Best Rotisserie Chicken in Park Slope and Surrounding...

[Rocknrope]

Hi Folks,

Curious as to your thoughts on this one. I have three opinions:

Cocoroco - Overrated. Too salty IMO.

Russo's - I liked this chicken when it was 4.99/bird, but the skin tends to be flabby and not rendered long enough to thin/crisp it.

Uncle Moe's - Maybe I'm nuts, but this is my favorite. The skin is rendered thin and nicely seasoned, and the breasts are not dried out. Nice and flavorful.

I try not to bother with the supermarket Rot chickens, but I've had C-Town and Pathmark chickens in the past, and both were underwhelming as you can imagine.

[cgchow]

We had Fairway's herb chicken last night (Murray's), after much resistance on my part b/c I roast a mighty fine one myself! However, it was absolutely delicious -- definitely heavy on the rosemary and pepper, which is not a problem at all for me, but may be for some. I was worried it might be dry (we reheated it after it sat in the fridge for about 2 hours), but when I cut it into pieces, the meat literally fell off the bones. At $6.99 for abour four servings (maybe two for 2 v. hungry people), this is a pretty good deal.

[redgirl]

my favorite fairway murray's chicken is the lemon garlic version. sooooooooooooooo good. it's always weird if you go in the morning to pick up this perfect hot chicken and then you let it cool down and then heat it up again! but it's so very good.

[elecsheep9]

I quite like La Taqueria on 7th b/t Lincoln and Berkeley. Their chicken has terrfic flavor and the skin is usually very crispy. However, they run out early and it can sometimes be a bit on the dry side (especially if you are getting one of the last birds).

I think Union Market makes a very good bird. Moist, flavorful with good skin. And, surprisingly, not as overpriced as you would expect from that store.

[jen kalb]

I remember when they put the oven into La Taqueria - I thought their bird was too smoky. Is it still noticeably smoky like that? We liked Los Pollitos much better.

[elecsheep9]

Since that mesquite fire pit is gone from the front of La Taqueria (man I miss those grilled shrimp), the rotisserie chicken is not cooked over mesquite anymore. It is very flavorful from marinating in ancho chiles (i believe), but I wouldn't call it smoky. Just very good.

[jen kalb]

obviously its been a while since I looked in there. thanks for the update. Do you think its better than Los Pollitos?

[elecsheep9]

About 3-4 years ago, they had a fire at La Taqueria (I assume it was caused by the mesquite grill up front, but can't be sure). The sit-down portion was shut for months. When it reopened, it was redone (a bit), but the grill was gone. There is just a wreath there now commemorating where it once was.

[elecsheep9]

And yes, I do think the La Taqueria chicken is better than Los Politos. Los Politos is a bit cheaper (and they have maduras, which my fiance love), but I find the skin to be not as crispy. Just sort of soft and oily.

[Rocknrope]

How much is the Union Market bird? I remember it looking and smelling very tasty looking, even though it looked like someone shook a Christmas tree over it - Rosemary Overload, anyone?

[elecsheep9]

I think we got a nice sized bird for about $9-10. Maybe as much as like $12. Perhaps a bit on the high side, but still not bad, especially for union market. You don't have to get the rosemary bird either. They make an adobo one as well. I think that is the one we actually got.

[Rocknrope]

Here's an update on my rotisserie chicken experiences in Brooklyn:

Key Food (Prospect Avenue) - as you can imagine, this chicken was terrible. Small bird, dried out, Utterly forgettable.

Costco - I was surprised at this one. Big bird, moist breast meat, quite good. Seasoning was minimal, but the skin was crisp and thin, I'd buy again.

[jen kalb]

costco offers a great, well-priced consistent chicken - just dont buy at the end of the day - sometimes there will be a couple dried out specimens

My church groups have had pretty good luck with the chickens at the 7th Ave d'ag tho the white meat is too dry for me.

[Jack_]

Fairway puts out a nice chicken and they do Murray's

[redgirl]

yes, but look at the label carefully. they do murray's and they also do 'regular' chickens.

[JenMarie66]

Last night, on suggestion from this thread, I got the Russo's chicken and it was just fabulous. Crispy skin, juicy flavorful bird with lots of herbs and seasonings. Wow. It's smaller than yr average roasted market bird (probably because it's a better quality bird) but very well worth it.

I'm also a fan of the Clemens (on PPW) chicken, and it's a nice deal. Comes with good rice & beans + ask for some chipoltle sauce and order a side of their excellent portabello mushrooms. But it doesn't come close to the Russo's one I had last night.

[bigmackdaddy]

Castillo's on Carlton Ave. between Flatbush and Park Place.

[pitu]

do you mean El Grand Castillo de Jagua, right by the Q train 7th Ave exit?

[bigmackdaddy]

Yup.

[metalnyc]

I have to go with LA Taqueria. To me, they have the best chicken going.

[pitu]

I like the chicken at CocoRoco - someone mentioned that they use soy sauce on it, which I love. I wish more places used a pungent red spice mixture...

If you like a rosemary overload, Union Market at 6th Ave and Union St.

[MShapiro]

Is the Keyfood on Flatbush off of 7th part of the greater chain or do they just use Keyfood in name only? Reason for asking, The Keyfood on Atlantic & Clinton is mediocre @ best, esp. the deli (I’ve had one too many salads that tasted “off”) and bland rotisserie chickens. If they’re part of the same chain, I’d be curious to know what the guys on Flatbush off of 7th are doing that the one in Brooklyn Heights is not?

[jen kalb]

keyfood is a buying coop with independent stores - the stores differ quite a lot.

[redgirl]

yes. i asked the manager of the wonderful 5th ave. key food and he confirmed that they are very dif. creatures.

[Yaqo Homo]

The Key Food at 7th and Flatbush seems to be independently run by a couple with ambitions of creating an upscale natural foods/gourmet store. They have an excellent selection of beer and some really cool gourmet jarred and canned goods, but their produce dept. is weak, IMO. Their deli counter (including prepared foods, like the rotisserie chicken) is above average.

I've been to Key Food stores much further down Flatbush and they are run-of-the-mill inner city grocery chains--dirty, with a very limited selection.

[jen kalb]

as stated above, the Keys are NOT chain stores -they are all independently run - similarly, Associated, MET and maybe, Compare. Members of a buying coop/association rather than under common ownership and control. This means that you really cant generalize about them.

sorry to be a bore.

[MShapiro]

This is not boring @ all and pretty much what I figured – thanx for to you and everyone else for the input.

[jcf]

I actually think the chicken from the Keyfood on Flatbush near 7th Avenue is pretty darn good - with crispy skin!

[tabauer]

The best Chicken I've had is at Clemens Burritos located on PPW at Prospect Ave. My husband and I swear by it.

[Rocknrope]

Interesting, and close to my new neighborhood of Windsor Terrace. I'll have to check them out as a replacement to my beloved Moe's.

[Deuce]

I like the chicken and sides at Russo's, as well as the chicken at Fairway, but I think the best overall deal in terms of quality and price is at Los Pollitos II.

[dr. katz]

I love the rotisserie chicken at Luz, in Clinton Hill/Fort Greene on Vanderbilt bet. Willoughby and Myrtle. I also like a crisp skin and 9 times out of 10 it comes that way, but I've lately made a point of requesting it, just to avoid disappointment. It's flavorful and I don't find it too salty. Also, cheap at $5 for half and $10 for a whole chicken.

[redgirl]

i have to say that fairway does a very good lemon garlic murray's chicken that is great.

union market also does a good one.