El Pollo Loco Chicken: Keto-Friendly Or Not?

El Pollo Loco is a fast-food chain that specializes in Mexican-style grilled chicken, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and quesadillas. While Mexican food is typically high in carbs, El Pollo Loco offers several keto-friendly options. The key to ordering keto at El Pollo Loco is to stick to chicken dishes and avoid rice, beans, and tortilla wraps or taco shells. Fire-grilled chicken thighs, legs, wings, and breasts are all great low-carb options. El Pollo Loco also offers keto-approved meals, including the Pollo Fit Bowls and the World's First Keto Burrito.

Keto-friendly options at El Pollo Loco

El Pollo Loco is a fast-food chain specializing in Mexican-style grilled chicken, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and quesadillas. While Mexican food is typically high in carbs, El Pollo Loco offers several keto-friendly options. Here are some tips and specific menu items to help you stay keto at El Pollo Loco:

Tips for Ordering Keto at El Pollo Loco:

• Stick with chicken: Go for their signature fire-grilled chicken, which is naturally low in carbs. Choose from thighs, legs, wings, or breasts.
• Avoid breading and shells: Opt for fire-grilled meats instead of breaded options. Skip the taco shells and tortillas, or replace them with lettuce wraps.
• Customize your order: Remove rice, beans, corn, and other starchy sides. Be mindful of sauces and dressings, as they can add carbs.
• Add low-carb extras: Top your meal with bacon, guacamole, or other low-carb salsas and dips.
• Check nutrition content: El Pollo Loco provides a nutrition guide on their website to help you make informed choices.

Keto-Friendly Menu Items at El Pollo Loco:

• Keto Taco: This taco includes chopped chicken, pico de gallo salsa, avocado, shredded lettuce, creamy cilantro dressing, and jack cheese wrapped in a high-fiber, low-carb flour tortilla.
• Keto Burrito: The world's first keto burrito features chopped chicken, red cabbage, cotija cheese, creamy cilantro dressing, organic spinach, avocado slices, and pico de gallo salsa in a high-fiber, low-carb flour tortilla.
• Double Chicken Avocado Salad: A keto-certified salad with chopped chicken breasts, avocado slices, cotija cheese, cilantro, pico de gallo salsa, and sour cream. Omit the corn and creamy cilantro dressing to reduce carbs further.
• 2-Piece Chicken Meal: Choose any combination of fire-grilled chicken breast, thigh, wing, or leg. Pair it with a keto-friendly side like steamed broccoli.
• Chicken Nachos (Keto-Style): Order without tortilla chips and pinto beans, and add extra shredded lettuce. Enjoy it with a fork!
• Baja Shrimp Tostada Salad: Remove the pinto beans, rice, and tostada shell to make this salad keto-friendly. Consider adding avocado or guacamole for extra flavor and healthy fats.
• Double Protein Avocado Pollo Fit Bowl: This bowl contains organic super greens, lettuce, cilantro lime cauliflower rice, avocado slices, pico de gallo salsa, queso fresco, and a double portion of fire-grilled chicken breast.
• Double Protein Mexican Caesar Pollo Fit Bowl: A keto-friendly bowl with organic super greens, lettuce, a double serving of fire-grilled chicken breast, sliced radishes, avocado, cotija cheese, and a lemon wedge. It's served without dressing, keeping the net carbs low.
• Original Pollo Bowl (Tweaked): Order this bowl without the rice and beans to reduce carbs.
• Grande Avocado Chicken Bowl (Tweaked): Remove the rice, beans, and corn from this bowl to make it keto-friendly.
• Fire-Grilled Chicken: Individual pieces of chicken (breast, wing, thigh, or leg) can be ordered without sides or sauces for a keto option.

El Pollo Loco's non-keto options

El Pollo Loco is a chain restaurant that specialises in Mexican-style grilled chicken, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and quesadillas. While they have introduced keto-approved meals, there are still some non-keto options on the menu.

