Chipotle Mexican Grill is serving Chicken al Pastor in all 3,200 company-owned restaurants, marking the first time it has launched a global menu innovation giving customers in the U.S., Canada, U.K., France and Germany simultaneous access to the offering.

Prepared in small batches throughout the day, Chicken al Pastor is made with humanely and responsibly raised chicken, seasoned with a marinade of adobo, morita peppers and ground achiote with a splash of pineapple. It's finished with fresh lime and hand-chopped cilantro, CMO Chris Brandt said in a company press release.

"Guests are looking to restaurants for unique menu items they cannot make at home, and al pastor has been gaining mass appeal in recent years," he said. "We've put our own spicy spin on al pastor with our freshly grilled chicken and have created a truly delicious menu item that fans will crave. It's where fire meets flavor."

Chipotle leveraged its stage-gate process to validate Chicken al Pastor before determining a rollout plan. Strong feedback from a 94-restaurant test in Denver and Indianapolis resulted in the brand proceeding with its first global launch plan, Brandt said.

The brand is offering a zero delivery fee on Chicken al Pastor orders placed through the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com from March 16 through March 26 in the U.S.

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