The protagonist in this case is Costa Mesa, Calif.-based El Pollo Loco, which specializes in citrus-marinated flame-grilled chicken. El Pollo Loco is challenging KFC in a TV ad campaign taunting the fast-food chain that institutionalized southern-style comfort food with a “secret recipe” for fried chicken.
The marketing controversy aside, flavoring ingredients have been used for thousands of years. Thanks to modern technology, such solutions can be injected into animal protein muscle and rubbed on the surface for another enhancement solution.