20 Reviews of El Pollo Loco Chicken (Copycat Recipe)

From: Chef #615781

On Oct 15, 2007

I eat as much chicken as possible, especially baked or grilled. That being said I think its fair enough to say I've had my share of El Pollo Loco, and unfortunately this recipe did NOT taste very much like it. The sauce seemed very "tomato-ey" when I was expecting the the citrus taste the El pollo loco brings to the table.

From: Fairy Nuff

On Sep 26, 2005

Wow katie - we loved this chicken! I marinated the chicken for 9 hours (subbed another brand of chilli sauce).Cooked in a cast-iron pan on the stove for 20 minutes then sliced the breasts and served with tortillas, salsa, guacamole and sour cream.This chicken packs a mean punch!!! What a winner dinner.

From: Chef #894313

On Jul 18, 2008

This recipe isn't even close, using a tomato base is the wrong direction

From: PaulaG

On Oct 9, 2005

El Polo Loco recently opened up locally and I really like their chicken. This is very close if not right on! I used bone-in chicken breasts which I allowed to marinade for 24 hours, placed them in microwave for about 10 minutes then finished the cooking on the grill. This recipe produced wonderful flavorful, moist and tender chicken.

From: Chef #JJAMS

On Sep 14, 2006

This was an awsome recipe. I used a 1/4 cup lemon juice and a 1/4 cup orange juice instead of the fresh. The kids really loved it. In fact I am making it the second time in one week.

From: CASunshine

On May 24, 2007

Very, very good! The fragrance while grilling was just incredible! We love Pollo Loco chicken but something in it bothers my DH's allergies, so we don't ever eat there anymore. Now we can eat this and it doesn't bother him! Who knows if it is their exact recipe, but we don't care! We loved it!

From: Chelley-Chelle

On Jul 3, 2007

I don't think it tastes like El Pollo Loco, but I LOVE IT!! The first batch I made on a stovetop grill, it made an incredibly smoky mess. The second time, I cooked it in the oven on a rack over a baking sheet at 400 degrees. Perfectly browned skin and tender meat, and no smoke!

From: Marie Nixon

On Jun 30, 2007

I'm really glad I tried this recipe. I marinated the chicken for about 8 hours and cooked them on my stovetop grill pan.It would make a very nice casual company dish.

From: hippeastrum

On Dec 20, 2005

Wow this was really good too. I used another brand of chili sauce and I might have cooked it differently too, so it didn't exactly taste like el pollo loco to me. I cooked it in the oven at 350degrees for 25min then put them on my george foreman grill for a few minutes for a nice grilled appearance. I served it with the sauce that was leftover from the baking pan. Thanks!

From: ChristineD 22

On Jul 11, 2007

This is awesome, loved it. We too love el pollo loco but the restaurant is quite a drive from our house. thanks I too am from the UP, Ishpeming actually so I know the pain of living in the UP with no el pollo locos Thanks again Christine