Mia Patel
El Pollo Loco chicken is a popular dish that involves marinating chicken in citrus and pineapple juice, and grilling it over an open flame to achieve a bold, smoky flavour. To recreate this dish at home, one must first prepare the chicken by deboning it. This process involves making incisions along the bones and separating the meat from the bone structure, a challenging task that requires a boning knife and a steady hand. Once deboned, the chicken can be marinated and cooked to create the signature El Pollo Loco flavour and texture.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Marinade | Citrus juices (orange, pineapple, and lime), garlic, ancho chile, paprika, ground onion, cumin, coriander, oregano, turmeric, salt, and oil |
| Cooking Method | Grilled over an open flame or roasted in a cast iron skillet |
| Cooking Temperature | 425 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Cooking Time | 25 minutes |
| Tools | Bacon press, foil-wrapped brick, or second heavy pan |
| Sides | Rice, beans, and salad |
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What You'll Learn
Marinate chicken in citrus and pineapple juice
To prepare chicken in the El Pollo Loco style, it is important to marinate the chicken in citrus and pineapple juice. This is a key step in recreating the bold, smoky, and nostalgic flavours of El Pollo Loco chicken. The citrus and pineapple juices tenderize the chicken while adding sweet, tangy, tropical, and zesty flavours.
To make the marinade, add orange juice, pineapple juice, lime juice, lime zest, garlic cloves, and whole peppercorns to a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour the blended mixture into a medium bowl and whisk in spices such as ground ancho, paprika, ground onion, cumin, coriander, oregano, turmeric, and salt. You can also add oil to help carry the spices and coat the chicken evenly.
Once the marinade is ready, place the chicken breasts or pieces into a ceramic or glass dish. Pour the marinade over the chicken, ensuring that as much of the meat is submerged as possible. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator. The ideal marination time is between 2 hours and overnight. However, it is important not to exceed 40 minutes if using orange juice or pineapple juice due to their acidic content, which can start to cook the chicken.
After marination, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Preheat your grill to a moderate temperature. Place the chicken on the grill and cook, flipping once halfway through. Periodically brush the chicken with the reserved marinade to enhance the flavours and create a glaze. Grill the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees Fahrenheit. The grilling time will vary based on the cut of meat and the type of grill used.
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Use a cast-iron skillet
To debone a chicken the Pollo Loco way using a cast-iron skillet, start by marinating the chicken in citrus and pineapple juice overnight. You can also add spices such as cumin, paprika, ground onion, coriander, oregano, and turmeric to the marinade for extra flavour. Once the chicken has finished marinating, it's time to cook it.
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the chicken skin-side up in a cast-iron skillet and cook it in the oven for about 25 minutes. After that, remove the skillet from the oven and place it on the stovetop over medium heat. Spray some foil with canola oil and put the sprayed side down over the chicken. You can use a bacon press, a foil-wrapped brick, or a second heavy pan to weigh down the foil and help crisp the skin.
Cook the chicken for another 3 minutes, then remove the weight and foil, flip the chicken, and cook for a final 3 minutes. This will give you juicy, tender, and flavourful chicken with a beautifully browned and crispy skin.
If you want to debone the chicken before cooking, you can follow a technique like Jacques Pepin's, which involves more pulling and scraping than cutting. However, this requires some skill and practice, so it may not be suitable for beginners. Alternatively, you can debone the chicken after cooking by removing the meat from the bones once it has finished cooking.
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Grill over an open flame
To achieve that authentic Pollo Loco grilled chicken taste, you'll want to follow these steps carefully. First, prepare your chicken by removing any giblets and feathers. Then, using sharp kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone and remove it—you can save it for stock or discard it. Next, cut through the breastbone cartilage and flip the chicken breast-side up.
Now, it's time to create that signature Pollo Loco marinade. In a blender, combine orange juice, pineapple juice, lime juice, garlic cloves, and whole peppercorns. Blend until smooth. Pour this mixture into a medium-sized bowl and whisk in the spices: ground ancho, paprika, ground onion, cumin, coriander, oregano, turmeric, salt, and oil. Whisk until fully combined.
Take your prepared chicken and place it breast-side down on a cutting board. Using your fingers, locate the thigh bone, and make an incision all the way down to the drumstick. Repeat this process for the drumstick bone, cutting down to the ankle joint or the end of the drumstick. Now, use your fingers to separate the meat from the thigh bone, using force or a knife to assist.
With your knife, carefully pass it under the leg bone, ensuring the top flat of the knife is touching bone and the bottom is touching meat. Gently push the blade outwards to break through the connective tissue at the end of the leg/ankle. Trim away any remaining cartilage from the meat. Turn your knife edge towards the thigh and run the blade down the leg and thigh bones to completely separate the meat. Pull upwards and make slices under the thigh to free the meat entirely from the bones.
Once your chicken is deboned, it's time to grill it Pollo Loco style! Place your chicken on a grill over an open flame. For that extra crispy skin, use a metal press, brick, or heavy pan on top of the chicken. Grill your chicken until it develops a beautifully browned, flavorful crust, locking in all those delicious juices.
And there you have it! Your very own Pollo Loco-inspired grilled chicken, cooked over an open flame. Pair it with some BBQ black beans, rice, or a refreshing salad for a complete meal. Enjoy the bold, smoky flavors of this juicy chicken creation!
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Use kitchen shears to cut along the backbone
To debone a chicken the Pollo Loco way, you'll need a pair of kitchen shears. This method is a fun, challenging project that will help hone your butcher skills over time.
First, lay the chicken breast-side down with its legs towards you. You can use your fingers to feel for the backbone, which runs straight down the middle of the chicken. Then, use your kitchen shears to cut along both sides of the backbone. You can save the backbone for stock or discard it.
At this point, you should be able to remove the backbone. Next, you'll cut through the breastbone cartilage and flip the chicken breast-side up.
This process will allow you to remove the entire bone structure, except for the wingtips, leaving the meat of the bird perfectly intact. You can save the bones for stock by roasting them in the oven and then simmering them in water for a tasty soup base.
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Remove giblets and feathers
To remove giblets and feathers, start by laying the chicken breast-side down with its legs towards you. This will expose the backbone, which runs straight down the middle of the chicken. Using kitchen shears, or a boning knife, cut along both sides of the backbone and remove it—you can save it for stock or discard it. Next, cut through the breastbone cartilage, then flip the chicken breast-side up.
Now, you will remove the giblets and feathers. First, locate the thigh bone with your fingers and make an incision all the way down to the drumstick. Make another incision down the drumstick bone to the ankle joint, or end of the drumstick. Separate the thigh bone from the meat by grasping it with your fingers and pulling it away from the meat. You can use a knife to help with this step if needed.
Pass the knife under the leg bone so that the top flat of the blade is touching the bone and the bottom is touching the meat, with the edge facing the end of the leg. Push the blade out to cut through the connective tissue at the end of the leg/ankle. Trim off any cartilage that sticks to the meat.
Finally, turn the knife edge back towards the thigh and run the knife down the leg and thigh bones to fully separate the meat. Pull the leg bone upwards and to the left while making slices under the thigh to free the meat from the bones.
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