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Who doesn’t remember those Saturday or Sunday mornings when it was practically a ritual to go to the poultry shop? Few dishes are more traditional and juicier than a good roast chicken: it never goes out of fashion (no matter how much time passes), accepts multiple preparations and garnishes and never fails when it comes to get together. It is a popular recipe and, moreover, very affordable. And that’s why we have made a compilation of the best rated on different platforms by diners in the capital. Book a table, wait your turn or order it at home, but be sure to take note.
Casa Mingo
A century-old railway warehouse is home to this legendary Asturian cider house, the setting for several Spanish film classics, which attracts hundreds of people every day (watch out for the queues on weekends). The reason? Its star combination: roast chicken and cider. To get a seat on the terrace you have to get up early, although it also offers takeaway food.
Asador Navarro
Famous in the capital, it has been selling take-away chicken since 1981, the year in which the family from which it takes its surname inaugurated the restaurant. And there are those who say that it never fails: “juicy, tender and big chickens”, “it is impossible to resist its smell”. Warning to navigators: on Sundays there are usually long queues.
Le coq
Variety of formulas and unique artisanal preparation are the keys to the success of Le Coq, a restaurant business that in only six years has consolidated its position in Madrid with its star product: grilled chicken. What’s more, it has its own six recipes: traditional, Peruvian, chimichurri, perigord, chipotle and cajun. Its raison d’être? To offer good, healthy food at an honest price that the public perceives as affordable.
Limbo
A member of the La Musa group (La Musa, Cafetería HD…), it devotes its offer to grilled dishes, with chicken (a kilo and a half, farm-raised) as the protagonist. It is marinated for 48 hours with a dressing of olive oil, aji panca bell pepper and beer; it is roasted in a charcoal and wood oven and accompanied with one of four garnishes (baked potato, Caribbean rice, sweet potato or tomato puree).
Piri Piri
“The chicken here is called Frango -authentic Portuguese style- and we roast it over charcoal”, reads its website. And so it is: this rotisserie with high tables transports the Portuguese recipe to the Lavapiés neighborhood. Its name, which may remind you of the spicy chili commonly used in many recipes from Angola and Mozambique (among many other African countries), refers to the unique sauce that dresses its formula, which is also available to take away.
Casa Galván
It opened its doors in 1963 (there’s that…) and, since then, its fame has only grown. That’s why today its managers prepare up to 180 chickens (1,200 grams each) a day. The secret of Casa Galván? Its special sauce. “Seriously, they are the best chickens in the world”, they say. And they bring them to your home.
Humo by Jhosef Arias
Located in the same premises once occupied by Callao24, this humble restaurant is one of the projects that the famous Peruvian chef Jhosef Arias (Piscomar) directs in Madrid. Here the chickens can be ordered whole, in halves or quarters and are served with french fries and Creole salad. In addition, the renowned chef uses three sauces to spice it up: the first is made with smoked yellow chili bell pepper and huacata; the second with rocoto, a kind of herbaceous plant that gives it a spicy touch; and the third with rocoto also, but this time it is spicy to the max.
