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The NoMad — The NoMad’s whole chicken

18 Flawless Roast Chickens to Try in NYC

From Chinese to classically French, these birds have resurrected a formerly ho-hum standard

by Paul Schrodt Jan 23, 2018, 4:09pm EST

5 comments / new

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The NoMad’s whole chicken

| Photo by Nick Solares

by Paul Schrodt Jan 23, 2018, 4:09pm EST

5 comments / new

Roast chicken is a deceptively traditional dish that has become a platform for many of the city’s most creative chefs, as well as a destination meal for locals and tourists. Here’s a list of New York City’s most exciting roast chickens at restaurants right now.

Note: This list is arranged geographically south through Manhattan and north through Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.

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Chirping Chicken

The modest Mediterranean quick-service restaurant with four locations across the city has become a haven for hungry, thrifty, smart eaters. Lusciously tender, charcoal-broiled chicken comes with pita, and can be paired with sauces and sides like Greek salad and hummus. Additional locations in Harlem, Hell’s Kitchen, and the Upper East Side.

355 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10023

Visit Website

Chirping Chicken

Also featured in:

Riko Chelsea

Peruvian mini-chain Riko has ridiculously affordable golden birds that come directly off their spits, available in quarters, halves, or whole. They should be accompanied by the tangy green sauce, fluffy white rice, and sumptuous, almost velvety beans. Add ceviche and fried green plantains for a no-holds-barred taste of Peruvian paradise. Additional locations in Queens.

Open in Google Maps

409 8th Ave, New York, NY 10001

Visit Website

Riko

The NoMad Restaurant

The chicken for two at Daniel Humm’s hotel restaurant became one of the most talked-about dishes in town when it debuted in 2012, and rightfully so: It pulls off the impossible by making the breast the star of the show. Humm’s team stuffs the skin with foie gras, black truffles, and bread crumbs, making the meat moist and luxurious without being overkill. The dark meat, which takes longer to finish, is separated and sautéed with shallots, morel mushrooms, stock, and herbs. Enjoy the same liver-studded bird all over again in the more straightforward, but no less flavorful, chicken sandwich at brunch.

Open in Google Maps

1170 Broadway, New York, NY 10001

Visit Website

The NoMad

Dirty Bird to-go

The Chelsea restaurant with an adjoining takeout counter specializes in chicken of all kinds, but the lemony, aggressively spiced rotisserie style is the highlight, available in white or dark quarters or half and full birds. The rice and beans and garlic kale are worthwhile sides to soak up all that chicken juice. There’s an additional Tribeca location.

Open in Google Maps

204 W 14th St, New York, NY 10011

Visit Website

Dirty Bird

Le Coq Rico

The whole birds at the acclaimed modern French bistro aren’t the cheapest, ranging from $72 for the stuffed Brune Landaise chicken to $110 for the Catskill Guinea Fowl, but the meticulous sourcing of the poultry and its flawless execution make them worth seeking out. The one to get is the slightly gamey $96 Plymouth Rock chicken, a heritage domestic breed, which comes out with beautifully crispy skin and moist, flavorful meat all over.

30 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003

Visit Website

Le Coq Rico

Also featured in:

Barbuto

For more than a decade, the pollo al forno has been the thing to get at this minimalist, airy, stylish West Village Italian eatery. It has a satisfyingly crisp crust and comes with a piquant salsa verde.

775 Washington St, New York, NY 10014

Visit Website

A plate of roast chicken topped with salsa verde beside a glass of wine.

Also featured in:

Daily Provisions

In addition to sterling pastries, Danny Meyer’s new all-day, quick-service restaurant, takeout counter, and bakery in one serves a whole rotisserie chicken available starting at 3 p.m. It’s the platonic ideal of the take-home bird — well-seasoned and crisp, yet moist all the way through, and a relative steal at $18.50. At lunch, it’s served in an indulgent take on the club sandwich, with bacon, avocado, green tomato, and dijonnaise.

