El Pollo Campero

If you have South American friends or a love for the art of frying chicken then no chain comes as highly hyped as El Pollo Campero. I’ve heard stories of Salvadorians carrying buckets of the stuff on the plane for their American relatives and most of the Salvadorian restaurants in my neighborhood offer “campero style chicken”. Finally a location opened up in Chelsea, which is luckily a short driving distance from my job, and our supervisor is glad to make 1AM chicken runs for us. The best are the days he takes a while to get back, then we know he was waiting for a fresh batch, and at the Campero fresh batches are amazing.

The fried chicken itself is salty and crunchy on the outside with one of the best bread coatings I’ve had. It is of the flaky variety, like some sort of fried biscuit dough with a sweet butter flavor which, and if it truly is butter, I should start fearing for my heart’s health. On the inside it is moist and greasy, always cooked to the bone but never dehydrated in the slightest. White meat is firm and somehow every bite is seasoned, while the dark meat is rich and juicy and the wings are crisp and meaty. The grilled chicken might surpass the fried, with a mild citrus marinade and completely coated in super finely ground black pepper. It has a heat that builds and in the meanwhile every bite is bursting with flavor.

Now you don’t necessarily go there for the sides but they do have a pretty decent mix between American and South American fare, in other words you can get some coleslaw with your beans and rice or some fried plantains with your mashed potatoes. Still, the big standout is their horchata, an extremely sweet drink made from ground rice or other grains depending on the country and recipe employed. And with some combos giving you chicken at a dollar a piece it is really worth a try, and supporting them now means you might get one in your neighborhood later. It is worth it, so long as you have enough self control to avoid replacing your blood’s plasma for chicken grease.

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