The Rockin Chicken, a popular Peruvian restaurant in Hartford's South End, is preparing to open its second location in Newington this month.The new restaurant, at 236 West Hill Road, could open in the next two weeks, said Kate Colán, who co-owns The Rockin Chicke...
The Rockin Chicken, a popular Peruvian restaurant in Hartford's South End, is preparing to open its second location in Newington this month.
The new restaurant, at 236 West Hill Road, could open in the next two weeks, said Kate Colán, who co-owns The Rockin Chicken with her husband, Miguel. The couple is hosting walk-in interviews this week to hire additional staff members.
Known for its pollo a la brasa, The Rockin Chicken has built a loyal fan base for its Peruvian rotisserie chicken, marinated for 24 hours and cooked on what the Coláns say is the only charcoal-fired rotisserie in the Hartford area. The Hartford restaurant's oven was specially crafted and shipped from Peru, and the couple has done the same for the Newington eatery.
"My goal, when I opened the place, was to replicate the way they do it back home," Miguel Colán, who was raised in Lima, told Hearst Connecticut in 2021. "In order for me to accomplish that, we had to do it [with] charcoal."
While the Hartford menu features a wide variety of Peruvian dishes, including beef, seafood and ceviche, the Newington menu will be more streamlined, Kate Colán said. The focus will be on the rotisserie chicken, served counter-service style with a variety of side dishes like chaufa (fried rice), sweet plantains, tostones, onion salad and macaroni a la huancaina. The menu will also have bowls and salads, she said, along with burritos, wraps and soup specials.
"It's going to be very fast (service)," she said. "There are no servers...after the pandemic, things have changed a lot, along with finding employees. It's going to be very fast and easy to serve people this way."
The Newington location, with space for about 26 seats, also showcases a mural by local artist Jillian Goeler, Colán said.
The Rockin Chicken will share updates on its opening on its social media pages at facebook.com/therockinchicken and @therockinchicken on Instagram.