News: El Pollo Loco - New Stuffed Quesadillas

Following on the heels of the limited-time-and-now-gone Pork Carnitas Quesadilla, El Pollo Loco serves up new Stuffed (chicken) Quesadillas. Available in three varieties, the Stuffed Quesadillas feature a Crunchwrap-Supreme-style fold for portable, one-handed eating.

The three flavors are: Chicken, Bacon & Guacamole, Chicken Avocado, and Barbecue Chicken.

News: El Pollo Loco - New Pork Carnitas

Having featured chicken carnitas in the past, El Pollo Loco is now working the pork and currently serving up new, limited-time Pork Carnitas in three different forms: tacos, wet burritos, and quesadillas.

Carnitas is typically braised or slow-roasted seasoned pork.

Review: El Pollo Loco - Chicken Tostada Salad

El Pollo Loco Chicken Tostada Salad comes in a large fried tortilla "bowl." The salad itself consists of a bed of Romaine lettuce blend (mostly iceberg lettuce), cheese, chunks of white meat flame-grilled chicken, pico de gallo, cilantro, and sour cream with a creamy cilantro dressing on the side.

The salad goes for $5.29.

Review: El Pollo Loco - Chicken Avocado Burrito

El Pollo Loco's Chicken Avocado Burrito is a limited-time item they're sporting for the summer because avocados abound around this time of year. Each burrito is filled with pieces of flame-grilled chicken, fresh-sliced avocado, cabbage, pinto beans, and creamy cilantro dressing plus diced cilantro thrown in for good measure.

It cost me $5.29 for the burrito.

News: El Pollo Loco - New Chicken Avocado Burrito

This summer El Pollo Loco adds some avocado to their line of chicken burritos with the new, limited-time Chicken Avocado Burrito.

Selling for $5.29 (at least, at my local El Pollo Loco), the Chicken Avocado Burritos features chunks of their trademark flame-grilled chicken, fresh-sliced avocado, cabbage, and creamy cilantro dressing wrapped in a flour tortilla.

News: El Pollo Loco - New Tostada Salads

El Pollo Loco is offering two new Tostada Salads for a limited time. They're variations on El Pollo Loco's default Chicken Tostada and come in Avocado Bacon and Barbecue Chicken.

The Avocado Bacon Tostada features flamegrilled chicken breast with bacon, sliced avocado, and pico de gallo served on a Romaine lettuce blend and tostada.

Review: El Pollo Loco - Roja Wet Burrito

The El Pollo Loco Roja Wet Burrito is only available for a limited time and features El Pollo Loco’s trademark flame-grilled chicken stuffed inside a burrito along with pinto beans, pico de gallo salsa, fresh cilantro, diced onions, and melted Jack cheese. It is then grilled and covered in Colorado sauce (a red chili pepper sauce) before being topped with more fresh cilantro and Cotija cheese.

The price of admission? An even $5.99 for the burrito.

News: El Pollo Loco - Two New Chicken Burritos

El Pollo Loco is expanding their line of grilled chicken burritos with two additions: the Roja Wet and Chicken Avocado burritos.

The Roja Wet Burrito is available for a limited time only and features El Pollo Loco’s flame-grilled chicken joined by pinto beans, pico de gallo salsa, fresh cilantro, diced onions, and melted Jack cheese wrapped in a flour tortilla. It is then covered in Colorado sauce (a red chili pepper sauce) and topped with more fresh cilantro and Cotija cheese. On the side, there's fresh, hand-made guacamole and sour cream.

News: El Pollo Loco - Brand Nuevo Grilled Chicken Burritos

In a bit of un-inspired nomenclature, El Pollo Loco has four Brand Nuevo Grilled Chicken Burritos. "Nuevo" means "new" in Spanish so basically El Pollo Loco has four new "brand new" Burritos.

The Brand Nuevo Grilled Chicken Burritos costs $5.00 and come in four varieties:

Review: El Pollo Loco - Sweet Potato Fries

The final member of El Pollo Loco's new premium side triumvirate, Sweet Potato Fries are lightly battered and deep-fried from seasonally harvested sweet potatoes.

A small order will cost you $1.79 while a large will run you $3.99.

Review: El Pollo Loco - Sweet Corn Cake

Another new premium side at El Pollo Loco, the Sweet Corn Cake is a corn meal cake with corn kernels baked in. The price is in line with the other new premium sides at $1.79 for a small and $3.99 for a large.

Review: El Pollo Loco - Flame-Grilled Corn

El Pollo Loco's new Flame-Grilled Corn features sweet, fire-roasted corn-off-the-cob seasoned with chipotle en adobo and a squeeze of lime. It's one of three new premium sides at El Pollo Loco.

