• by Teresa Buyikian , March 13, 2024

Blame social media. That’s what Chipotle said in a release earlier this week for the reason the chain decided to bring back its Chicken al Pastor in North America, the U.K. and Europe, for a limited time.

Since the item left the menu in August 2023, social media requests for Chicken al Pastor “have been three times more than…any other limited time offering in the brand’s history,” according to a release.

In response to all the Pastor love, Chipotle recently posed this challenge to its social media followers: “Tell us what you’d do to have Chicken Al Pastor back.”

Responses ranged from “I’d name my first-born son Al Pastor,” on Instagram to “I'll wear a shirt with just images of the chicken all over and the chipotle logo on the front and back center” on X.

"About one in five transactions included Chicken al Pastor when it was featured on our menu last year," said Chris Brandt, Chipotle’s chief brand officer in a release. "Given the performance and the fans wanting its return so enthusiastically,” this was the fastest comeback of any item in the chain’s history, Brandt noted.

Chipotle’s Chicken al Pastor is made in small batches, with chicken, a marinade of morita peppers and ground achiote, pineapple, fresh lime and hand-chopped cilantro. The “Most Ordered Chicken al Pastor Bowl” of 2023 is also available, including white rice, black beans, tomato salsa, roasted chili-corn salsa, cheese and guacamole.

To commemorate the zesty chicken’s return from Mar. 14 through 24, Chipotle is offering free delivery on all Chicken al Pastor orders placed via the Chipotle app and online in the U.S. and Canada.