Fresh Chicken a la leña – a Costa Rican Cooking Tradition.

Some nights you just don’t want to come home after 8-10 hours of working and spend another hour on your feet in the kitchen making dinner. As much as I love cooking, some nights I can’t gather up the motivation, and this was one of those nights. So, on the way home, my husband and I swung by a place we drive past almost every day called Malé.

Malé is a rotisserie chicken joint in Escazú with outdoor covered seating, which is pretty standard in Costa Rica. However, their biggest selling feature, without a doubt, is the large open firing spit where you can see the chicken become delicious and fall-off-the-bone tender right before your very eyes. The smell and the heat as you sit at your table is something you can’t ignore!

We ordered at the counter and sat down by the fire (it was a cool night) to wait for the food. Our table-top was quickly consumed by a chicken combo for two with a 1/4 chicken each and some delicious pasta, fries and tortilla chips with salsa and refried beans. It came with drinks and extra tortillas for 4500 colones, which is about $8.50.

That’s a pretty hardy meal for the price, and when the chicken is seasoned just perfect and tender as all get out, it’s worth every penny (or colon). These Ticos really know what they are doing with rosti pollo. Even if you aren’t in the Escazú area, you are sure to find another rotisserie restaurant within several blocks with equally economic prices. They aren’t hard to miss with their beckoning smells, open air seating style and rows of cooking chicken positioned prominently for passersby to spot.

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Ashley Blevins is the author of Costa Rica Page’s new column “Costa Rica foodie”. For additional information about cheap food in Costa Rica, visit her blog at:     www.cheapfoodhere.com

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Filed under: Living on May 5th, 2009