Chicken and halloumi skewers, or pinchos de pollo, are delicious little snacks that are seriously easy to make in minutes.
Traditionally served in the Basque region and similar to tapas, these skewered morsels include chicken breast, chorizo sausage and halloumi cheese.
Enjoy these all year round for casual dining, barbecues, lunches or just a snack with drinks!
Bon appétit!
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Pinchos, also known as pintxos, have their origin in the Basque region of Spain. Typically, they are served in bars as little snacks consisting of a piece of bread with a topping secured by a tooth pick.
They can also be skewers of meat, known as pinchos morunos, which are also really popular in Puerto Rico. I love the idea of little snacks like this, so I've put together my own version, which includes halloumi cheese.
Halloumi cheese is so versatile as it doesn't melt and holds its shape really well when grilling or frying, and gets a lovely crunchy crust. These sausage, chicken and halloumi skewers have a great mix of textures too.
❤️ Why you will love this dish
✔️Easy to make.
✔️Great as a starter, snack or main course.
✔️Delicious hot or cold.
✔️Perfect for bbqs.
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🥘 Ingredients
- Chicken breast - boneless and skinless breasts are easy to prepare and cook quite quickly. For best value I tend to buy bags of frozen chicken breasts of different sizes, which are perfect for pasta, curry and stir fry dishes when the chicken is cut up.
- Halloumi cheese - most supermarkets now sell this with the cheese packaged in a brine solution. It does have a long refrigerator life of a year, so I always keep a few packets.
- Chorizo sausage - fresh version, which is also known as the soft cooking variety.
- Rosemary - freshly chopped to flavour the marinade.
- Olive oil - just standard olive oil is perfect.
- Pepper - freshly ground black pepper for seasoning. Both the chorizo and halloumi are quite salty by themselves.
The printable recipe card with full ingredient quantities and instructions can be found at the bottom of the article.
🍽 Equipment
- 6 small metal or wooden skewers
- sharp knife
- chopping board
🔪 Instructions
Start by preparing the main ingredients.
Cut each sausage into 3 or 2cm pieces and each chicken breast into 6.
Next, cut the halloumi into 3 slices along the length and then cut each slice into 6.
There should be 12 pieces of sausage, 12 of chicken and 18 halloumi.
💭 TOP TIP
- Drain the liquid from the halloumi and let it rest on kitchen towel to remove excess moisture. This helps to get a crisp outside when cooking.
Thread the pieces onto 6 skewers, starting 2 lots of halloumi, chicken and sausage, then finishing with halloumi.
💭 TOP TIP
- If you soak the wooden skewers in hot water for 5 minutes before using them, they are less likely to burn on the barbecue or grill.
Pull the rosemary leaves from the stems and chop.
Mix the olive oil, rosemary and pepper together and coat the chicken and halloumi skewers with a pastry brush before cooking.
⏲️ Cooking Time
Cook under a medium grill for about 10 minutes , turning regularly until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese has a crispy crust.
🥗Serve with
If you are having a drinks get together or buffet party, try some of these light bite ideas.
- Prawn Canapés
- Smoked Salmon Canapés
- Salmon Gravlax
- Smoked Salmon Tartines
- Smoked Salmon and Avocado Mousse
- Baked Halloumi Fries
- Cheese Sausage Rolls
- Quail Scotch Eggs
- Turkey Sausage Rolls
- Ham and Cheese Palmiers
- Savoury Cake
- Breaded Garlic Mushrooms
- Asian Pork Koftas
- Pork Belly Bites
- Lorne Sausage
- Crab Canapés
🥙 Substitutions
- Chicken breast - use chunks of boneless and skinless chicken thighs if you prefer, but it will need a few minutes longer. Turkey breast can also be used.
- Chorizo - try kielbasa or Wiejska Polish sausage instead.
📖 Variations
- Spicy - add a teaspoon of chilli pepper flakes, chilli powder or smoked paprika to the marinade before cooking.
