What I'd Order at El Pollo Loco to Lose Weight

Fire-grilled chicken pieces are the easiest 40 to 60 grams of protein on this menu, so I order them first and treat the tortillas as optional.

John Schaefer, fat loss coach for 27 years · Updated October 2026

What do I order?

Tell me where you're eating and your goal weight. I'll tell you exactly what to get, with the calories and protein.

Want me to email you your numbers? Your calories, protein, carbs and fats for your goal weight, plus this page so you have it at the table.

Answers are estimates from published nutrition data, not medical advice.

My El Pollo Loco orders

Fire-Grilled Breast and Thigh with Guac

Lunch style

1 chicken breast, 1 chicken thigh, small guacamole

510calories57gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 28% of your calories and 54% of your protein for the day.

Breast and Wing Meal

Carb meal

2 pc Breast & Wing Meal with corn tortillas, pinto beans and rice

660calories58gprotein

For a 150 lb goal: 37% of your calories and 55% of your protein for the day.

Mexican Caesar Salad with Guac

Lunch style

How I order it, the calories and the protein are in the Eating Out Playbook, along with 59 other chains and 25 kinds of restaurants.

See the Playbook ($7) →

The rule at El Pollo Loco: the lunch style order is built on protein, fat and fiber. The carb meal is the one you have when this is your dinner, or the one meal of the day you're spending your carbs on.

Skip these at El Pollo Loco

Queso Crunch Double Chicken Burrito Bowl1,080 cal
Chips & Queso Blanco (regular)1,010 cal

Numbers from El Pollo Loco's published nutrition data via elpolloloco.com. Menus change, so check before you order.

How I fit any restaurant into the day

Protein firstEat the protein, then the vegetables and fats, then the carbs. You're satisfied before the bread matters.

One carb meal a dayBread, rice, pasta, potatoes, fries. Keep the big carb hit to one meal. On a night out, that's dinner.

Zoom out to the weekFat loss runs on your weekly average. One dinner out is easy to absorb when the rest of the week is steady.

The Eating Out Playbook

Every restaurant you go to, already figured out.

60 chains and 25 kinds of restaurants, including El Pollo Loco. Search the place you're going, pick an order, and see how it fits your goal weight before you sit down. Works on your phone, $7 one time.

Get the Playbook Free: my numbers

Quick answers

What is the best high protein order at El Pollo Loco?

Fire-Grilled Breast and Thigh with Guac: 1 chicken breast, 1 chicken thigh, small guacamole. It comes to about 510 calories and 57g of protein.

How many calories should I eat at El Pollo Loco to lose weight?

It depends on your goal weight. I use goal weight x 12 for daily calories, so a 150 lb goal is 1,800 calories a day and a lunch around 500 to 800 of them. The fire-grilled breast and thigh with guac is 28% of that day with 54% of the protein. Type your own goal weight on this page to see your numbers.

What should I avoid at El Pollo Loco if I'm trying to lose weight?

The ones that stack calories with little protein: Queso Crunch Double Chicken Burrito Bowl (1,080 calories), Chips & Queso Blanco (regular) (1,010 calories).

Can I eat El Pollo Loco and still lose fat?

Yes. I've never told a client to stop eating out. Build the order around protein, keep the carbs for one meal a day, and El Pollo Loco fits fine. Fire-grilled chicken pieces are the easiest 40 to 60 grams of protein on this menu, so I order them first and treat the tortillas as optional.