Chicken Works and Salad Company

Chicken Works and Salad Company recently opened. I saw signage and I thought an entryway on the west side of Elston, though the site lists the address as 3658 W Irving Park Rd.

http://www.chickenworkschicago.com

Wendy,

I drove past and there is an entrance on Elston. Have not had a chance to eat there yet, but what I've heard has been positive.



Enjoy,
Gary

Chicken Works & Salad Co
3658 W Irving Park Rd
Chicago, IL 60618-4132
773-588-5488

I've stopped by a couple of times and been happy with what I was served. Decent rotisserie style chicken with solid sides. Nothing particularly remarkable or groundbreaking, but it's nice to have another option in this neighborhood.

Buddy

Nothing to say about Chicken Works, other than to note that it must be part of a new world record for number of rotisserie chicken places to open within a 1.5 mile radius.

My mind always boggles at how many of these rotisserie chicken places there are--they're always opening and closing. Given that rotisseries are perhaps the hardest piece of restaurant equipment to purchase used, and that they're one of the most prone to breaking down, and that every grocery store in the city is instantly your competition, I have to wonder why people keep opening them.

Alas, I'll fondly remember Santa Fe Roasters near Lawrence and Lincoln as the best example of this genre. I only regret that I couldn't buy enough chicken to keep them in business.

Good luck to CW&SC!

This is NOT a "Drive-By-Review".

Apparently- none of the other people who chose to post about this place-
ever actually went inside.
Because if they did-
and,
knew anything about how food is made-
they would have immediately seen-
that this place GRILLS their chicken- like in - over fire...and
that there is no Rotisserie- no spinning of a bird involved.....

So to all the people who may have avoided this place due to erronious and innacurate comments about "

must be part of a new world record for number of rotisserie chicken places

" - inferring; so why bother here???.....
fuggadaboutit

These guys are on to something!



First off the place is well light, and very well designed. The space is on an odd triangular corner-
so the two doors, one on Elston and one on Irving Pk. make for a strange kind of layout.
The Salad Bar is sold by the pound- and is stocked with many of the traditional offerings- as well as many "goodies" like small shrimp, several varieties of lettuce and Spinach and a nice arugula blend. I might add that all of the salad bar ingredients appeared fresh and not "mucked about", like you'd see at say- a Treasure Island slad bar. The flame grilled chicken reminded me of Nicks Pitstop in Bucktown- served with a similar style of Pita bread. I got a half a chicken for $5.85- for an upcharge- you can order it with a choice of 2 sides.
The food to go came quickly and accurately- along with both a Pico de Gallo and a BBQ sauce, napkins and utensils.
All in all a great addition to the 'hood-
and especially that its possible to get a salad AND a grilled chicken- two healthy options, IMHO.



Directly across the street it appears that a Columbian "ala Brassa" extension of El Llano is opening soon- so a Chicken Wars may be shaping up soon.
......ah- I remember- the 20 year Pollo Wars!!
I've yet to try the Chilean place also across the street- their empenadas sound tempting!

Hombre,

'tis true - I've never been there. Thanks for setting the record straight.

Kennyz

I have been there and admit to my error in stating that they do rotisserie chicken. However, I did say that I was pleased with what I had on the two occasions I've visited the place. Everything Hombre de Acero states is accurate. As I said in my first post, this is a good, although unsurprising menu, and they serve a very good, if unremarkable product.

Buddy

Delicious, inexpensive meal from Chicken Works and Salad Company today. Service was fast and friendly, the chicken was well-spiced and nicely cooked with crispy skin and tender, moist flesh. Prices have gone up a little since the menu posted in 2009, but still got dinner for three (including tip) and with leftovers for less than $20. I thought the macaroni-and-cheese side was a little soft, but the 7-year-old declared it delicious. Mashed potatoes and gravy were good too. We got three side sauces, a sweet barbecue sauce, an excellent, fresh pico de gallo, and some sort of salsa-- those really made the meal. I could have eaten twice as much of the salsa.

Definitely a solid place-- it will join my regular take-out rotation.

Cheers, Jen