Chipotle picks Sacramento area to test another new meat option. Here are the details

For the second time in the last year, Chipotle Mexican Grill has chosen Sacramento and Cincinnati to debut a new meat option.

The Cali-Mex chain has started selling pollo asado at 95 locations across the two cities’ metropolitan areas, according to a media release Tuesday morning. It’s available in burritos, bowls, tacos and salads, as with all other meats at the assembly line-style restaurants.

To make the pollo asado, Chipotle employees rub chicken pieces with cumin, guajillo peppers and coriander before grilling, cutting and finishing them with garlic, chili peppers, lime juice and cilantro. It’s listed on the menu at 210 calories, tied with the carnitas option for highest on the menu. Prices vary by location.

This is Chipotle’s first experiment with chicken since introducing the standard chicken adobo option 28 years ago as part of the Newport Beach-based chain’s founding. That chicken quickly became Chipotle’s most popular meat option, CMO Chris Brandt said in the news release.

“Chicken has long been the top protein choice among Chipotle guests,” Brandt said. “With the celebrated adobo chicken recipe already on our menu, we decided it was time to add another option and our new flavorful pollo asado chicken is another perfect complement to our real ingredients.”

Chipotle chose to test its new brisket at Sacramento and Cincinnati locations last November as well, keeping it on the menu until recently. More than 2 million residents live in greater Cincinnati, similar to the Sacramento metropolitan area.

Chipotle is offering free delivery through its app on all pollo asado orders from Nov. 8-14 in hopes of enticing customers to try the new option.

This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 10:13 AM.