Picking Over the Chicken Eateries Around the Southland

A Martian landing in Los Angeles and looking around would undoubtedly conclude that we live on a diet of doughnuts and chicken. There’s a doughnut shop on every corner and a chicken shop somewhere nearby. Everywhere you look some poor bird is being roasted, grilled or spun on a spit.

Doughnuts don’t do much for me, so I decided to look into the chicken shops. Herewith the results:

PHIL’S FISH AND POULTRY

Phil’s Poultry and Fish is the best place in the L.A. area I can think of for really fresh prepared chickens. They’re the Norman Rockwell of roast chickens: full-breasted, golden-brown (I hate the phrase but it’s true) and that perfect combination of juicy within and crunchy without. The chicken is delivered six times a week, cooked on the premises, and well worth the cost--$3 per pound. The thing to remember about Phil’s is that the chickens sell out fast. Get there by 4 p.m. or call ahead; they’ll reserve one for you.

Phil’s Fish and Poultry, 428 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, (213) 274-0817; 11640 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood, (213) 820-5853; 124 Larchmont Blvd., Hancock Park, (213) 462-6611; 12107 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, (818) 761-5121. Open Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Cash and checks only.

REDDI-CHICK

Regulars of the Reddi-Chick chicken ‘n’ rib stand are passionate in their devotion to the place. How do I know? I’m a regular myself and have waited in line there more times than you can say buk, buk, buk. Chickens cook on the spit at all times of day, and unsalted birds can be ordered ahead over the phone. A $4.95 Reddi-Chick basket gets you a quarter chicken with either French fries or the crispest, lightest cole slaw you can imagine. For $6.50, you get a whole chicken, cut up if you like, with a thick, mild barbecue sauce on the side. Besides the fact that you’ll find yourself in the middle of movie star heaven (keep your eyes open), what else can I tell you? The skin’s so luscious, it’s a good thing the bird is double-wrapped in foil or it would never make it home in one piece in my car.

Reddi-Chick, Brentwood Country Mart, 225 26th Street, Santa Monica, (213) 393-5238. Open Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Cash and checks only.

ZANKOU CHICKEN

Zankou Chicken, with its Middle Eastern ways ( falafel , hummus , baba gannouj . . .) has classic rotisseried chickens. But to my mind, the best things about the place are the late-night hours, the prices and the wonderfully sour borg --small, buttery pastries filled with spinach and cheese at a dollar apiece.

Whole chickens are $5.50 and come with a pile of soft pita, as well as a special horseradish-textured garlic cream. Crazy as I am about garlic, this brew tastes one-dimensionally raw to me. The green salad ($1.25), on the other hand, is splendid with a fine garlic vinaigrette.

The Zankou’s falafel I tasted was artillery-weight, the hummus awfully salty, and, maybe it’s unfair, but by the time (30 minutes) the chicken reached home, the meat was on the dry side. But if you’re in the neighborhood, stop in for those terrific, freshly made borg.

Zankou Chicken, 5065 W. Sunset Blvd. (corner of Normandie), Los Angeles, (213) 665-7842. Open seven days 11 a.m.-midnight. Cash only.

CHICKEN NATURAL

The hearts freely splattered on the menu at Chicken Natural tell you that the American Heart Assn. approves of this place. And if you want to know exactly how many calories your bird might add to your bulk, all you have to do is scan the wall. Emblazoned for all to see are the hard stats: Half a Chicken Natural: 558 calories. A 1/4 chicken, white meat: 264. A 1/4 chicken, dark meat: 294.

All excess fat is removed from these fryers but they still manage to stay tender and moist. Marinated for 24 hours and cooked without any salt in a combination rotisserie-open-wood fire, they’re, in a word, plain. (Though they do make a nice chicken salad the next day.) A whole chicken, with tortillas and salsa, runs $7.95, or $10.99 with 2 pints of side dishes. Among these side kicks I like the cole slaw, tossed with sweet carrots and raisins, best. The potato salad tastes like mashed potatoes, much too smooth. The dishwater beans are what a 6-year-old friend of mine calls “ bor-ing .”

Chicken Natural, 3120 Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles, (213) 478-9797. Open seven days 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Free local delivery 5-9 p.m. (with $8 minimum order).

EL POLLO LOCO

The American Heart Assn. takes off its hat (or opens its heart?) to El Pollo Loco too. I have to agree: the chicken is pretty wonderful here. Consistently. This is a place where an assembly-line system works . Watch the fresh (not frozen) birds, marinated in a “secret combination” (management won’t say more than “fresh fruit juices, herbs and spices”), go from a brilliant saffron color to glistening brown on a raft of open flames. Served with a generous portion of corn or flour tortillas and a refreshing salsa, a whole chicken is $7.89.

Several of the side dishes are more than ordinary: pinto beans ($1.89 per pint) are spicy and full of spunk; the potato salad is dashed with peppers and agreeably mustardy; the Spanish rice is pleasant; the cole slaw’s freshly made.

El Pollo Loco, 118 locations throughout Los Angeles County.

BEVERLY CONNECTION

Ralph’s new Beverly Connection store across from the Beverly Center cooks up roast chickens at least three times a day. And the place is open non-stop, 24 hours, just in case chicken’s on the brain at 4 a.m. All good signs. You feel even better when you have a taste of Ralph’s firm, fresh cucumber salad ($3.99 lb.) laced with fresh dill, and the smart peppery, green-onion-potato salad ($3.29 a pound). That’s why it’s hard to figure why Ralph’s roast chicken can be so undercooked. Who could tell from the nice, brown skin? (My mother taught me not to poke through shrink-wrap . . .) Of course, even big boys are entitled to a mistake, especially when they offer those mistakes, salted or salt-free, at $2.49 a pound.

Ralph’s Beverly Connection, 100 N. La Cienega Blvd., (213) 655-6226. Open 24 hours a day. Delicatessen open 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Chickens are ready by 9:30 a.m. and put in a warmer case after the deli staff goes home. Cash and checks.