At first glance, this recipe couldn’t be more ordinary. Pollo a la plancha is a simple Cuban classic served in restaurants all over Miami. It’s healthy, comforting, and easy enough for any night of the week. What makes this version memorable isn’t the recipe itself—it’s the story that has followed it through our family for years.
When I was growing up, my best friend Dana and I were inseparable. She came to dinner with my family often, and one evening we all went to Islas Canarias, a beloved Cuban restaurant in Miami.
One of the restaurant’s signature dishes is pollo a la plancha, which simply means chicken cooked on a hot griddle. It’s a Cuban classic, and one we’d all ordered countless times before.
When the waiter came to take our order, he worked his way around the table until he reached Dana.
“And what can I get for you?”
Without missing a beat, she confidently replied,
“Pájaro planchado, por favor.”
There was a brief moment of silence before the entire table erupted into laughter.
Pollo means chicken, but pájaro means bird. And while a la plancha means cooked on a griddle, planchado means ironed. So instead of ordering grilled chicken, Dana had confidently asked for an “ironed bird.”
It doesn’t translate quite as perfectly into English, but in Spanish it was one of the funniest things I’d ever heard. Even our very serious waiter struggled to keep a straight face, while Dana turned bright red and the rest of us laughed until our stomachs hurt.
More than twenty years later, my family still can’t call this dish pollo a la plancha. Around our table, it will always be pájaro planchado.
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 lime
1 teaspoon salt
1 small onion, thinly sliced into rounds
2 teaspoons olive oil
Directions
Butterfly each chicken breast, then gently pound it to an even thickness. This helps the chicken cook quickly and stay juicy.
Season both sides of the chicken with the salt.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or grill pan over high heat. Once the pan is very hot, add the chicken and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until lightly golden and the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
Turn the chicken and squeeze the juice of the lime over the top. Continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through.
Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Add the sliced onions to the same pan, season with a pinch of salt, and cook for a few minutes until softened and lightly caramelized.
Arrange the onions on a serving platter and place the chicken on top.
Serve with white rice and black beans, or a crisp green salad for a lighter meal.
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