What oil does El Pollo Loco fry in?
El Pollo Loco cooks with Fire-grilled chicken uses no frying oil (citrus marinade, open flame); tortillas use palm/soybean blend; rice/beans cooked in soybean or canola oil; Loco Fries fried in soybean oil.
The 5 cleanest things to order at El Pollo Loco
Learn this once: a salad with grilled protein and the dressing left off is nearly always the lowest seed oil order anywhere. So the list below sticks to real meals, salads included, never just a water.
| Item | PUFA |
|---|---|
| Aguas Frescas Mango Lime | 0.0g |
| Aguas Frescas Strawberry Hibiscus | 0.0g |
| Chicken Wing (Fire-Grilled) | 0.8g |
| Caramel Flan | 1.2g |
| Chicken Taco Al Carbon | 1.3g |
Lower PUFA is cleaner. These are estimates from published nutrition data and disclosed oils; preparation varies by location.
Why the frying oil matters
Most fast-food chains fry in seed oils like soybean, canola, corn, or a blend of them, which are high in polyunsaturated fat (PUFA). A handful still use beef tallow or other stable fats, which are far lower in PUFA. The oil a kitchen fries in is the single biggest driver of how much seed oil ends up on your plate. See the full breakdown on the El Pollo Loco report card, or where it lands on the Seed Oil Index.
Frequently asked
Does El Pollo Loco use beef tallow?
No. El Pollo Loco cooks with Fire-grilled chicken uses no frying oil (citrus marinade, open flame); tortillas use palm/soybean blend; rice/beans cooked in soybean or canola oil; Loco Fries fried in soybean oil, not beef tallow. See which chains fry in real fats on Tallow Watch.