{"id":87085,"date":"2026-07-30T00:01:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T06:01:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=87085"},"modified":"2026-07-29T13:30:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T19:30:21","slug":"el-pollo-correteado-mesa-arizona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=87085","title":{"rendered":"El Pollo Correteado &#8211; Mesa, Arizona"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_87086\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-87086\" style=\"width: 850px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-87086 lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 850px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 850\/638;border: 4px solid black; margin-top: 3px; margin-bottom: 3px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado01.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado01.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 1280w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado01-300x225.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 300w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado01-1024x768.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 1024w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado01-150x113.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 150w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado01-768x576.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 768w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado01.png?size=384x288&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 384w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado01.png?size=512x384&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 512w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado01.png?size=640x480&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 640w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-87086\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">El Pollo Correteado in Mesa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&#8220;El Pollo Correteado&#8221; translates literally to &#8220;<em>the chased chicken<\/em>&#8221; or &#8220;<em>the run-after chicken<\/em>&#8221; in English.\u00a0 It&#8217;s been my experience that anyone can chase a chicken, but chasing a rooster is an entirely different story.\u00a0 Roosters can be very aggressive, even mean.\u00a0 An aggressive rooster can be dangerous to humans, pets, and other chickens.\u00a0 Roosters are the &#8220;wife beaters&#8221; of the animal kingdom. Rooster pecking can be normal courting or a sign of aggression. During courtship, a rooster will gently peck a hen&#8217;s head or neck to signal her to squat for mating. However, targeted pecking that causes injuries, bald patches, or bleeding requires immediate intervention to protect the hens and establish boundaries.<\/p>\n<p>An angry rooster can peck their human keepers mercilessly with their beak after digging their spurs into your leg.\u00a0 To this day, my friend Captain Escalante Tuttle is traumatized by Cousin Leandro&#8217;s posturing roosters ruthlessly having attacked him with sudden bursts of speed, sharp spurs and a fuscillade of pecking.\u00a0 It&#8217;s something I can relate to.\u00a0 My Grandma Piedad kept a brood of chickens.\u00a0 Kids being kids, we thought we could get away with playing near their coop.\u00a0 The rooster didn&#8217;t appreciate our proximity to its girlfriends and proceeded to show us no mercy.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_87087\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-87087\" style=\"width: 850px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-87087 lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 850px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 850\/638;border: 4px solid black; margin-top: 3px; margin-bottom: 3px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado02.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"850\" height=\"638\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado02.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 1280w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado02-300x225.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 300w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado02-1024x768.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 1024w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado02-150x113.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 150w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado02-768x576.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 768w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado02.png?size=384x288&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 384w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado02.png?size=512x384&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 512w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado02.png?size=640x480&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 640w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-87087\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">El Pollo Correteado Dining Room<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>So, perhaps the answer to the tired old question &#8220;<em>why did the chicken cross the road<\/em>&#8221; may well be &#8220;<em>to get away from the hen-pecking rooster<\/em>.&#8221;\u00a0 Or maybe it&#8217;s to get away from Colonel Sanders and the eleven herbs and spices with which he hoped to coat those chickens after denuding their feathers.\u00a0 I mention Colonel Sanders because when I express my disdain for chain restaurants, the most frequent retort is &#8220;<em>you mean you don&#8217;t even like KFC<\/em>.&#8221;\u00a0 As if KFC is some sort of sacred cow that everyone should love.\u00a0 Yes, I don&#8217;t even like KFC.\u00a0 But I do like Mexican restaurants that specialize in al carbon chicken (cooked on coal or charcoals.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In Albuquerque, my friend Bruce &#8220;Sr Plata&#8221; Silver and I frequented <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=53275\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>El Rey Del Pollo<\/strong><\/a> where pollo al carbon prepared two styles: \u00a0<em>jugoso<\/em>\u00a0(juicy) or\u00a0<em>dorado<\/em> (golden).\u00a0 It was easy to get to El Rey Del Pollo when I worked at the University of New Mexico, but not so easy from our home in Rio Rancho.\u00a0 I&#8217;ve missed pollo al carbon.\u00a0 When my Kim expressed her desire to visit mega-chicken-chain El Pollo Loco, I responded &#8220;<em>have I got a deal for you<\/em>&#8221; and drove her to El Pollo Correteado in Mesa.