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Recession Obsession: South Bay Chicken Shackin' Up
Photo by Caleb Bacon (@thecalebbacon) for LAist
A Recession Obsession is, 1) a meal so great that it sticks in your mind long after digestion's end, and, 2) plays nice with your sensitive wallet. Is there a better place than Los Angeles to eat a wide variety of amazing food that so happens to be inexpensive? Probably not. We're as lucky as we are well fed. We last obsessed over Yuca's x2 In Los Feliz, and Dumplings. Today we obsess...
South Bay eats can be tricky. I once heard someone describe a Hermosa Beach restaurant as “like what you would find in LA.” That made me scratch my head and walk away from it -- right to Hermosa’s The Chicken Shack, which boasts claims “the best chicken around.” (They do have the best car around.) While they may not have the best chicken in LA, they do have some of the best around... the South Bay. This is a good thing.
The Chicken Shack is LAist’s latest Recession Obsession. Their website describes the fare as Peruvian chicken with a Californian twist. Regular readers of this column know: Peruvian chicken is wonderfully delicious, and sometimes shockingly cheap.
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The Chicken Shack’s dishes can get pricey (some are $13.99) but the rotisserie basics are plentiful and under $10: 1/4 chicken with two sides is $6.75; and a 1/2 chicken with two side is $8.75.
The best chicken around practically jumps from the bone onto your plate. It's tender though not especially juicy -- dry, smokey, wonderful. This bird's skin is almost a separate dish. It's spiced ten ways 'til Tuesday, and packs a dense wallop.
I don't like their aji sauce as much as I do Pollo A La Brasa's, but the green aji gets the spicy job done enjoyably. Their yellow aji sauce, while novel and new to me, doesn't compliment the chicken enough to be worth your palate's while.
- The Chicken Shack | 1030 Aviation Boulevard | Hermosa Beach 90254 | (310) 372-1522
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Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
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