Pollo Asado (Grilled or Roasted)

Juicy chicken is coated in a bold and flavorful pollo asado marinade and then grilled or roasted to tender perfection. This pollo asado recipe, also referred to as pollo asada, is full of citrus and Mexican spices, including achiote powder!

Serve the grilled chicken as the star of the meal or use it for pollo asado tacos, street tacos, burritos, nachos and more! 

Pollo Asado is amazing on its own, but if you’re looking to beef it up, it pairs nicely with flour tortillas, pico de gallo, mango pico de gallo, and 4-ingredient guacamole. Many of the same toppings we use on Birria (for Birria Tacos and Birria Ramen).

What Is Pollo Asado

Pollo asado is a bold chicken recipe popular in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Caribbean. The chicken marinade is comprised of citrus juices, achiote powder, coriander, paprika, Mexican oregano, garlic  and more. It’s one of the most flavorful chicken marinades.

Traditionally, pollo asada is make with bone-in chicken thighs or leg quarters, however we go with what cut we have on hand, usually skinless and boneless chicken thighs.

Is pollo asado spicy? Not as written below. We created this recipe for the masses. If you want to amp up the heat go ahead and throw in some chili powder or cayenne pepper. 

Pollo Asado Meaning

Pollo Asado translates to roasted or barbecued chicken. “Pollo” translates to “chicken” in English while “Asado” (or Asada) translates to “roasted” or “barbecued” in English.

The Spanish word “pollo” translated to English means “chicken,” and asado means “roasted” or “barbecued”, so pollo asado means roasted or barbecued chicken.  

Achiote Powder

Annatto seeds, native to the tropical areas of the Americas, are ground to make the colorful achiote powder. Achiote is used as a food spice, food colorant, fabric dye, cosmetic colorant, and the list goes on. The beautiful red color of the chicken comes from the achiote powder. Its flavor profile is nutty, peppery and a light bit sweet. You can pick up achiote powder for the latin section of your grocery store or from Amazon.

Pollo Asado Marinade

While the list of ingredients looks long it only takes less than 10 minutes to prepare since chopping is limited to the citrus fruits and garlic. The variety of elements lend to a complex and dynamite flavor profile – tangy, earthy, nutty and bright all in one. Try not to skip over any element to get the full experience. 

Mexican Chicken Recipe

This roasted chicken recipe (pollo rostizado) is shockingly easy considering how complex the dish is. It really shows what the right mix of spices can do to a simple ingredient like chicken. Only 3 basic steps are involved:

1. Marinate the Chicken – Only marinate your chicken for 1-4 hours. Any longer and you’ll end up with rubbery chicken. Blah.
2. Set up the Grill – You’ll use indirect cooking, which means only one side of the burners will be lit, leaving the other side unlit. For a charcoal grill, lit charcoal should only be on one side of the grill, while the other stays charcoal-free.
3. Grill the Chicken – Grill for 10 minutes (skin side down) on the direct heat side of the grill. Flip the chicken over and place on the indirect side of the grill. Close the lid and grill for another 15-20 minutes, until an internal temperature of 175 degrees F is reached (or 165 degrees F for chicken breast).

Recipe Tips

• Cut of Chicken – Any cut of chicken will do. Think whole chicken, chicken quarters, chicken breasts, chicken thighs, etc. We recommend dark meat for this particular Mexican chicken recipe as to ensure it stays juicy after cooking.
• This is a great recipe to use in your weekly meal prep schedule. Make the marinade and refrigerate it for up to 5 days. 1-4 hours before cooking, slather it on the chicken to marinate.
• Trader Joe’s Pollo Asado – this is not a copycat recipe for Trader Joe’s Pollo Asado. We love T.J., but homemade is the way to go. 
• You can freeze the chicken and marinade together for up to 3 months. Just defrost in the refrigerator like you would any other chicken recipe.
• Store cooked chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

Achiote Chicken Uses

So. Many. Things. Basically anything we make with Carne Asada, we also make with pollo asado. Just swap in the pollo asado for the carne asada.

• Pollo Asado Tacos – similar to our beloved Carne Asada tacos! Would be awesome topped with pickled red onions or pickled peppers.
• Pollo Asado Nachos – Just swap equal parts carne asada steak for our achiote chicken (Carne Asada Nachos).
• Pollo Asado Fries – Just swap equal parts carne asada steak for chicken (Carne Asada Fries).
• Pollo Asado Quesadilla – tuck chicken into a large flour tortilla and top with guacamole, sour cream and cheese (cheese quesadilla). Instant Pot refried beans would also be a great addition.
• Pollo Asado Fajitas – Swap out the existing protein for this chicken (Chicken Fajitas or Steak Fajitas).
• + Mulitas, Tostadas, Tortas, Taquitos or Flautas!

Pollo Asado Side Dish Ideas

Frijoles Charra
Green Rice
Cilantro Lime Rice
Mexican Rice
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Air Fryer Baby Potatoes
Spicy Cucumber Salad

Drink Ideas 

Here are a few of our favorites: Mexican Mule, Chelada, Michelada rimmed with Chamoy, Beermosa, or Margarita. Or Corona. Or Modelo. Anything Mexican themed!