Learn how to make Torta de Pollo, the popular Mexican sandwich filled with savory-spicy roasted chicken and other tasty ingredients. If you’re a lover of sandwiches, I’m sure this is a recipe you will like!
What is a Mexican Torta
A torta is a Mexican sandwich that often contains meat like seasoned beef, pork, or chicken alongside cheese, refried beans, salad, and a mayo sauce. Mexican Tortas are a well-liked street food, snack, or even lunch in Mexico. They offer carbs, proteins, and fresh ingredients and are easy to eat on the go. A Mexican torta is quite similar to a Turkish-originated Döner Kebab, which is a popular street food, especially in Germany and other regions in Europe. Compared to a Döner Kebab, however, a torta has more Mexican-style ingredients like cheese, cilantro, beans and jalapeno chilies.
For my Mexican Torta Recipe, I decided to combine fresh and healthy homemade guacamole with some smoky and spicy seasoned chicken parts. The result is a hearty and finger-licking Mexican Sandwich that won’t disappoint.
What is the best bread for tortas?
There are commonly two types of bread used for a Mexican torta, which are both soft, white bread rolls with a slightly crispy crust. The bread is normally toasted a bit before assembling the sandwich to get it more crunchy and also to eat it slightly warm.
The Bolillo
A bolillo is a French-style baguette bread but shorter in size. Like a baguette, the bolillo has a crunchy crust but a soft inner, which makes it an ideal bread for a torta de pollo sandwich, or any sandwich in general.
Telera Rolls
The Telera bread is a more flattened and oval-shaped type of bread but similar in ingredients and taste to the Bolillo. The Telera roll is also a softer bread with much less or no crisp outside. This bread type is more common for a torta and also comparable to the bread used for a Döner Kebab. While the Bolillo has already a crunchy crust, the Telera roll will get crunchy while toasting it before assembling the Mexican sandwich. For my recipe, I used a bread similar to the Telera. Although it is not exactly a Telera roll, it is similar in taste and texture.
Ingredients you need for my Torta Mexicana de Pollo
As mentioned above, my torta mexicana de pollo recipe is a bit different than the usual torta de pollo recipe. Although there is no fixed rule on what to include in a torta. For my version, I went for a hearty fresh, and homemade guacamole base together with smoky, garlicky, and spicy marinated boneless chicken pieces.
- Sandwich Bread
Telera Rolls or Bolillo bread works best, but for my Mexican sandwich, I found a similarly shaped bread in a Turkish / oriental store. - Chicken
Slightly fatty chicken parts work best as they will be more savory and flavorful. I went for some boneless cuts from chicken thighs. You can also use chicken breasts and cut them into smaller pieces. - Guacamole
A fresh homemade guacamole is hands down my favorite kind of dip. I suggest making the guacamole on your own from scratch, freshly made from the spice mixture to the herbs. You will be impressed by how many flavors are coming out of this dip. You’ll read down below how to make an amazing guacamole at home. - Fresh garlic, smoked paprika & cayenne pepper
These are the spices and aromatics for our chicken marinade. - Red Onion
Onions are a popular ingredient in sandwiches and add a peppery and crunchy texture. Mostly, finely sliced onions are part of the guacamole already, but here I decided to add them separately to get larger grunchy parts. - Cheese
A common cheese for Mexican tortas is Oaxaca cheese or cheddar cheese in the Tex-Mex kitchen. Although, you can choose a cheese you like, preferably one that easily melts while grilling in the oven.
How to make a Torta de Pollo?
Here we go, this is how to prepare, cook, and assemble this torta mexicana de pollo. As always, you’ll find Images of the cooking steps and a how-to YouTube video in the printable recipe below.
- Marinating the Chicken
I suggest marinating the chicken first so the marinade has some time to soak into the meat. In a small bowl, mix together the chicken pieces with grated garlic, smoky paprika powder, cayenne pepper, olive oil, and salt & pepper. If possible, marinate the chicken for about 1-2 hours, but if you want to fry the chicken right away, it will still turn out amazing. - Homemade Guacamole
For the fresh guacamole, first, prepare the guacamole spice mix. Finely grind together cumin seeds/powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper and chili flakes. If you use a mortar and pestle, you can grind the spices first and later add the other ingredients for the guacamole. Add the avocado, chopped parsley or cilantro, finely chopped tomato, and fresh lime juice. Mix everything well together so there are still some smaller parts to be seen. Otherwise, you can also put everything together with the spice mix in a food processor and grind it like that. - Roast the Chicken
Fry the chicken pieces in a pan until golden brown. Another great thing is to roast a whole chicken in the oven or on the grill. Then you can pull as much meat as you need from parts like chicken legs or thighs. - Assembling the Torta de Pollo
Cut the bread in half, spread on the guacamole, and add the roasted chicken as well as finely sliced red onion. Now add some dried oregano, grate a handful of cheese on top, and grill on the top rail in the oven for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Finally, add a handful of fresh rocket, sprinkle some olive oil and lime juice and you’re ready to enjoy a fantastic Mexican sandwich!
Are you a fan of sandwiches and toast like I am? Here are some more Recipes!
- Avocado Toast with slow-roasted garlic, tomatoes, and caramelized onions
- Grilled Veggie Sandwich with homemade mayonnaise
- Healthy Egg & Avocado toast for breakfast
Torta Mexicana - Mexican Sandwich
Equipment
- 1 microplane or other grater
- 1 Mortar and Pestle or (see below)
Ingredients
- 150 grams boneless chicken cuts or chicken breast cuts
- 1 torta / sandwich bread
- ½ Avocado
- 1 handful grated cheese any cheese that melts
- 1 handful rocket this is optional
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (la Chinata)
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 small tomato
- 1 handful parsley or cilantro
- 1 tsp cumin powder / seeds
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1 small red onion
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken
- Marinate the chicken pieces first, so they have some time to soak in the marinade. Preferably you marinate the chicken for 1-2 hours, but it will still turn out amazing if you grill them right away.Mix together the chicken pieces with some olive oil, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, grated garlic as well as a pinch of salt & pepper150 grams boneless chicken cuts, 1 clove garlic, 3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp smoked paprika
Home made Guacamole
- A fresh and homemade guacamole is such an amazing thing! First prepare the spice mix by grinding together cumin seeds/powder, salt, pepper, chili flakes and garlic powder. Then add the avocado, finely chopped tomato, chopped parsley or cilantro and finally some fresh lime juice. Mix well together until creamy but still with some smaller parts to be seen.½ Avocado, 1 small tomato, 1 handful parsley or cilantro, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp chili flakes, 1 tsp cumin powder / seeds
Grilling the Chicken
- Roast the chicken pieces in a pan or on the grill until golden and juicy. You can also roast a whole chicken in the oven or on the grill and then pull as much meat you need from parts like chicken legs or thighs.
Assembling the Mexican Sandwich
- Cut the bread in half and spread the guacamole on the bottom part. Then add the chicken on top and sprinkle some dried oregano and finely sliced red onion. Ad as much grated cheese according to your taste and grill in the oven for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Finally, add a handful of fresh rocket, sprinkle with olive oil and lime juice and enjoy!1 torta / sandwich bread, 1 handful grated cheese, 1 handful rocket, 1 small red onion
Nutrition
Did you make this torta de pollo recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @flavorthoughts on Instagram and hashtag it #flavorthoughts.