\u00a0 Admittedly I didn&#8217;t know for sure that El Pollo Correteado was better than El Pollo Loco, but hey, it&#8217;s a mom-and-pop and in my eyes and taste buds, mom-and-pop always beat chains.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_87088\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-87088\" style=\"width: 850px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-87088 lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 850px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 850\/594;border: 4px solid black; margin-top: 3px; margin-bottom: 3px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado03.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"850\" height=\"594\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado03.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 1280w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado03-300x210.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 300w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado03-1024x716.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 1024w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado03-150x105.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 150w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado03-768x537.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 768w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado03.png?size=384x268&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 384w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado03.png?size=512x358&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 512w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado03.png?size=640x447&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 640w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-87088\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Salsa Bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There are three El Pollo Correteado&#8217;s in the Phoenix area.\u00a0 Two are in Phoenix and one is in Mesa. El Pollo Correteado originally opened in 2009 at its first location on West McDowell Road in Phoenix. As its name implies, the restaurant specializes in Northern Mexican mesquite-wood grilled chicken and ribs. Though the restaurant isn&#8217;t a taqueria, an order of pollo asado comes with a stack of warm corn tortillas to make your own tacos. The corn tortillas have a very pronounced corn-infused flavor and can accommodate a generous amount of chicken. A salsa bar provides other ingredients with which to stuff your tacos, including some of the best pickled onions around.<\/p>\n<p>Chicken and ribs are sold both family-style.\u00a0 You can purchase the plump bird by the half-chicken (most suitable for a solo diner), whole chicken (as my Kim and I did), or in ten-piece increments, and picnic-style.\u00a0 Plan to eat with your hands, but as the Phoenix New Times forwarns: &#8220;<em>As you eat , your fingers get too greasy to use a phone, too greasy to take a picture to Instagram. That is a good thing<\/em>.&#8221;\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0As you peruse the menu, take a gander at the back room wher numerous chickens are clamped onto metal spits over a large open bed of mesquite coals.\u00a0 A deft gril master respositions them on the grill to ensure even and delicious cooking throughout<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_87089\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-87089\" style=\"width: 739px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-87089 lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 739px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 739\/800;border: 4px solid black; margin-top: 3px; margin-bottom: 3px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado04.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"739\" height=\"800\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado04.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 1182w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado04-277x300.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 277w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado04-946x1024.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 946w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado04-139x150.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 139w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado04-768x832.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 768w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado04.png?size=384x416&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 384w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado04.png?size=512x554&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 512w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado04.png?size=640x693&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 640w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 739px) 100vw, 739px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-87089\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Whole Mesquite-Grilled Chicken<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It&#8217;s a beautiful thing to gaze upon your chicken when it arrives at your table.\u00a0 The combination of charred, grilled kissed skin and succulent white meat is mouth-watering to gaze upon.\u00a0Its so much better when chicken meets your mouth. The skin has grill- kissed flavor that penetrates deeply into the chicken. Mesquite grilling infuses chicken with a bold, earthy, and intense smoky flavor while searing the outside quickly at high heat. Mesquite charcoal burns very hot, which helps lock in juices and create a crisp, charred outer crust on the chicken skin or surface while cooking fast. It takes real grill skill to prepare a chicken this good.<\/p>\n<p>As has become so commonplace for me, the one side I had to order was a bowl of beans. Pinto beans taste mild and earthy with a soft, creamy texture. To me, they taste like home. Pinto beans easily soak up flavors from garlic, onions, cumin, chili spices, and broths. I added some of the salsa and scooped up spoonfuls with the corn tortillas. The only thing which would have made them better is flecks of that outstanding mesquite grilled chicken.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_87091\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-87091\" style=\"width: 850px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-87091 lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 850px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 850\/588;border: 4px solid black; margin-top: 3px; margin-bottom: 3px;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado05.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"850\" height=\"588\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado05.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 1280w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado05-300x207.