El Polo Loco Chicken


 
Are you refering to the product as made at the establishment of the same name? El Pollo Loco or "The Crazy Chicken" originated in Mexico as a family recipe for chicken marinade.

Here is their recipe:

In a blender combine 2 cups water, 4 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons pepper, 1 garlic clove, 1 pinch of ground saffron, 2 tablespoons pineapple juice, 1 teaspoon lime juice. Blend on high for 15-20 seconds. Marinate 1 whole frying chicken (with skin) halved or quartered for 45 minutes, turn and marinate for an additional 30 minutes. The recipe then calls for grilling the chicken on a "medium low grilling heat" on an open grill for 45 minutes to an hour or until the skin in golden brown and crispy. They say to turn the chicken often. I don't know how this would translate exactly to cooking temps/times on a WSM. They suggest cutting the chicken into 8 pieces when done, cutting the breast in half and cutting the thighs from the legs.

Hope this is what you were looking for.
 
Allan,

Found the following recipe on the internet....

El Pollo Loco Chicken Marinade

El Pollo Loco Marinade (M, TNT)
<span class="ev_code_RED">Source: Orange County Register</span>
Serves: 6
6 ounces pineapple juice
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon mild chili pepper (Anaheim or California), remove stem and seeds from chiles, finely minced
8 drops yellow food coloring, optional (but accurate)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 pounds frying chicken, cut up

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except chicken, measure out 1/4 cup marinade and reserve for basting while grilling.
Place chicken in a shallow glass baking dish and cover with marinade. Cover with lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, turning at least once. Refrigerate reserved marinade.

Remove chicken from refrigerator 45 minutes before cooking time. Drain chicken and grill over medium coals for 25 to 35 minutes or until no traces of pink color remain, turning every 10 minutes. Baste frequently with the reserved 1/4 cup marinade while cooking.
 
I tried this on some bone in breasts and thighs this weekend and they were beyond great. Only gave them 6 hours in the marinade and next time will leave them overnight. Grilled them on the kettle and they are delicious.
 
Glad I found this one. I will be cooking at work next week and think I might try this. Sounds great. I think I will bring the reserve to a boil and let simmer for a few just to be safe.
 
Yes, this recipe turned out some good chicken for me too.

A few days after, I ate some chicken at an El Pollo Loco restaurant and I didn't taste as much (or any) Pineapple in their version. The restaurant's chicken also had more black pepper. Just for kicks, next time I'll modify the recipe by:

1. Reducing the amount of Pineapple.
2. Increasing the amount of black pepper.

* By the way, everyone thought the yellow food coloring was "kind-of-neat".
 
Yes.

Personally, I'd up the lime to 1/4 c and cut the pineapple to 6 T and skip the vinegar. I'd also switch the ground chile to a hot one, use a bit more, and up the pepper--but all of that's just me.
 
What would be a good rub to add (especially if I were using this recipe with Cornish Game Hens) before grilling?
 
If I planned to baste with the reserved marinade I might go with a simple rub applied lightly and allowed to cook and stick to the hens for a bit before basting the first time. A little salt, rubbed sage, dried thyme, gran garlic, gran onion, black pepper, and ground ginger come immediately to mind for game hen. A side of basmati rice (brown or white) cooked with a sauteed shallots and little fresh garlic and fresh ginger, and finished with pomegranate syrup and chopped pistachios would make a great side.
 
Okay. I have 7 Cornish Game Hens that, since last night, have been marinating in this recipe (x2) modified as Kevin suggested. I upped the lime juice (I squeezed a zillion little key limes), omitted the vinegar, micro-planed some lime zest, and used poblano and serrano peppers that I got from the farmer's market. I threw in some diced jalapeno as well. I didn't have any dried oregano, but I minced fresh oregano and let it the whole marinade steep for a little while before I added the hens.

I am going to pull them from the marinade in a couple hours, and then let them air dry in the fridge as much as possible. I will then apply a light and simple butter/rub paste.

Now - I have some cherry wood - What I was thinking was smoke them at 200 for about two hours, and then raise the temp as high as I can get it (350ish) until the thigh measures about 155 internal. Alternatively, I could start them on my kettle (still using indirect, but at a higher temp than I can get in the WSM) for 10 or 15 minutes, and then move them to the smoker (low heat) and smoke them until they reach the right temp (I guess an 1.5-2 hours).

