Best Roast Chickens in Chicago

By Anthony Todd in Food on Oct 19, 2010 3:40PM

Grubstreet has posted a gallery of Chicago's best roast chickens. The selections made our mouths water, and prompted us to rethink our ordering habits. In the age of pork fat, offal and charcuterie, we never order chicken anymore! This list has convinced us to go out their and try some poultry!

The contenders for best in show include:

• Balsan's whole roasted chicken for two stuffed with roasted garlic bulbs and house-smoked bacon

• Longman & Eagle's roasted half chicken with swiss chard, pickled cherry and caramelized onions

• The Bristol's half chicken with sweet corn diablo and corn bread.

Check out the original post for cooking details and chef's recommendations.

We don't have much to add to the list, partly because we agree with it and partly because, as previously mentioned, we don't order chicken much. But, we think that Le Colonial's roast chicken with lemongrass and chili-lime dipping sauce (which we have previously lauded as the best chicken dish in Chicago) could take any of them in a fair fight. Come to think of it, we have the recipe for that dish lying around somewhere; definitely time to hit the test kitchen.

I leave it to the community to fill the gaps in my knowledge - where do you go for roast chicken? When we feel like spice-encrusted protein, we'll often hit up Mellow Yellow in Hyde Park for a taste of their rotisserie chicken, which would hardly be considered couture. Feel free to include anything from Harold's to Charlie Trotters; good chicken isn't about price.

Photo via Grubstreet and Balsan.