El Pollo Loco Chicken marinated in citrus and pineapple juice overnight for the PERFECT El Pollo Loco copycat recipe!
El Pollo Loco Chicken is hard to describe if you’re not local to the restaurant. It has a definite citrus flavor, but it also has a definite brick chicken quality. I used to watch them cook the chicken on my lunch hour while waiting for my food. I’d see them put a metal press on top of it. While you don’t HAVE to do this, it is the best way to get a delicious crispy skin on the chicken.
And if you’re an old school El Pollo Loco Chicken lover like I am, pair this with El Pollo Loco BBQ Black Beans (Copycat) for the perfect meal!
Looking for more copycat Mexican recipes?
- Chipotle Corn Salsa (Copycat)
- Chipotle Lime Chips and Guacamole (Copycat)
- Chipotle Barbacoa Beef (Copycat)
- Guapo’s Famous Fresh Pico de Gallo
Or perhaps you want more chicken copycat recipes!
- KFC Original Recipe Chicken (Copycat)
- Pioneer Take-Out Fried Chicken
- Tony Roma’s BBQ Chicken
- Panda Express Orange Chicken (Copycat)
- Chick-fil-A Nuggets (Copycat)
Important Notes:
- Yes, El Pollo Loco uses food coloring to make the chicken look better. Since this adds nothing to the flavor, I left it out but noted it in the recipe for you.
- They marinade the chicken for an extended period of time. That is why the chicken has so much flavor without any sauce! The flavors are similar to this Slow Cooker Cuban Mojo Pork.
- Yes, you can and should make this in the slow cooker, too! I do it all the time. When done, I crisp it under the broiler for a minute and then shred it into tacos. It tastes like chicken carnitas.
- You can cook it through on your stovetop, too, if you don’t want to bake, but be careful you don’t burn the skin too much. The flavor of the pressed crispy skin is vital to el pollo loco.
Tools Used:
Grill Pan: I love this for cooking and pressing foods; the grill marks are great without having to go outside and be in nature. 🙂
Grill Press: I use this for bacon, chicken, stuffed foods, rolled foods, and other foods. It’s a great kitchen tool.
Pigtail Flipper: I use this to flip the chicken without damaging the skin, and it’s super easy. I use this tool EVERY time I cook something that requires flipping; it is amazing.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/4 jalapeno , seeded and minced very finely
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 8 chicken thighs , bone in and skin on
Instructions
- Mix up all the ingredients except for the chicken into a large bowl.
- Whisk well then reserve ¼ cup of the marinade in a small tupperware.
- Add the chicken to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
- Marinade overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- In a cast iron grill pan add the chicken skin side up.
- Cook in the oven for 25 minutes.
- Using potholders, add the pan to the stovetop on medium high heat.
- Spray some foil with canola oil spray and put sprayed side down over the top of the chicken.
- Press onto the meat with either a bacon press, a foil wrapped brick or a second heavy pan (I used my normal cast iron skillet on top of the chicken.
- Spoon half the reserved marinade over the chicken while it cooks.
- Cook for another 3 minutes then remove the bacon press/brick, flip chicken (add some more marinade) and cook a final three minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
I want to make this recipe for my family . But I wanted to know what side dish and vegetables would go good with the chicken .
I’m
Excited to make this chicken something I never made before
Laurie Clemons
Typically rice and beans are served as sides with this dish along with yummy salad. May I suggest some recipes from our site for your consideration?
https://dinnerthendessert.com/spanish-rice/
https://dinnerthendessert.com/chipotle-black-beans-copycat/
https://dinnerthendessert.com/mexican-corn-salad/
https://dinnerthendessert.com/refried-beans/
Ok, I’ll stop 🙂
Wow! I’m so glad I found this recipe! This is an excellent El Pollo Loco Copycat Recipe! It tastes so good – Instead of adding food coloring to get that “El Pollo Loco Orange color”, I brushed on some Catsup and Siracha Sauce near the end of baking my Chicken Wings and they tasted so good! Yummy! ?
What a great idea! Thanks for the 5 star review!
While I agree with other reviews that this doesn’t taste like El Pollo Loco, it doesn’t matter to me because the marinade is delicious! I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs, and marinated them overnight. Put in the air fryer at 400° for 8 mins a side, and had juicy, super flavorful chicken. We had chicken soft tacos and the whole family devoured them. This is my new go to chicken marinade.
Thank you Sara! Appreciate the Air Fryer tips and really appreciate the 5 star review!
Taste good but NOTHING like Wl Pollo Loco
Oh Oh! Thanks for trying the recipe Terri!
The marinade recipe is 100% incredible. Love it. Just wondering about options to the oven grilling and pan frying method as it is very messy. I followed the directions and got very good results.
How about grilling on the barbeque?
But my big concern is, if I grill on an outdoor grill, am I missing out on the marinade (spillage) that got added in the final two steps of the oven-to-stove-top recipe?
My only (and there is only one) concern is for the process for oven-to-stove-cook-top which seemed a bit messy.
I haven’t tested this recipe using a grill. Since “messy” is a factor, I’m wondering if you lined the grill with foil to capture the drippings would be helpful? Fold up the edges of the foil to create a “faux” grill pan? If you try the grill, let us know how it turned out!