minutes until they are done, the internal temperature is 165°F (74°C). You might need to sacrifice one piece of chicken and cut it open to see if it is done. The total cooking time should be around 8 – 12 minutes depending on how hot your grill is.

  3. If the chicken kebabs are getting too charred, move them over to the side of the grill not directly over the coals or heat source. 

  4. When done, place the kebabs on a tray and cover with foil to rest for 5 minutes.

  5. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.
Adobo Sauce
  1. Prepare your chilies. Wipe the chiles clean and remove the stems. Slice each chili open down the side and remove the seeds and the veins as best you can.
  2. Heat a heavy-duty skillet or griddle to medium-low heat. (I used a non-stick electric griddle set at 325 - 350°F, (173°-176°C). It was great to fit all the chilies on the griddle in one fell swoop.) Toast the chilies turning them over until they slightly change color, soften and become fragrant About one minute. While you are toasting the chilies, press down on them to get as much of the surface area touching the hot surface.

  3. Add the toasted chilis to a bowl filled with enough cold water to cover the chilies for 30 minutes. Remove the chilies from the water and place them in a bowl of a blender or food processor. Discard the soaking water.
  4. Add ¾ cup of fresh water to the processor with the chilies, the garlic, apple cider vinegar, kosher salt, sugar, and cumin. Blend until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add more water to thin the purée as needed. Taste and adjust the seasoning. If you want a smooth and silky purée, press the adobo through a fine mesh strainer fitted over a bowl.

  5. Makes 1 ½ cups (375 ml) of adobo sauce 

Recipe Notes

You want to use plain yogurt, not Greek yogurt for the marinade. It is best if the marinade is not too thick. If Greek yogurt is all you have then thin it out with some milk or buttermilk. You can also substitute buttermilk for the yogurt. 

There is enough marinade for 3 pounds of chicken if you need to cook for a larger crowd. There is no need to make more marinade for the additional pound.