103 E 19th St, New York, NY 10003

Visit Website

Daily Provisions rotisserie chicken

Also featured in:

Uncle Boons

The gourmet Nolita Thai eatery doesn’t skimp on heat, spice, or funk. Its rotisserie half-chicken, inspired by the sort served in Muay Thai boxing venues, is one of the milder options, but its aromatics, brothy sauce, and green mango salad offer one dimension of flavor and texture after another.

7 Spring St, New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

Uncle Boons

Also featured in:

Le Turtle

Chef Greg Proechel ambitiously set out to make the best chicken in the city when he opened Le Turtle in the Lower East Side in 2015, which he has since left. But given that the whole roasted bird for two still sells out every night, he was clearly on to something. The kitchen prepares the Sasso breed, which eventually gets theatrically presented over smoking hay, with a laborious 42-hour salt and sugar brine before roasting at three different temperatures, resulting in juicy meat and skin that’s a marvel of texture.

Open in Google Maps

177 Chrystie St, New York, NY 10002

Visit Website

Le Turtle

Locanda Verde

Chef Andrew Carmellini’s Italian hotspot was making chicken to be proud of long before it was cool. The wood-fired bird for two is brined and cooked in a pungent garlic marinade, then served with grilled vegetables. It’s exceptional elevated comfort food.

377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013

Visit Website

Locanda Verde

Also featured in:

Wah Fung Fast Food

Heaps of freshly roasted chicken, duck, or pork served over rice for under $5 have made this takeout spot locally famous and very crowded. True omnivores can combine two meats or all three for a small upcharge. If the line is snaking out the door, however, Big Wong is the better option. Cash only.

Open in Google Maps

79 Chrystie St, New York, NY 10002

Wah Fung Fast Food

Also featured in:

Big Wong

Peking ducks don’t steal all the attention in Chinatown. At the decades-old Big Wong, whole chickens with deep-brown, crackling skin hang in the window. Get half soy sauce chicken, just briny enough, and half roast duck, a double-fowl flavor explosion. The ambiance is beside the point with reliably great food at such mind-bogglingly low prices. Cash only.

Open in Google Maps

67 Mott St, New York, NY 10013

Big Wong

Pok Pok Ny

The hip Northern Thailand-influenced eatery that started in Portland still brings flocks to its Brooklyn location, in part for the specialty whole-roasted BoBo chicken, stuffed with a blend of garlic, lemongrass, pepper, and fresh coriander. It comes with dipping sauces, and sticky rice is a must.

117 Columbia St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

Visit Website

Pok Pok

Also featured in:

Vinegar Hill House

The Dumbo restaurant’s sophisticated variations on American food have made it a neighborhood gem. The brined chicken, artfully presented in a cast iron skillet with shallots and sprigs of thyme, is a standout.

72 Hudson Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Visit Website

Vinegar hill house

Also featured in:

El Gran Canario 🇩🇴

The fragrant scent of rotisserie chickens twirling behind the glass at the casual Dominican storefront in Williamsburg hits pedestrians from a block away. Such is the visceral attraction of El Gran Canario, or the Grand Canary. Locals line up for the slow-cooked birds dripping with fat. Get one with a side of moro, a mixture of rice cooked with beans and vegetables.

Open in Google Maps

174 Borinquen Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Visit Website

El Gran Canario

St. Anselm

The hip modern steakhouse in Williamsburg has a cultish following for its sweet tea-brined BoBo chicken. Not for the squeamish, it comes with the head intact, making it perhaps the gutsiest thing on the menu. But bite in to discover serenely succulent and approachable meat.

355 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Visit Website

The wood-paneled dining room at St. Anselm sits empty.

Also featured in:

Pollos A La Brasa Mario

Chickens spin on their spits in the front window of this Colombian diner in Jackson Heights, making it clear they’re the speciality. A distinctive red hue hints at the paprika infusion. Additional locations in Queens, New Jersey, and Hempstead, New York.

Open in Google Maps

4019 Broadway, Long Island City, NY 11103

Visit Website

Pollos A La Brasa Mario

El Nuevo Bohío

The Puerto Rican greasy spoon may specialize in pork, but its rotisserie chicken is no afterthought. Birds get a rub of garlic and cilantro and a heaping side of rice and beans makes a welcome partner. There’s an additional location in the Bronx.

