Chipotle is giving customers something to cluck about.
The Mexican grill-style chain debuted its first new chicken item in its 29-year history Thursday, the pollo asado, which will be sold at locations in the U.S. and Canada for a limited time.
To stand apart from the longstanding adobo chicken option, the pollo asado is flavored with spices, seared on a plancha griddle, then cut up into pieces and tossed with marinade, cilantro and fresh squeezed lime juice.
“Chicken is easily our most popular protein, with many of our most loyal Chipotle customers ordering it the majority of the time,” Chris Brandt, Chipotle’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to introduce fans to another flavor of chicken that brings a whole new dimension to any Chipotle order.”
The new poultry option was tested out in some locations in Sacramento and Cincinnati beginning last fall.
“Customer feedback and sales from the pollo asado test were on par with the test market results of Smoked Brisket, Chipotle’s bestselling menu innovation in the company’s recent history,” the chain stated in its announcement Thursday.
As with other meats on the menu, the pollo asado can be ordered in a burrito, burrito bowl, salad and in other options.
It’s the second new limited-time protein Chipotle has rolled out so far this year, with plant-based chorizo hitting the menu in January.
