Battle of Grills: KFC and El Pollo Loco Fight with Free Chicken

KFC spokeswoman Laurie Schalow describes the cooking process as "slow grilling." She adds that the process keeps the meat moist as opposed to grilling over a flame, during which moisture can quickly evaporate. El Pollo Loco, however, also uses an oven during the initial cooking process. In a February 2006 article, Chain Leader Contributing Editor Lisa Bertagnoli reported that the Los

And so are the freebies. Fast-food chicken chains KFC and El Pollo Loco both are giving away chicken this week. On Monday, 5,300-unit KFC, headquartered in Louisville, Ky., offered a free piece of grilled chicken at participating restaurants throughout the United States. Not to be outdone, 417-unit El Pollo Loco is giving away two pieces of chicken on Tuesday in its biggest market, Los Angeles. The more generous El Pollo Loco deal, a leg and thigh, also comes with two tortillas and salsa.

In fact, he's right. The new product, "KGC," isn't grilled per se but cooked on a rack in a specially patented oven that took four years to develop, according to franchisee Eddie Sheldrake, who operates 15 KFC units in Orange County, Calif.

More importantly, El Pollo Loco launched two brash commercials Saturday that dispute KFC's claim that its new grilled chicken is actually grilled. El Pollo Loco CEO Steve Carley appears in the ad saying KFC's chicken is "cooked on a griddle. No open flames at all."

Karen Eadon, chief marketing officer at El Pollo Loco, says the smaller chain began thinking of ways "to protect and defend our business" when KFC announced last year it was testing grilled chicken in six markets, including nearby San Diego.

The El Pollo Loco commercials, created by Krueger Communications of Venice, Calif., emphasize that KFC prepares product in an oven, not over an open flame. Eadon claims El Pollo Loco's grilling process is the real deal. "Authenticity is becoming important, especially to Millennials. They are looking for authentic products," she says.