Open in Google Maps

791 E Tremont Ave, Bronx, NY 10460

Visit Website

El Nuevo Bohío

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Chirping Chicken

355 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10023

The modest Mediterranean quick-service restaurant with four locations across the city has become a haven for hungry, thrifty, smart eaters. Lusciously tender, charcoal-broiled chicken comes with pita, and can be paired with sauces and sides like Greek salad and hummus. Additional locations in Harlem, Hell’s Kitchen, and the Upper East Side.

355 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10023

Visit Website

Chirping Chicken

Riko Chelsea

409 8th Ave, New York, NY 10001

Peruvian mini-chain Riko has ridiculously affordable golden birds that come directly off their spits, available in quarters, halves, or whole. They should be accompanied by the tangy green sauce, fluffy white rice, and sumptuous, almost velvety beans. Add ceviche and fried green plantains for a no-holds-barred taste of Peruvian paradise. Additional locations in Queens.

Open in Google Maps

409 8th Ave, New York, NY 10001

Visit Website

Riko

The NoMad Restaurant

1170 Broadway, New York, NY 10001

The chicken for two at Daniel Humm’s hotel restaurant became one of the most talked-about dishes in town when it debuted in 2012, and rightfully so: It pulls off the impossible by making the breast the star of the show. Humm’s team stuffs the skin with foie gras, black truffles, and bread crumbs, making the meat moist and luxurious without being overkill. The dark meat, which takes longer to finish, is separated and sautéed with shallots, morel mushrooms, stock, and herbs. Enjoy the same liver-studded bird all over again in the more straightforward, but no less flavorful, chicken sandwich at brunch.

Open in Google Maps

1170 Broadway, New York, NY 10001

Visit Website

The NoMad

Dirty Bird to-go

204 W 14th St, New York, NY 10011

The Chelsea restaurant with an adjoining takeout counter specializes in chicken of all kinds, but the lemony, aggressively spiced rotisserie style is the highlight, available in white or dark quarters or half and full birds. The rice and beans and garlic kale are worthwhile sides to soak up all that chicken juice. There’s an additional Tribeca location.

Open in Google Maps

204 W 14th St, New York, NY 10011

Visit Website

Dirty Bird

Le Coq Rico

30 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003

The whole birds at the acclaimed modern French bistro aren’t the cheapest, ranging from $72 for the stuffed Brune Landaise chicken to $110 for the Catskill Guinea Fowl, but the meticulous sourcing of the poultry and its flawless execution make them worth seeking out. The one to get is the slightly gamey $96 Plymouth Rock chicken, a heritage domestic breed, which comes out with beautifully crispy skin and moist, flavorful meat all over.

30 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003

Visit Website

Le Coq Rico

Barbuto

775 Washington St, New York, NY 10014

For more than a decade, the pollo al forno has been the thing to get at this minimalist, airy, stylish West Village Italian eatery. It has a satisfyingly crisp crust and comes with a piquant salsa verde.

775 Washington St, New York, NY 10014

Visit Website

A plate of roast chicken topped with salsa verde beside a glass of wine.

Daily Provisions

103 E 19th St, New York, NY 10003

In addition to sterling pastries, Danny Meyer’s new all-day, quick-service restaurant, takeout counter, and bakery in one serves a whole rotisserie chicken available starting at 3 p.m. It’s the platonic ideal of the take-home bird — well-seasoned and crisp, yet moist all the way through, and a relative steal at $18.50. At lunch, it’s served in an indulgent take on the club sandwich, with bacon, avocado, green tomato, and dijonnaise.

103 E 19th St, New York, NY 10003

Visit Website

Daily Provisions rotisserie chicken

Uncle Boons

7 Spring St, New York, NY 10012

The gourmet Nolita Thai eatery doesn’t skimp on heat, spice, or funk. Its rotisserie half-chicken, inspired by the sort served in Muay Thai boxing venues, is one of the milder options, but its aromatics, brothy sauce, and green mango salad offer one dimension of flavor and texture after another.

