Chipotle Pollo Asado (Copycat Recipe)

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Why This Homemade Pollo Asado Chipotle Copycat Recipe Works

• It’s full of flavor!
• This dish is perfect for meal prep or a quick weekday dinner when you have a busy schedule or limited time.
• Make a Chipotle-style meal at home

Watch this latest web stories Chipotle Pollo Asado Copycate Recipe.

What is Pollo Asado?

Pollo asado is a tender chicken marinated with chiles, cumin, and spices, then grilled to perfection. The best part? It’s finished with a squeeze of lime juice and hand-chopped cilantro, bringing out the flavors.

Pollo asado is translated to grilled chicken and is an incredibly flavorful combination.

Chipotle Pollo Asado Ingredients

This Chipotle copycat recipe gets its transformative flavors from native Mexican spices. At the same time, its signature taste comes from Chipotle’s signature recipe and ingredient combination, which includes many fresh ingredients for the perfect asado recipe.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Chicken: Skinless chicken thighs, preferably boneless skinless chicken thighs. Use chicken thighs for a juicy finish. However, you can make this with boneless, skinless chicken breast instead, and keep in mind it takes less time to cook chicken breast meat.

Marinade: Spices in the pollo asado marinade include cumin, coriander, and guajillo peppers – I ordered the guajillo peppers online, or you can find them at an international supermarket.

Sauce: 

Bell pepper (green or red), red chili pepper flakes, fresh fresno pepper, chili lime, smoked paprika, salt, green onion, vinegar, and garlic.

Topping: Fresh lime juice and hand-chopped cilantro.

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How To Make Chipotle’s Pollo Asado

Marinate The Chicken

Boil water for the whole guajillo pepper.

Remove the stem and seeds, place the pepper in the hot water (to soften the pepper) for 5 minutes, and add to a blender with some hot water and blend.

Add the cumin, coriander, and blended guajillo to the chicken thighs. Place it in the fridge for 1-2 hours.

Prepare The Pollo Asado Sofrito Sauce

While the chicken is marinating, prepare the sofrito sauce.

Clean, dry, and give the onions, green pepper, and garlic a rough chop.

Preheat a skillet and use avocado oil to sauté the onion, green pepper, garlic, and red chili pepper or red pepper flakes.

Use a blender or food processor to blend the mixture with water, salt, and vinegar.

Set the sofrito sauce aside.

Pan-sear or Grill The Marinated Chicken

To prepare the pan, lightly coat the preseasoned cast iron skillet or cast iron grill with avocado oil and set it at medium heat. It should neither be too low nor too high.

The ideal temperature is medium, but you may need to adjust it depending on your stove. This will help you achieve a nice, crispy texture on the chicken.

To cook the chicken all the way through, cook it on the smooth side first side until it’s golden brown, roughly 5-7 minutes (on each side), then flip it. Try not to touch the chicken. Let it cook.

For a more accurate and technical read, you’ll want to check the internal temperature of the chicken – 170 degrees or higher.

Sauce the Seared Chicken

Let the chicken rest for 2 minutes, then cut the chicken into bite-sized chunks if you love bite-sized pieces of chicken, like the chicken at Chipotle.

Then, carefully coat it with the sofrito sauce mixture and top it off with freshly squeezed lime juice and fresh hand-chopped cilantro.

Air fryer Pollo Asado

If you prefer an air fryer version of this pollo asado chipotle recipe, air fry it at 375 for 25 minutes. Flipping the chicken midway through.

Tip: Preheat the air fryer for 2-4 minutes before cooking the chicken thighs.

Tips For The Best Chipotle Pollo Asado Copycat Recipe

If you’re looking to make some delicious Chipotle pollo asado, you must follow this amazing flavor process. It’s the key to nailing this recipe!

The Marinade Is Key

The secret ingredient that gives it a delicious depth of flavor is the triple-season blend marinade made with cumin, coriander, and guajillo pepper.

The Sofrito Sauce, Fresh Lime Juice, and Cilantro.

Once the chicken is cooked to perfection, it’s chopped up into bite-size pieces.

It’s coated in a delicious roasted onion, garlic, and spice sofrito blend.

To top it all off, add fresh lime juice, chile lime, and cilantro for that extra kick of flavor.

Use a preseasoned cast iron skillet and avocado oil.

Add avocado oil, a natural and high smoke point oil – perfect for high-temperature cooking, to the pan and ensure it’s set to medium heat before searing the fish.

You want to make sure the pan is hot to get a nice sear on the chicken.

See Below for Detailed Instructions

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The Right Equipment For This Recipe

Here’s What You’ll Need For The Best Pollo Asado

• 12-inch Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet – to accomplish a beautiful sear.
• Blender or Food Processor
• Medium-sized Skillet
• 1 Cutting Board
• 1 Chef or Pairing Knife
• 1 Large Bowl – For the chicken marinade
• 1 Rubber Spatula
• Citrus Juicer – Lemon juice (optional)
• Tongs

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What To Serve With Pollo Asado

Serve pollo asado with flour or corn tortillas to make delicious pollo asado tacos.

If you love Chipotle’s quesadillas rellenas, here’s a 10-minute Chipotle-style quesadillas rellenas recipe.

Lime cilantro rice is the perfect canvas for this flavor-forward chicken. It’s tart and soaks up all the seasoning in this pollo asado.

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Storage

Store the cooked chicken in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Store in an airtight glass container or glass food storage container.

If you plan on storing it for meal prep, freeze the chicken in an airtight container.

Reheating

Start by heating up a pan with a tablespoon of avocado oil over medium heat, then place the chicken in the pan until it’s heated all the way through, roughly two to four minutes.

Then, coat it with freshly chopped cilantro and some freshly squeezed lime.

Once ready, serve it up hot and enjoy!

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