Higher-Carb Foods To Avoid at El Pollo Loco

• Chicken tamale, taco al carbon, and side
• Chicken tamales with a side
• Chicken tamale and tortilla soup
• Chicken taquitos combo
• Double queso overstuffed quesadilla
• BBQ bacon avocado overstuffed quesadilla
• Chicken avocado quesadilla
• Chicken fajita burrito
• Chipotle chicken avocado burrito
• Classic chicken burrito
• All chickenless burritos
• Chicken tortilla soup
• Mashed potatoes and gravy
• Coleslaw (this would be okay with no dressing)
• All sweetened drinks
• All desserts (e.g. cinnamon churros)
• Corn and flour tortillas
• All sauces and dressings

Other Non-Keto Options

El Pollo Loco likes to add a lot of beans, rice, corn, and tortilla strips to their dishes, so be on the lookout for those. If you go with a combo, be sure to order an unsweetened iced tea as your drink and hold any tortillas or chips that accompany your meal. You can get a side salad instead, but ask for no dressing and tortilla strips to keep it low-carb.

Customising orders to make them keto-friendly

El Pollo Loco offers a range of keto-friendly options, but many of their dishes can be made keto-compliant with a few simple modifications. Here are some tips for customising your order to make it keto-friendly:

Stick to Chicken

El Pollo Loco specialises in fire-grilled chicken, which is an excellent low-carb option. Opt for their signature fire-grilled chicken breast, wing, thigh, or leg, which are all carb-free. If you're looking for a fattier option, go for chicken thighs, wings, or legs as they have more fat than chicken breasts. You can also mix and match these options to suit your preferences.

Avoid Breaded Items and Shells

Stay away from anything breaded, such as chicken tenders or breaded chicken salads. The breading adds unnecessary carbs to your meal. Similarly, avoid dishes with taco shells, tortillas, or burrito wraps. You can often order these items without the shell or wrap, enjoying the fillings in a bowl or wrapped in lettuce for a keto-friendly option.

Customise Salads and Bowls

Salads and bowls can be a great keto option, but watch out for added ingredients that may increase the carb count. For example, the Double Chicken Avocado Salad is a good choice, but be sure to skip the corn and ask for no creamy cilantro dressing to keep it keto-friendly. The Pollo Fit Bowls are also a good starting point, but you may need to make adjustments. For instance, the Double Protein Avocado Pollo Fit Bowl is keto-friendly as-is, but if you're watching your carb count, you may want to skip the queso fresco.

Choose Low-Carb Sides

When ordering sides, go for low-carb options like steamed broccoli or a side of guacamole. You can also add bacon to your meal for extra protein and fat. Avoid sides like rice, beans, and tortillas, as these will increase the carb count significantly.

Check the Nutrition Guide

El Pollo Loco provides a detailed nutrition guide on their website, allowing you to check the carb count and other nutritional information for each item. Use this guide to make informed choices and customise your order accordingly.

Remember, when following a ketogenic diet, it's always best to prepare your own meals at home to have complete control over your macros. However, with these customisation tips, you can make informed choices when dining out at El Pollo Loco and keep your keto diet on track.

Nutritional information for keto options

El Pollo Loco offers a variety of keto-friendly options, allowing you to stick to your keto diet while satisfying your cravings for Mexican food. Here is the nutritional information for some of their keto offerings:

Keto Taco

The world's first keto taco, this option features chopped chicken, avocado, shredded lettuce, creamy cilantro dressing, jack cheese, and pico de gallo salsa wrapped in a high-fiber, low-carb flour tortilla.

Nutrition Facts:

• Calories: 250-260
• Fat: 17g
• Total Carbs: 13-14g
• Fiber: 9g
• Sugar: 3g
• Protein: 18-19g
• Net Carbs: 5g

Keto Burrito

The world's first keto burrito is another innovative offering from El Pollo Loco. It includes chopped chicken, red cabbage, cotija cheese, creamy cilantro dressing, organic spinach, avocado slices, and pico de gallo salsa, all wrapped in a high-fiber/low-carb flour tortilla.