7 Spring St, New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

Uncle Boons

Le Turtle

177 Chrystie St, New York, NY 10002

Chef Greg Proechel ambitiously set out to make the best chicken in the city when he opened Le Turtle in the Lower East Side in 2015, which he has since left. But given that the whole roasted bird for two still sells out every night, he was clearly on to something. The kitchen prepares the Sasso breed, which eventually gets theatrically presented over smoking hay, with a laborious 42-hour salt and sugar brine before roasting at three different temperatures, resulting in juicy meat and skin that’s a marvel of texture.

Open in Google Maps

177 Chrystie St, New York, NY 10002

Visit Website

Le Turtle

Locanda Verde

377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013

Chef Andrew Carmellini’s Italian hotspot was making chicken to be proud of long before it was cool. The wood-fired bird for two is brined and cooked in a pungent garlic marinade, then served with grilled vegetables. It’s exceptional elevated comfort food.

377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013

Visit Website

Locanda Verde

Wah Fung Fast Food

79 Chrystie St, New York, NY 10002

Heaps of freshly roasted chicken, duck, or pork served over rice for under $5 have made this takeout spot locally famous and very crowded. True omnivores can combine two meats or all three for a small upcharge. If the line is snaking out the door, however, Big Wong is the better option. Cash only.

Open in Google Maps

79 Chrystie St, New York, NY 10002

Wah Fung Fast Food

Big Wong

67 Mott St, New York, NY 10013

Peking ducks don’t steal all the attention in Chinatown. At the decades-old Big Wong, whole chickens with deep-brown, crackling skin hang in the window. Get half soy sauce chicken, just briny enough, and half roast duck, a double-fowl flavor explosion. The ambiance is beside the point with reliably great food at such mind-bogglingly low prices. Cash only.

Open in Google Maps

67 Mott St, New York, NY 10013

Big Wong

Pok Pok Ny

117 Columbia St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

The hip Northern Thailand-influenced eatery that started in Portland still brings flocks to its Brooklyn location, in part for the specialty whole-roasted BoBo chicken, stuffed with a blend of garlic, lemongrass, pepper, and fresh coriander. It comes with dipping sauces, and sticky rice is a must.

117 Columbia St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

Visit Website

Pok Pok

Vinegar Hill House

72 Hudson Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201

The Dumbo restaurant’s sophisticated variations on American food have made it a neighborhood gem. The brined chicken, artfully presented in a cast iron skillet with shallots and sprigs of thyme, is a standout.

72 Hudson Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Visit Website

Vinegar hill house

El Gran Canario 🇩🇴

174 Borinquen Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11211

The fragrant scent of rotisserie chickens twirling behind the glass at the casual Dominican storefront in Williamsburg hits pedestrians from a block away. Such is the visceral attraction of El Gran Canario, or the Grand Canary. Locals line up for the slow-cooked birds dripping with fat. Get one with a side of moro, a mixture of rice cooked with beans and vegetables.

Open in Google Maps

174 Borinquen Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Visit Website

El Gran Canario

Related Maps

St. Anselm

355 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211

The hip modern steakhouse in Williamsburg has a cultish following for its sweet tea-brined BoBo chicken. Not for the squeamish, it comes with the head intact, making it perhaps the gutsiest thing on the menu. But bite in to discover serenely succulent and approachable meat.

355 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Visit Website

The wood-paneled dining room at St. Anselm sits empty.

Pollos A La Brasa Mario

4019 Broadway, Long Island City, NY 11103

Chickens spin on their spits in the front window of this Colombian diner in Jackson Heights, making it clear they’re the speciality. A distinctive red hue hints at the paprika infusion. Additional locations in Queens, New Jersey, and Hempstead, New York.

Open in Google Maps

4019 Broadway, Long Island City, NY 11103

Visit Website

Pollos A La Brasa Mario

El Nuevo Bohío

791 E Tremont Ave, Bronx, NY 10460

The Puerto Rican greasy spoon may specialize in pork, but its rotisserie chicken is no afterthought. Birds get a rub of garlic and cilantro and a heaping side of rice and beans makes a welcome partner. There’s an additional location in the Bronx.

Open in Google Maps

791 E Tremont Ave, Bronx, NY 10460

Visit Website

El Nuevo Bohío

Related Maps