HispanicBusiness

The theme this week? Could be "free chicken."

El Pollo Loco is inviting customers to "Taste the Fire for FREE" today, April 28. In the "Official Rules" posted on its Web site, it says the chicken freebie "consists of one flame-grilled leg and one flame-grilled thigh, two tortillas (choice of flour or corn) and fresh salsa."

The free food, which is available upon request, will be offered at participating stores only until 8 p.m. and no coupon is necessary.

Could the freebie have anything to do with KFC's new grilled chicken offering? You betcha. In fact, El Pollo is ready to fight.

"In what promises to be the ultimate battle of the birds, award-winning flame-grilled chicken champion El Pollo Loco looks to retain its title by challenging fried chicken chain KFC to a public, side-by-side taste test that will settle the question of which restaurant delivers on the promise of real grilled flavor," a news release stated.

On Sunday, El Pollo Loco began airing a TV ad campaign challenging KFC to a "Taste the Fire" taste test.

"We know our El Pollo Loco flame-grilled chicken is the real thing, and we will not let our 'grilled' chicken opponent pull the 'feathers' over the public's eyes with a product that is cooked in an oven with no open flames. Our expert cooks have been grilling chicken for more than 30 years and we are so sure that our flame-grilled chicken is superior, we can't wait to prove which chicken has authentic grilled flavor and which is all smoke and no fire," said Steve Carley, chief executive officer of El Pollo Loco. "Let's see if our opponent is too chicken to go it toe-to-toe -- or rather leg-to-leg -- in a taste test. You just can't fake the taste an open flame gives fresh, natural marinated chicken, certainly not when you use an oven for grilling."

Carley has set up a hotline for the competitor to call to set up the showdown: 1-877-EPL-STEVE. Click here to see the ads.

Consumers can weigh in about the challenge via the chain's Twitter feed and other social media.

"The competitor's new cooked-in-an-oven chicken may boast grill-marks, but we believe consumers will agree that the flavor is only skin-deep compared to El Pollo Loco's fresh, natural, deeply marinated chicken cooked to juicy perfection over an open grill," Carley said.