How to Say "Chicken" in Spanish

pollo

/ˈpoʝo/masculine

The Spanish word for chicken is pollo.

The word pollo is used to refer to both the living bird and the meat used in cooking.

Meaning: bird (noun)

Which one should you use?

While pollo is the standard word for chicken meat, the word gallina is used specifically to refer to a hen, which is the female bird.

The plural form of pollo is pollos.

/ˈpoʝo/

In the Caribbean, specifically in Puerto Rico, pollo is sometimes used in street slang to refer to a 'snitch' or an informant.
While 'pollo' refers to the meat, the term 'pollito' is often used as a term of endearment for a small child, much like 'little chicken' might sound odd in English.
The word pollo comes from the Latin word pullus, which referred to any young animal.

Me gusta el pollo.
I love chicken.
This sentence is useful for expressing a preference for the meat pollo.
Tatoeba #1258417 by hayastan, translation #620111 by ulyssemc1
El pollo estaba seco.
The chicken was dry.
This sentence is useful for describing the texture of the meat pollo.
Tatoeba #5012128 by Shishir, translation #5011515 by Hybrid
Comí deditos de pollo.
I ate chicken nuggets.
This sentence is useful for describing eating chicken nuggets containing pollo.
Tatoeba #4505690 by cueyayotl, translation #1933697 by Scott
Me gustaría el pollo asado, por favor.
I would like the roasted chicken, please.
En el menú de hoy, se ofrece ave de corral con salsa.
On today's menu, poultry with sauce is available.
86 more sentences on Tatoeba

Lucía and Daniel are at a farm.

Sources

Wiktionary, “chicken” translations and entries pollo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries pollo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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