El Pollo Loco Chicken marinated in citrus and pineapple juice overnight for the PERFECT El Pollo Loco copycat recipe!
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 min then remove the bacon press/brick, flip chicken (add some more marinade) and cook a final three minutes before serving.