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[RIBBONSTART]s-boc.place1.jpg[RIBBONEND]1. El Pollo Loco
Locations throughout Orange County
888-EPL-TOGO
www.elpolloloco.com [IMAGE1]
- Founded in Guasave, Mexico, in 1975.
- El Pollo Loco means “The Crazy Chicken” in Spanish.
- Salsa bars at each location allow customers to add unique flavors to their orders.
- Years in Orange County: More than 25.
Why they’re No. 1: Flame-grilled chicken. Warm, trans-fat-free tortillas. The ever-classic Pollo Bowl. With all this and more to offer, it’s no wonder that Orange County residents have voted El Pollo Loco the Best Chicken Dinner for seven consecutive years.
Claim to fame: El Pollo Loco is probably best known for its flame-grilled chicken, but it is also known for offering numerous healthy selections to customers, with menu items endorsed by Healthy Dining, a doctor-led organization that works with restaurants to provide healthy menu options. The restaurant chain also gives customers the ability to customize their meals with different salsas and sides.
Inside scoop: “Serving communities throughout Orange County for more than 25 years, El Pollo Loco is committed to providing great value and delicious, healthful menu offerings. Additionally, the culinary experts at El Pollo Loco are hard at work creating tasty, new limited-time menu offerings to keep its menu exciting and to tap into consumers’ growing demand for bold new flavors. El Pollo Loco’s newest limited-time menu sensation is its Buffaloco Wings. Inside word has it that El Pollo Loco is also bringing back its popular chicken tamales this year.” – Julie Weeks, vice president of communications
Fan favorite: “My favorite dish is the original Pollo Bowl. It is a nice mix of beans, chicken and rice. The chicken is cooked to perfection, which is really nice. And it isn’t greasy, another plus.” – Emily Storey, Fullerton
Fun fact: El Pollo Loco was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for building the world’s largest burrito in Anaheim on July 31, 1995. The burrito was 3,112 feet long and weighed two tons.
– Vivian S. Yan
[RIBBONSTART]s-boc.place2.jpg[RIBBONEND]2. Kentucky Fried Chicken
Locations throughout Orange County
www.kfc.com
- Based in Louisville, Ky.
- Locations in 109 countries and territories worldwide.
- Offers up to $20,000 to students in the KFC Colonel’s Scholars Program.
- Years in Orange County: More than 35.
Claim to fame: It would be hard to find someone who has not had a taste of KFC’s famous Original Recipe chicken with the closely guarded 11 secret ingredients. The franchise has since expanded its menu to include favorites such as Honey BBQ Wings and chicken sandwiches, and most recently introduced the new Kentucky Grilled Chicken, which has gained a strong following among Orange County residents.
Inside scoop: “KFC’s been America’s favorite fried chicken place for many years. What most people associate with KFC is the secret recipe of 11 herbs and spices. It’s a taste that no one can duplicate, and with the addition of the Kentucky Grilled Chicken, that’s another favorite for fans.” – Rick Maynard, KFC spokesman
Fan favorite: “My favorite food is the popcorn chicken. It’s got this balance of crunchy and chewy, which I really like. The crispiness of each bite brings a little touch of fun also, especially since popcorn chicken is kind of a unique way to eat it.” – Ruth Lee, Buena Park.
Fun fact: In 1976, an independent survey ranked Colonel Harland Sanders as the world’s second most recognizable celebrity.
– Vivian S. Yan
[RIBBONSTART]s-boc.place3.jpg[RIBBONEND]3. Boneheads
23704 El Toro Road, Lake Forest 92630
949-581-FISH (3474)
www.go2boneheads.com
- Voted Best New Restaurant in last year’s Best of Orange County.
- Almost every menu item comes in at under $10.
- Years in Orange County: 2.
Claim to fame: Truthfully, Boneheads’ real claim to fame is – or has been – its chargrilled seafood and fish dishes and a menu on which hardly anything breaks a 10-spot. So this recognition for chicken may come as a surprise to many, but word is getting around, especially about the flame-grilled chicken with piri piri sauce and a certain Piri Piri Chicken Taco.
Inside scoop: Boneheads has developed an award-winning piri piri sauce that appears to be a heaven-sent accompaniment to chicken. It’s a hot sauce made from African birds-eye piri piri peppers, and has traditionally been used in the kitchens of East Africa and Portugal. It comes in several heat levels, or you can opt for a completely mild lemon and herb sauce.
Fan favorite: “Anything with the piri-piri sauce is good. I get chicken about half the time I go there, and fish the other half. When I get the chicken, it’s usually the boneless breast and I use the piri piri sauce that’s at the table, though the Piri Piri Chicken Tacos are good, too. I also love the Asian coleslaw because it’s so crisp and fresh, and the grilled zucchini is delicious.” – Douglas Brown, Aliso Viejo
Fun fact: Boneheads began in Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina, and opened its first West Coast restaurant in Lake Forest last year.
– Vivian S. Yan
[RIBBONSTART]s-boc.criticschoice.1.jpg[RIBBONEND]CRITIC’S CHOICE: Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant
Knott’s Berry Farm, 8039 Beach Blvd., Buena Park
714-220-5055
www.knotts.com
For 75 years, they’ve been lining up for chicken dinners at Mrs. Knott’s, and with good reason: Big, meaty pieces of chicken, cooked to perfection. Home-style side dishes. It’s down-home dinner like you wish Mom used to make.
But the million-plus diners who stop in each year may not know that, if not for the chicken, there wouldn’t be an amusement park next door.
In the 1920s and ’30s, Walter Knott’s berry farm in Buena Park provided just what wife Cordelia needed to stock up the couple’s roadside stand: berries for pies, jams and jellies. Eventually, the business added biscuits and sandwiches and moved indoors.
One June day in 1934, Cordelia served up eight fried chicken dinners on her wedding china at 65 cents a pop, and soon people were making special trips to gobble up the goods.
By 1940, more than 4,000 dinners were being served up each Sunday. To give diners something do while they waited for a table, Walter Knott developed Ghost Town – the first of Knott’s themed amusement-park areas.
Today, there’s a full breakfast, lunch and dinner menu – soups, sandwiches, classic homestyle entrees – but chicken still rules the roost.
– David Medzerian
