Move over, Kentucky Fried Chicken!
Pollo Campero (Country Chicken), the immensely popular Guatemalan
fried-chicken chain, just opened in Sunset Park and it’s raising
the roost on fast food dining.
Only fresh, top-of-the-line Perdue chickens, delivered daily,
are used for the restaurant’s justly famous fried chicken.
Before the bird’s immersion into the deep fryer, it is marinated
in a secret recipe of traditional spices, then lightly battered.
The result of the careful handling is spicy, juicy meat with
a brittle, crackling crust. All the sides – richly flavored yellow
rice mixed with peas and carrots; Mexican-style red beans stewed
with chorizo (a spicy Mexican pork sausage), smoked ham and cilantro;
tostones (fried green plantains); and American sides that no
fried chicken should be without – mashed potatoes with gravy,
coleslaw and french fries – are prepared in-house.
To add more spice, three house-made salsas are available, as
well as ketchup, on the condiments counter.
In addition to Coca-Cola, there’s Orchata, a sweet rice beverage,
like a thin milkshake, flavored with cinnamon and sugar, and
refreshing, sweet-tart tamarind juice.
The earth-toned decor is a few notches above institutional-looking
fast food dining rooms. Murals of Mayan ruins and Latin American
heroes decorate the walls and the tables can be pushed together
to accommodate large groups.
Pollo Campero (4506 Fifth Ave. at 45th Street) accepts American
Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa. Chicken meals start at
$2.95 for two pieces without sides to $29.95 for 20 pieces with
four family-sized sides, tortillas and biscuits. The restaurant
serves lunch and dinner daily. For information call (718) 686-7329.
