Chipotle’s Pollo Asado (A Chipotle Copycat Recipe)

If you’re a fan of Chipotle Mexican Grill, then you’ll love this Chipotle chicken asado recipe. It’s a copycat version of Chipotle’s new pollo asado, packed with juicy, bite-sized chunks of flavorful chicken! 

The key? Three layers of bold flavor! 

Make an authentic Chipotle experience at home.

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.

What is Chipotle’s Pollo Asado?

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

Chipotle Pollo Asado Recipe Ingredients

This Chipotle copycat recipe gets its amazing 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, but you can make this recipe with bone-in chicken thighs. To make this recipe with skinless chicken breasts, remember it takes less time to cook chicken breast meat.

Marinade: Spices in the pollo asado marinade include ground cumin, coriander, and guajillo peppers – I ordered them 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 (tajin), smoked paprika, salt, green onion, vinegar, and garlic.

Topping: Fresh lime juice and hand-chopped fresh cilantro.

Oil: avocado oil or your favorite vegetable oil. Ideally, use an oil that can reach high temperatures.

How To Make Chipotle’s Pollo Asado

Marinade Recipe

Marinate the chicken with this copycat chipotle-based marinade.

• Fill a saucepan with water, set on high heat, and boil. Then, remove from the heat.
• Destem and deseed the pepper, then place it in hot water to rehydrate it for 5 minutes, add it to a blender with some hot water, and blend.
• Mix the cumin, coriander, and blended guajillo peppers before marinating chicken thighs in the mixture. Cover the chicken in the marinade and refrigerate 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.

Sear or Grill The Marinated Chicken

If you live in a city without access to a grill, a preseasoned cast iron skillet is the best option for this recipe. If you have a grill, this is a perfect grilling recipe.

• To prepare the pan, lightly coat the preseasoned cast iron skillet or cast iron grill with avocado oil and set it at medium-high heat for the perfect sear
• 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.

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 it 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 mix it 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

Here’s the key to nailing this Chipotle pollo asado recipe:

The Marinade

The secret ingredient that gives it a delicious depth of flavor is the triple-seasoning blend marinade:

• Ground cumin
• Ground coriander
• Guajillo pepper

The Sofrito Sauce, Fresh Lime Juice, and Cilantro.

• Once the chicken is perfectly cooked, chop it 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

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

What To Serve With Juicy Chicken 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.

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

This delicious chimichurri rice recipe is also incredible with this tender, juicy pollo asado.

Turn this delicious chicken dish into a burrito bowl by adding black beans, fajitas, corn salsa, and sour cream with warm tortillas.

Make chicken nachos with these homemade air fryer tortilla chips.

Here’s a list of sides to serve with pollo asado.

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!