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 300w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado05-1024x708.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 1024w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado05-150x104.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 150w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado05-768x531.png?lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 768w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado05.png?size=384x266&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 384w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado05.png?size=512x354&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 512w, https:\/\/b4385483.smushcdn.com\/4385483\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado05.png?size=640x443&lossy=2&strip=1&webp=1 640w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-87091\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Beans<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The aroma of El Pollo Correteado wafts into the street like a mesquite-grilled siren&#8217;s call. That roman perfumes the kitchen and makes all guests even more hungry.<\/p>\n<p><b>El Pollo Correteado<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b>120 S Alma School Road Ste 101<b><br \/>\n<\/b><b>Mesa, Arizona<\/b><b><br \/>\n<\/b>(480) 597-4938<b><br \/>\n<\/b><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.elpollocorreteado.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Website<\/a> |<br \/>\n<\/b><b>LATEST VISIT:\u00a0<\/b>26 July 2026<br \/>\n<strong># OF VISITS<\/strong>: 1<br \/>\n<strong>RATING<\/strong>: N\/R<br \/>\n<strong>COST<\/strong>: $$<br \/>\n<strong>BEST BET<\/strong>: Whole Mesquite-Grilled Chicken, Beans, Jello, Horchata, Salsa Bar, Corn Tortillas<br \/>\n<strong>REVIEW #1538<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;El Pollo Correteado&#8221; translates literally to &#8220;the chased chicken&#8221; or &#8220;the run-after chicken&#8221; in English.\u00a0 It&#8217;s been my experience that anyone can chase a chicken, but chasing a rooster is an entirely different story.\u00a0 Roosters can be very aggressive, even mean.\u00a0 An aggressive rooster can be dangerous to humans, pets, and other chickens.\u00a0 Roosters are the &#8220;wife beaters&#8221; of the animal kingdom. Rooster pecking can be normal courting or a sign of aggression. During courtship, a rooster will gently peck a hen&#8217;s head or neck to signal her to squat for mating. However, targeted pecking that causes injuries, bald patches, or bleeding requires immediate intervention to protect the hens and establish boundaries. An angry rooster can peck their human keepers mercilessly with their beak after digging their spurs into your leg.\u00a0 To this day, my friend Captain Escalante Tuttle is traumatized by Cousin Leandro&#8217;s posturing roosters ruthlessly having attacked him with sudden bursts of speed, sharp spurs and a fuscillade of pecking.\u00a0 It&#8217;s something I can relate to.\u00a0 My Grandma Piedad kept a brood of chickens.\u00a0 Kids being kids, we thought we could get away with playing near their coop.\u00a0 The rooster didn&#8217;t appreciate our proximity to its girlfriends and&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":87090,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,57,553],"tags":[5897,2212,4492,993,5896,1838,5895],"class_list":["post-87085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arizona","category-mexican","category-across-america","tag-al-carbon","tag-beans","tag-corn-tortillas","tag-horchata","tag-jello","tag-salsa-bar","tag-whole-mesquite-grilled-chicken"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>El Pollo Correteado - Mesa, Arizona - Gil&#039;s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=87085\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"El Pollo Correteado - Mesa, Arizona - Gil&#039;s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&#8220;El Pollo Correteado&#8221; translates literally to &#8220;the chased chicken&#8221; or &#8220;the run-after chicken&#8221; in English.\u00a0 It&#8217;s been my experience that anyone can chase a chicken, but chasing a rooster is an entirely different story.\u00a0 Roosters can be very aggressive, even mean.\u00a0 An aggressive rooster can be dangerous to humans, pets, and other chickens.\u00a0 Roosters are the &#8220;wife beaters&#8221; of the animal kingdom. Rooster pecking can be normal courting or a sign of aggression. During courtship, a rooster will gently peck a hen&#8217;s head or neck to signal her to squat for mating. However, targeted pecking that causes injuries, bald patches, or bleeding requires immediate intervention to protect the hens and establish boundaries. An angry rooster can peck their human keepers mercilessly with their beak after digging their spurs into your leg.\u00a0 To this day, my friend Captain Escalante Tuttle is traumatized by Cousin Leandro&#8217;s posturing roosters ruthlessly having attacked him with sudden bursts of speed, sharp spurs and a fuscillade of pecking.\u00a0 It&#8217;s something I can relate to.\u00a0 My Grandma Piedad kept a brood of chickens.\u00a0 Kids being kids, we thought we could get away with playing near their coop.\u00a0 The rooster didn&#8217;t appreciate our proximity to its girlfriends and&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/?p=87085\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gil&#039;s Thrilling (And Filling) Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nmgastronome\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-30T06:01:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nmgastronome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PolloCorreteado04b-1024x994.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"994\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gil Garduno\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gil Garduno\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=87085#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/?p=87085\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Gil Garduno\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nmgastronome.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d61ea953d9edea6f20385bd1f3a34fa8\"},\"headline\":\"El Pollo Correteado &#8211; 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Rooster pecking can be normal courting or a sign of aggression. During courtship, a rooster will gently peck a hen&#8217;s head or neck to signal her to squat for mating. However, targeted pecking that causes injuries, bald patches, or bleeding requires immediate intervention to protect the hens and establish boundaries. 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