Roast chicken, barbecue chicken, rotisserie chicken. You can take your pick when it comes to the name, but for many, it is a staple of their diet.
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Whether it is a quick and easy family meal you are after, a snack or a way to enjoy a home-cooked baked dinner for one without all the work, a chicken cooked by someone else is a great alternative for many.
But where do you find a perfectly cooked chook? We have you covered with our list of five of the best places to find a barbecued chicken in the Illawarra.
Tony's Chicken Shop
First opened in 1985, Tony's Chicken Shop has been feeding the hungry masses ever since.
Now after retiring in 2020 and selling the store, the man who first started the business. Tony Gregoriou, is back where it all began and customers have been lining up at the Crown Street, Wollongong, premises and have also been taking to the store's Facebook page to gush over his return.
The store has an extensive takeaway menu which starts with a full barbecue chicken for $19.80. You can also choose from a half or quarter chicken, the latter which can be served with chips.
You can opt to have your chicken pieces fried or turned into souvlaki, the latter a nod to Gregoriou's Greek roots.
There is also an extensive list of salads, burgers, seafood, finger food, chips and wedges on the menu, as well as meal deals, hot meals, dinner packs and sandwiches.
Tony's even has a catering menu, perfect for special occasions.
Details: Tony's Chicken Shop, 2/449 Crown Street, Wollongong.
Read more: What's On Food and Drink
Chicko's Chicken and Quality Foods
With two locations, one in Wollongong and one in Figtree, Chicko's Chicken and Quality Foods certainly has the Illawarra covered.
Beginning in Dapto in 1987 as popular takeaway store Charcoal Chickens, Chicko's later moved to new, modern premises in Wollongong where it was also able to introduce a larger menu and catering facilities as well as a gelato manufacturing.
Each location has a different menu, with the Figtree store concentrating on a core business of roast chickens which you can buy whole, half, quarter or cold.
You can also make a meal of it, adding chips or wedges to a half or a quarter chicken, or choose a family pack.
Other menu items include hot food, burgers, salads, packs and desserts.
Details: Chicko's Chicken and Quality Foods, 13 Crown Street, Wollongong, and 49 Princes Highway, Figtree.
Caesars Chicken
While Caesars Chicken at Corrimal offers an extensive takeaway menu, one of its core businesses remains its roast chickens.
You can get a whole chicken for $19.90 or opt for a half or quarter, (you can add chips) or you can enjoy your freshly roasted chicken on a roll, in a half or full wrap, or part of a pack.
The menu also includes a huge range of chicken burgers, other burgers, hot food, seafood, other roasted meats and various accompaniments.
Details: Caesars Chicken, 435 Princes Highway, Corrimal.
Big Birdz
Big Birdz, as the name implies, knows that sometimes bigger is better when it comes to chickens.
Its chicken menu is extensive and ranges from a whole chicken for $18 to a family chicken meal for $38 and everything in between, including fried chicken, chicken strips, schnitzel and nuggets, all of which can be ordered as part of a meal.
There is also a big range of hot seafood, burgers, chips, wedges, loaded fries, sweet potato chips, fried food, salads and yoghurts.
Details: Big Birdz, 1/2 Russell Street, Woonona.
Others:
Big Crown Charcoal Chickens, 421 Crown Street, Wollongong.
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