It's priced at $1.79 for a small cup, $3.99 for a large family-sized side.

News: El Pollo Loco - New Premium Sides

El Pollo Loco is gussying up their menu with three new Premium Sides: Flame-grilled Corn, Sweet Corn Cake, and Sweet Potato Fries.

The Flame-Grilled Corn features sweet fire-roasted corn off the cob seasoned with chipotle en adobo and a squeeze of lime.

The Sweet Corn Cake is a sweet melt-in-your-mouth corn cake with bits of corn baked in.

And the Sweet Potato Fries are lightly coated and prepared from seasonally harvested sweet potatoes.

The price is $1.79 for a small side and $3.99 for a large.

News: El Pollo Loco - New Fish Tacos

El Pollo Loco is serving up two new, limited-time fish tacos until mid-April 2011: the Classic Baja Fish Taco and the Spicy Avocado Fish Taco.

Both taco feature fried, beer-battered Alaskan white fish topped with shredded cabbage and cilantro wrapped in a corn tortilla. The Classic Baja Fish Taco adds a blend of yogurt sauce with El Pollo Loco's house salsa while the Spicy Avocado Fish Taco takes the same yogurt sauce and joins it with avocado salsa. Limes are available to squeeze onto the tacos.

The suggested price per taco is $1.99 with a combo of two tacos and a small drink is set at $5.29.

News: El Pollo Loco Nixing Steak

Going, going, soon to be gone.

According to the OC Register, El Pollo Loco is getting rid of steak (carne asada) from their menu by spring of this year. So if you want steak from El Pollo Loco, you'll want to get it while you can.

The move to add steak to the menu always puzzled me; when you call yourself "The Crazy Chicken," people kinda expect chicken and not steak. It would be as if KFC started serving country-fried beef steak. Or, if Burger King served pizza. It just doesn't vibe with the message the name sends out.

Review: El Pollo Loco - Mixed Grill Plate

El Pollo Loco's Mixed Grill Plate offers carne asada alongside your choice of a chicken leg or thigh served with Spanish rice, pinto beans, warm tortillas (corn or flour), fresh salsa, diced onions, shredded lettuce, and chopped cilantro (for taco making). A Mixed Grill Plate will run you $6.49.

It's a fair bit of food and enough for two of me, but maybe only one of you if you're a big eater.

News: El Pollo Loco - New Plates

Not exactly a new dish, but more like a new combo, El Pollo Loco is offering three "new" plates for a limited time on their menu. Each plate features Spanish rice, pinto beans, and fresh salsa and your choice of Carne Asada, Mixed Grill (carne asada and a chicken thigh or leg), or Tamales (covered with Colorado sauce). The Carne Asada and Mixed Grill Plates also include tortillas (your choice of corn or flour).

Prices are $5.99 for the Tamales Plate, $6.49 for the Mixed Grill Plate, and $6.99 for the Carne Asada Plate.

To promote the new plates, El Pollo Loco is offering a printable coupon on their site for a free individual-sized chocolate bundt cake with any Plate purchase (expires November 11, 2010).

News: El Pollo Loco - A Coupon a Day All September

El Pollo Loco is celebrating their 30th Anniversary by giving customers a different coupon for 30 days i.e. everyday for the month of September. Each coupon is only good for one day exactly.

Highlights include:
-A free leg or thigh plus tortillas and salsa on 9/15;
-a 30 cent churro on 9/17 and 9/22 and;
-a 30 cent chicken taquito on 9/19 and 9/28

You can see the whole calendar here: http://www.elpolloloco.com/30thAnniversary/index.html. You can view and print the coupons by clicking on the days of the calendar.

Review: El Pollo Loco - Guacamole Grilled Chicken Sandwich

The other sandwich to El Pollo Loco's Grilled Chicken Sandwich duo, the Guacamole Grilled Chicken Sandwich differs from the Jalapeno version in that it substitutes a glop of guacamole instead of jalapenos, Southwest sauce, and a slice of cheese. The price remains the same at $4.29 per.

Review: El Pollo Loco - Jalapeno Grilled Chicken Sandwich

El Pollo Loco's Jalapeño Grilled Chicken Sandwich features a marinated boneless chicken breast, pepper jack cheese, sliced jalapeño peppers, a shredded blend of Romaine and iceberg lettuce, pico de gallo salsa, and a spicy Southwest sauce served on a soft, dense, grilled Telera roll. The Jalapeño Grilled Chicken Sandwich carries a premium price tag of $4.29.