This El Pollo Loco knock off chicken is an easy and flavorful chicken recipe. Serve with tortillas, rice and beans for a delicious restaurant style dinner at home.
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Do you have an El Pollo Loco near you? I think it may be a mostly West Coast chain of Mexican fast food. I remember my mom picking up the food when I was little and loving the juicy chicken stuffed in a tortilla with some pinto beans. It was so simple but always hit the spot.
I love simple recipes that don’t take much prep work and this is one of them. This chicken is great because the marinade takes less than five minutes to make and you can just throw the chicken in and forget about it.
Ingredients you need
- corn oil
- melted butter
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- ground cumin
- lemon juice, or lime juice
- salt
- bone in chicken
Family preference is bone-in chicken breasts. Using bone-in chicken breasts makes for really juicy meat and the skin is awesome.
How to make this
- Combine oil, butter, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, and lemon juice in large shallow pan. Add chicken halves, turning to coat well. Cover and marinate several hours or overnight.
- Remove chicken from marinade, cook over medium coals on barbeque grill, or 4- inches from source of heat under broiler, until browned on both side and meat is done, turning and basting frequently, about 30 minutes.
- Cut chicken halves into pieces to serve with beans and rice, corn or flour tortillas and salsa, if desired. Makes 6 servings.
Top Tips
Let it marinade overnight for best flavor. I prefer to marinade my meats in this Tupperware container which has little spikes on the top and bottom so the marinade can flow and it’s easy to flip! Plus no more concerns about leaking juices!
You can cook this on the grill, on a grill pan, or under the broiler. Use whatever you have available and either way it will turn out great!
What to serve with El Pollo Loco Chicken?
- Corn or homemade flour tortillas
- Mexican rice
- Seasoned black beans or pinto beans
- Olives
- Tomatoes
- Cilantro
- Jalapenos
- Blender salsa
My favorite way to make these up is to put some of the chicken in a tortilla, top with pinto beans and salsa. But you could use this meat for tacos, burritos, or even on a salad!
Other recipes you may like
- Mole Chicken Enchiladas
- Baked Empanadas
- Chicken Enfrijoladas
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Grilled Cumin Corn with Cotija Cheese
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Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup corn oil
- ¼ cup melted butter
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice or lime juice
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3 lbs chicken breasts
Instructions
- Combine oil, butter, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, and lemon juice in large shallow pan. Add chicken halves, turning to coat well. Cover and marinate several hours or overnight.
- Remove chicken from marinade, cook over medium coals on barbeque grill, or 4- inches from source of heat under broiler, until browned on both side and meat is done, turning and basting frequently, about 30 minutes.
- Cut chicken halves into pieces to serve with beans and rice, corn or flour tortillas and salsa, if desired. Makes 6 servings.
- Family preference is bone-in chicken breasts.
Nothing like the original “original” recipe. We ate at one of the first US franchise in 1975 and the chicken was spicy, not the gringo, Americanized, Denny’s version. If it makes you feel better, all of the recipes offered on the Internet do not even come close.
Hi John, if spicy is what you are looking for you can try adding red chili peppers or ground chili to taste to the marinade. It may not be like the original from 1975 but as you said, no one can come close anyways
Hey Jade,
How close is this recipe to whats being sold in the Pollo Loco locations now ?
Th,
P
It’s obviously not going to be exact and I’m pretty sure the real version has a LOT more salt in it.
I love El Pollo Loco Chicken and am excited to try this. Thank you for sharing.
Shouldn’t the marinade be cooked before it’s used to baste on cooking chicken?
Since you are basting a cooking chicken there is not a problem as long as you let it cook for a few minutes after your last time basting. If it is a high concern for you you can cook it or place the chicken on a rack and put the marinade underneath and use it to baste the chicken very much like you might do a roasting turkey.
Yum!
I think it is a great attempt! Of course you don’t have the actually recipe so it won’t be a perfect match. We really enjoyed. Great for big gatherings!
Like the real thing!
HEY I GOT TO EAT THAT MARVELOUS CREATION!!! I feel so honored…. =)
So sorry….you are no where near on this Pollo Loco recipe. I happen to personally know the Mexican owner whom had already been successful in Mexico with his Chicken Restaurants before he opened his first restaurant across from my husband’s office on Alavarado St. in LA. He sold his restaurants to Denny’s. That recipe will never be shared.
How lucky of you to know the owner and to have their actual recipe. Feel free to share it here.
Just rude! If you have the recipe why are you on this site? I prefer this recipe over the restaurant Chicken. This is delicious!