Chipotle recently brought back Chicken Al Pastor for a limited time, sparking a fresh wave of confusion. Is it actually Al Pastor? The short answer is no.
Al Pastor tacos are traditionally made with pork, and since the name is based on a cooking technique, using chicken as a “substitute” renders a completely different dish. In other words, there is no such thing as chicken Al Pastor. Instead, there is only marinated cooked chicken, served in a tortilla, and named Chicken Al Pastor to follow a trend, and erase a bit of cultural history in the process.
Is Al Pastor Chicken or Pork?
Traditionally, Al Pastor is always pork. The name refers to a “shepherd style” technique that cannot be replicated with other meats. Here is why the distinction matters:
- The Result: Without the vertical spit, you are simply eating grilled marinated chicken. Using the name “Al Pastor” for this dish is a marketing trend that erases the cultural history behind the technique.
- The Technique: It requires thinly sliced pork marinated in dried chilies and spices, slow-roasted on a vertical spit called a trompo.
The Marketing Gap: While Chipotle uses the name for “Chicken Al Pastor,” this is actually Adobada—a modern adaptation that uses similar flavors but ignores the historical cooking method.
The Real Tradition of Tacos Al Pastor
The magic of an authentic taco isn’t just the seasoning; it’s the vertical spit roasting that cannot be duplicated on a standard grill.
- Middle Eastern Roots: The style was brought to Mexico City by Lebanese merchants in the early 1900s. They introduced the shawarma (traditionally lamb), which Mexicans eventually adapted using local pork and spices.
- The “Shepherd” Connection: The word pastor means shepherd in Spanish—a direct nod to those Lebanese immigrants.
- Self-Basting Flavor: On a vertical spit, the meat is self-basted as juices from the top drip down over the lower layers for hours.
- The Signature Cut: An authentic taco features “crispy-curly” shavings from the outer edges, traditionally served with pineapple, cilantro, and diced onion.
Practical Cooking Note: Just throwing pieces of marinated pork on a charcoal grill might taste good, but it won’t replace the unique texture and flavor of the real thing.
What Does Chicken Al Pastor Mean?
Chicken Al Pastor, as a food name, holds no meaning. As I’ve detailed in my look at the language of food, words in the culinary world represent history and technique. Chipotle and others are applying a trendy term to a completely different dish, prioritizing marketing over the cultural traditions that created the food.
- The Physics of the Spit: Slicing chicken into thin, uniform slices for a trompo isn’t really possible. Even if it were, chicken cooked on a vertical spit for hours would become extremely dry, rubbery, and unpleasantly burnt.
- The “Adobada” Reality: Chipotle is simply marinating chicken pieces in ingredients like pineapple, cilantro, and onion. In Mexico, this seasoning is called adobada, but the marinade alone doesn’t make it “Al Pastor.”
- A More Accurate Name: Because it’s cooked on a standard grill rather than a vertical spit, the dish is more accurately called “grilled marinated chicken.”
Adobada, in Mexico, refers to marinated meat. The term is generally applied to a pork dish marinated in red chile sauce, vinegar, and oregano. However, the types of marinade used in Al Pastor may also be called adobada. Meat marinated in these mixtures can be cooked in many different ways, but it is not the marinade that makes them “Al Pastor.”
🐑 Shepherds sure create a lot of food history. The word itself is a great exploration of food language and culture. Al Pastor was named because it was associated with Lebanese shepherds, but the meat used certainly doesn’t share this association. This is not the first time this has occurred. Shepherd’s pie causes its own confusion!
Read More: Shepherd’s Pie vs. Cottage Pie: Is There Really a Difference?
Does Chipotle’s Chicken Al Pastor Contain Pork?
While the meat used is chicken, “Chicken Al Pastor” is a culinary oxymoron that carries a hidden risk. Chipotle’s middle name is “cross-contamination,” and their kitchens are high-speed assembly lines.
Because traditional Al Pastor seasonings often use lard, and because most authentic Al Pastor is cooked alongside pork, there is a high likelihood of cross-contamination. If you avoid pork for religious or dietary reasons, be aware that “chicken” on the label doesn’t guarantee a pork-free experience in a fast-casual environment.
I shouldn’t blame Chipotle exclusively. They are just jumping on a bandwagon that was already popular, as chicken al pastor has been showing up at every would-be taco joint you can find. If you want real Al Pastor, don’t look to Chipotle. But if you are a fan of ‘slop everything into a bowl’ and cover it with a sloppy mess of something else, then you may like their grilled marinated chicken with hints of pineapple and…spice?
Conclusion: Why the Name Matters
You may enjoy Chipotle’s grilled marinated chicken for what it is, but calling it “Al Pastor” is a culinary lie. When we allow marketing trends to dictate the names of our dishes, we lose the history that makes those dishes special.
- Marketing Over Authenticity: Chipotle is simply jumping on a popular bandwagon, prioritizing catchy menu names over the technical traditions of Mexican cuisine.
- The Locavore Myth: This isn’t the first time they’ve used names to distract from reality. Much like their fake locavore marketing, which I’ve previously critiqued for its lack of transparency, “Chicken Al Pastor” is a branding exercise, not a culinary one.
- Preserving the Culture: If you want real Al Pastor, look for the vertical spit and the history of the Lebanese-Mexican fusion that created it.
Remember: Food language is food. We must protect the definitions of our dishes, or we risk losing the cultures that gave them to us in the first place.
More Confusing Mexican Food Terms!
- Are Fajitas Just Do-It-Yourself Tacos? Sure seems that way, doesn’t it? While Al Pastor came from Shepherds, fajita came from cowboys! Vaqueros, to be exact.
- Mexican Food Glossary: 25+ Mexican Cooking Terms & Methods: The most confusing aspect of Mexican food words is the difference between “dishes” and cooking methods.
- The Taco Trap: Why Over-pronouncing Food Words Isn’t Correct: Don’t let “hyperforeignism” make you sound affectatious. Learn why overpronouncing borrowed food words is not correct and is, in fact, ironically disrespectful.