- Child friendly - use a plain sausage instead
🍣 Storage
- Refrigerator - cool, cover and store for up to 3 days.
- Freezer - seal well and freeze for up to a month.
- Reheat - enjoy cold or reheat in the oven at 180 C / 350 F / 160 FAN / Gas 4.
🍱 Prepare in Advance
- Make the pinchos de pollo in advance and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours before cooking.
🤔FAQs
Tapas are small dishes that are often eaten with a knife and fork and can form part of a meal, whereas pinchos tend to be a snack served on a stick, that can be eaten with your fingers.
Halloumi cheese is great sliced a griddled in a pan with a little oil and served on burgers or as part of a salad or side dish. Baked Halloumi Fries in panko breadcrumbs are also great as a starter or side dish.
Generally, Spanish chorizo is a cured sausage and Mexican is a fresh sausage that needs to be cooked. However, for this recipe I have used fresh Chorizo sausage.
Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais
More sausage recipes to try
- Slow Cooker Sausage Casserole
- Sausage Hotpot
- Halloween Sausage Rolls
- Savoury Bread and Butter Pudding
- Monkfish and Chorizo
- Lincolnshire Sausage Skewers
- Cotechino Sausage with Lentils
- Chicken Cassoulet
- Cod Cheeks and Chorizo
- Scallops with Chorizo
📋 Recipe
Chicken and Halloumi Skewers
Equipment
- 6 small metal or wooden skewers
- sharp knife
- chopping board
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts medium, skinless and boneless
- 225 g halloumi 1 pack
- 200 g fresh chorizo sausage 4 sausages
For the marinade
- 2 tablespoon rosemary fresh
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cut each sausage into 3 or 2cm pieces and each chicken breast into 6.
- Next, cut the halloumi into 3 slices along the length and then cut each slice into 6.
- Thread the pieces onto 6 skewers, starting with 2 lots of halloumi, chicken and sausage, then finishing with halloumi.
- Mix the olive oil, rosemary and pepper together and coat the chicken and halloumi skewers with a pastry brush before cooking.
- Cook under a medium grill for about 10 minutes, turning regularly until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese has a crispy crust.
Notes
- Drain the liquid from the halloumi and let it rest on kitchen towel to remove excess moisture. This helps to get a crisp outside when cooking.
- If you soak the wooden skewers in hot water for 5 minutes before using them they are less likely to burn on the barbecue or grill.
Disclaimer: The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
Detailed instructions for this recipe, including step by step photographs, hints and tips, can be found in the main article.
Brunch & Light Bites
- Breaded Brie6 Minutes
- Salade Gourmande10 Minutes
- Chicken Terrine2 Hours 20 Minutes
- Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes15 Minutes
🍲 Food Safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using gas.
Do you have a question or did you make the recipe? Please leave a rating as it helps other readers to discover this dish. Your name and email are required to avoid spam comments; they are never used for any purpose or shared with third parties.
However, due to spam comments, I do have to moderate each one, so don't worry if you cannot see your comment immediately. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can.
Do you have a question or did you make the recipe? Please leave a rating as it helps other readers to discover this dish. Your name and email are required to avoid spam comments; they are never used for any purpose or shared with third parties.
However, due to spam comments, I do have to moderate each one, so don't worry if you cannot see your comment immediately. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can.
Gina
The salty halloumi in the middle is the best part!
Jen
I love the idea of using halloumi on skewers! This looks like an easy dinner that my family will love.
Annissa
This recipe sounds absolutely delicious! The combination of the meat, cheese and herbs is just overflowing with mouthwatering flavors. Thanks for sharing!
Nathan
Something about serving food on skewers somehow makes it taste better, doesn't it? Absolutely love halloumi, especially paired with chicken and chorizo. Can't wait to make these!
Sara Welch
Enjoyed these for dinner last night and they did not disappoint! So hearty and flavorful; the halloumi was the perfect touch!