El Pollo Loco Citrus Marinated Chicken Recipe

Ever since I was a kid, I've loved chicken. My favorite as a kid was, of course, fried chicken. But as I grew up, I ate less and less of it because I didn't want to eat too much fried food. Well, good thing El Pollo Loco came along! I love this stuff. It's not fried, so it's reasonably healthy. And although nothing can beat actually going to an El Pollo Loco restaurant and making 20 trips to the salsa bar, this recipe is pretty good. I can't guarantee it'll taste exactly like El Pollo Loco chicken, but I'm betting you'll like it anyway. Here's the recipe.

For the marinade, you'll need the following:

1 1/2 cup water

3 teaspoons lemon juice (fresh lemon juice is best)

1/2 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper (you can also add some red pepper if you want some kick!)

1 large garlic clove, crushed

Instructions:

Add all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl (large enough to fit half a chicken). Stir all the ingredients together.

Add half a chicken into the bowl. By the way, half a chicken is comprised of one drumstick, one thigh, one wing, and one breast (you may want to cut the breast into two smaller pieces). If you want to cook more, just adjust the recipe accordingly. Stir the chicken in the bowl, making sure that all the pieces get soaked in the marinade.

Important - marinate the chicken for at least 8 hours. If you can marinate it overnight, it'll be even better. The long you marinate, the better it will taste.

Preheat the grill at medium to medium high heat. Place the chicken on the grill and let it cook for about 20 minutes. Turn chicken and cook for another 20 minutes.

Note: grilling time may vary widely depending on the grill used, so check the chicken often to see if it is done. You know your grill best, so go with what you know.

You can serve the chicken with warm flour or corn tortillas, like they do at El Pollo Loco restaurants. A side of salsa wouldn't hurt either.

Enjoy!