Nutrition Facts:

• Calories: 440-450
• Fat: 28g
• Total Carbs: 31-32g
• Fiber: 21g
• Sugar: 3g
• Protein: 35g
• Net Carbs: 10-11g

Double Chicken Avocado Salad

A keto-certified option, this salad features chopped chicken breasts, avocado slices, cotija cheese, cilantro, pico de gallo salsa, and sour cream. Be sure to ask for no creamy cilantro dressing and no corn to keep it low-carb.

Nutrition Facts:

• Calories: 310-330
• Fat: 9-15g
• Total Carbs: 12g
• Fiber: 5-6g
• Sugar: 3g
• Protein: 39-47g
• Net Carbs: 6-7g

2-Piece Chicken Meal

You can choose any combination of fire-grilled chicken parts, including breast, thigh, wing, or leg. Opting for the skin-on versions will give you a higher fat content.

Nutrition Facts (with skin):

• Chicken Breast: 220 Calories, 9g Fat, 0g Total Carbs, 0g Fiber, 0g Sugar, 36g Protein, 0g Net Carbs
• Chicken Thigh: 210 Calories, 15g Fat, 0g Total Carbs, 0g Fiber, 0g Sugar, 21g Protein, 0g Net Carbs
• Chicken Wing: 90 Calories, 5g Fat, 0g Total Carbs, 0g Fiber, 0g Sugar, 12g Protein, 0g Net Carbs
• Chicken Leg: 80 Calories, 4g Fat, 0g Total Carbs, 0g Fiber, 0g Sugar, 12g Protein, 0g Net Carbs

Chicken Nachos

For a keto-friendly version, ask for no tortilla chips and replace them with shredded lettuce. You can also skip the pinto beans to further reduce carbs.

Nutrition Facts:

• Calories: 180
• Fat: 15g
• Total Carbs: 6g
• Fiber: 2g
• Sugar: 2g
• Protein: 5g
• Net Carbs: 4g

Double Protein Avocado Pollo Fit Bowl

This bowl is packed with organic super greens, lettuce, cilantro lime cauliflower rice, avocado slices, pico de gallo salsa, queso fresco, and a double portion of fire-grilled chicken breast.

Nutrition Facts:

• Calories: 390
• Fat: 16g
• Total Carbs: 14-15g
• Fiber: 5-6g
• Sugar: 4g
• Protein: 50-51g
• Net Carbs: 9g

Double Chicken Tostada Salad

For this option, be sure to skip the fried tostada shell and ask for no pinto beans or rice. This will significantly reduce the carb count.

Nutrition Facts (without shell, beans, or rice):

• Calories: 380
• Fat: 17g
• Total Carbs: 8g
• Fiber: 4g
• Protein: 49g
• Net Carbs: 4g

The Pollo Fit Menu

El Pollo Loco has a range of keto-friendly options, including their Pollo Fit Menu, which comprises keto-certified dishes and bowls that require no tweaks. Here is a detailed look at the Pollo Fit Menu:

Pollo Fit Double Chicken Avocado Bowl

A keto-friendly bowl that contains everything you need for a full meal. It includes a double serving of fire-grilled chicken breast, lettuce, organic spinach, queso fresco, avocado slices, and a blend of red cabbage and carrots. The net carbs for this bowl are 10 grams.

Pollo Fit Double Protein Avocado Bowl

This bowl is another excellent keto option, with a double serving of chopped chicken breast, organic super greens, lettuce blend, cilantro lime cauliflower rice, avocado slices, pico de Gallo salsa, and queso fresco. This bowl will fill you up and provide a good amount of protein.

Pollo Fit Double Chicken Avocado Salad

If you're looking for something a bit lighter, the double chicken avocado salad is a great choice. It includes veggies, a double serving of chicken, and healthy fats from the avocado. Be sure to ask for no creamy cilantro dressing and no corn to keep it keto-friendly. The net carbs for this salad are 6 grams.

Pollo Fit Double Protein Mexican Caesar Pollo Fit Bowl

This bowl is a great option if you're looking for a lower-calorie option. It includes a double serving of fire-grilled chicken breast, organic super greens, lettuce, sliced radishes, hand-sliced avocado, cotija cheese, Tapatio seasoning, and a lemon wedge. Ordered without dressing, it has only 3 grams of net carbs.

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