Cassie’s Ruminations

Citrus Grilled Chicken

This is another attempt at recreating the wonderfully flavorful chicken at El Pollo Loco, one of the few things I miss about Southern California (most of which seem to be food related 😛 ). I found this recipe here via Google. The source is listed as the Orange County Register, but I could not verify that. I increased the garlic, black pepper, and the minced chile for our version, and used chicken thighs rather than a whole cut up chicken. I also changed the grilling method a bit. I found that medium heat was too high for my grill.

It turned out quite well. Not quite the El Pollo Loco flavor, but very good nonetheless. I think next time I’ll add some cumin.

Citrus Grilled Chicken
Serves 8

For the marinade:
6 ounces (1 small can) pineapple juice
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 large cloves garlic, pressed
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon mild chili pepper (I used an Anaheim)
8 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the rest:
4 pounds chicken thighs (with skin and bone)

Remove stem and seeds from chile and finely mince about a teaspoon. Save the remainder of the chile whole to throw on the grill with the chicken.

In large zip top bag, combine all ingredients except chicken. Reserve ¼ cup of the marinade in a separate container for basting while grilling.

Place chicken in the bag, seal, pressing all of the air out, and squish around to coat the chicken well. Refrigerate overnight, turning once. Also refrigerate the reserved marinade.

Remove chicken from refrigerator 45 minutes before you’d like to start grilling and preheat the grill to medium heat. Drain chicken well. Starting skin side up, grill over low heat for 12-15 minutes, until the skin starts to look dry and the chicken is firm. Turn the chicken skin side down and cook for another 12-15 minutes, when juices are pooling in the hollows of the chicken pieces. Turn again (skin side up again) and cook until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F. Turn once more skin side down, increase the heat to medium and cook for a final 5-10 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees F and the skin is crisp and browned. Baste frequently with the reserved marinade for the last two stages of cooking.

Serve with beans and corn tortillas.