What do you guys think?
 
I would go with Plan A. I might consider dumping the pan for the high-heat finish or moving them to a high-heat kettle indirect finish. I'd pull at 157-160 breast or 168-170 thigh and rest 10 min.
 
It came out great! I think I should have added more salt to the rub, but it was good.

I had the wrong settings on my camera and the one pic I took was at a tiny resolution. Oh well.

It was a dark-reddish color, and smelled wonderful.

Thanks for the recipe and all the advice!
 
Great. Maybe I'll do it myself very soon. I've Key limes nearly dropping off the tree.

I should've noticed how little salt was in the marinade. Fine for that, but you're right, a rub would need more.

Game hens for Burning Man next year?
icon_smile.gif
 
Albert-

Did this recipe tonight with some changes:
Omitted the pineapple juice.
Used the juices of one whole lime.
Added 1 tsp of lime zest.
Added the juices of one whole lemon.
Added 1 tsp lemon zest.
Added an extra clove of garlic.
Doubled the salt.
Increased black pepper to 1/2 tsp
Substituted 1/2 tsp chipotle powder for the mild chile pepper
Added a pinch of saffron threads
Doubled the oil (canola)

Marinated overnight, prior to grilling make sure bits of zest and garlic are removed from chicken pieces so they don't burn. I grilled the pieces over some new briquettes that were hot as lava, and served sides of rice, beans, corn tortillas, quacamole, and salsa. Delicious.

I've been scouring the 'net for a long time looking for a good El Pollo Loco recipe. I think this one nails it, and the wife agrees. Thanks for posting this one.
 
Originally posted by Kevin S.:
Albert-

Did this recipe tonight with some changes:
Omitted the pineapple juice.
Used the juices of one whole lime.
Added 1 tsp of lime zest.
Added the juices of one whole lemon.
Added 1 tsp lemon zest.
Added an extra clove of garlic.
Doubled the salt.
Increased black pepper to 1/2 tsp
Substituted 1/2 tsp chipotle powder for the mild chile pepper
Added a pinch of saffron threads
Doubled the oil (canola)
Click to expand...

This is very similar to what I have been using lately. I usually add some orange juice/zest, and I don't have any saffron.
Wonderful stuff, though. The citrus and chipotle really come through.

Jim
 
Kevin & James,

Sounds like you've discovered a variant of the recipe that is working out for you. Sweeeet!

The orange juice idea poses some interesting possibilities. Maybe next time, I'll leave out the lime and pineapple juice and simply use orange juice. Thanks for the tip!

-Albert
 
Albert-
Sure, give it a shot!
I like to use some lime, as it adds a little more "bite", but that's just me. Experimenting is one of the truly fun things about this hobby.
Happy Q'in,

Jim
 
James,

Indeed experimenting can be fun.. here's the modified recipe using equal parts of orange and pineapple juice..... Like the previous recipe, this one turned out some great chicken!

Used 50% orange juice and 50% pineapple juice (instead of 100% pineapple juice). Increased the amount of both juices and everything else proportionately (except for the Anaheim Chili) to create more marinade for 8lbs of chicken thighs. Added substantially more minced Anaheim Chili - as its not spicey hot.


El Pollo Loco Marinade – Modified
8 lbs of chicken – serves 10-12

8 oz. pineapple juice
8 oz. orange juice
1 ¼ tablespoon lime juice
1 ¼ tablespoon white vinegar
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 ¼ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
2 tablespoons mild chili pepper (Anaheim or California), remove stem and seeds, finely minced
20 drops yellow food coloring, optional (but accurate)
2 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
8 pounds frying chicken, cut up

In medium sized bowl, combine all ingredients except chicken, measure out ½ cup marinade and reserve for basting while grilling.

Place chicken in a shallow glass baking dish and cover with marinade. Cover with lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight), turning at least once. Refrigerate reserved marinade.

Remove chicken from refrigerator 45 minutes before cooking time. Drain chicken and grill over medium heat (325 degrees) for 25 to 35 minutes or until no traces of pink color remain, turning every 10 minutes. Baste frequently with the reserved 1/2 cup marinade while cooking (after removing from frig, use microwave to warm up the reserved marinade).
 
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