Spanish vocabulary · Beginner
GRILLED CHICKEN in Spanish: POLLO A LA PARRILLA
Pollo A La Parrilla · noun · POH-yoh ah lah pah-RREE-yah
Pollo a la parrilla is Spanish for grilled chicken — specifically chicken cooked over an open flame or grate. The phrase distinguishes it from pollo a la plancha (cooked on a flat griddle) and pollo asado (roasted, often whole). Knowing these distinctions helps you order exactly the preparation you want at any Spanish-speaking restaurant.
POH-yoh ah lah pah-RREE-yah
Pedí pollo a la parrilla con ensalada.
I ordered grilled chicken with salad.
Grilled Chicken in Spanish: Quick Reference
Below are the most common Spanish words for grilled chicken, with pronunciation and regional usage notes.
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation | Region / Register |
|---|---|---|---|
| pollo a la parrilla | grilled chicken | POH-yoh ah lah pah-RREE-yah | Default, widely understood |
| pollo asado | grilled chicken | roasted/grilled general | |
| pollo a la plancha | grilled chicken | griddled chicken |
How Native Speakers Use Pollo A La Parrilla
Real example sentences across three contexts you'll actually run into.
Restaurant
El pollo a la parrilla viene con arroz y frijoles.
The grilled chicken comes with rice and beans.
Ordering at a restaurant.
Cooking at Home
Voy a hacer pollo a la parrilla para la cena.
I'm going to make grilled chicken for dinner.
Home cooking plans.
Healthy Eating
El pollo a la parrilla es más saludable que el frito.
Grilled chicken is healthier than fried.
Discussing nutrition.
Avoid These Mistakes When Using Pollo A La Parrilla
Confusing Grilled and Roasted
Incorrect: Quiero pollo asado (expecting grill marks).
Correct: Quiero pollo a la parrilla.
Pollo asado usually means roasted chicken (often whole, rotisserie-style), while pollo a la parrilla specifically means grilled over flame with char marks.
Forgetting the Preposition
Incorrect: Quiero pollo parrilla.
Correct: Quiero pollo a la parrilla.
The full prepositional phrase 'a la parrilla' is needed — dropping 'a la' sounds incomplete and non-standard.
Lock in Grilled Chicken Vocabulary with the Parrot Method
Why word lists alone don't stick
Memorizing a translation feels productive, but most learners forget 70% of what they studied within 48 hours. Vocabulary needs spaced repetition AND real-world exposure to transfer to long-term memory.
See Pollo A La Parrilla used by native speakers
Parrot's short-form videos feature native speakers using pollo a la parrilla in real situations. Context-based exposure beats flashcards, you hear Pedí pollo a la parrilla con ensalada. while watching someone live the moment, connecting meaning, sound, and rhythm at once.
Save, review, repeat, stay consistent
Tap any word to save it. Parrot's spaced-repetition system surfaces it right before you'd forget, no manual flashcard creation. The watch, parrot back, save, review cycle turns recognition into fluency at 2.7x the speed of traditional study.
Common Questions About Grilled Chicken in Spanish
- What is the difference between parrilla, plancha, and asado?
- Parrilla is an open grate over flame (grill), plancha is a flat hot surface (griddle), and asado refers to roasting or barbecue. Each gives chicken a different texture and flavor profile.
- How do I say 'barbecue chicken' in Spanish?
- Barbecue chicken can be pollo a la barbacoa or pollo al carbón (charcoal chicken), depending on whether you mean the sauce style or the cooking method.
- Is pollo a la parrilla available everywhere in Latin America?
- Grilled chicken is ubiquitous across Latin America, though each region has specialties — Peruvian pollo a la brasa, Mexican pollo al carbón, and Argentine pollo a la parrilla each offer unique seasoning traditions.