Yucca fries can be a perfect food -- hot from the fryer, lighter than french fries but a little more flavor. Mega Chicken fries up delicious yucca to accompany its Peruvian grilled chickens in a converted McDonalds in Laurel. As BillZ noted, we can only wish for Peruvian chicken here in Howard County. But we can make a quick dash into Anne Arundel to feast or carry home takeout.
(Update: A comment below says in late April 2009 that there are signs that say Pollo Fuego (Peruvian) is coming in around the corner from My Organic Market at Rte 175 and Rte 1 in Jessup.)
I'm a recent convert to rotisserie chicken, and Mega Chicken clearly beats out the supermarket birds that I have tasted. It's a touch more expensive too, but the meat is moist and flavorful with a charcoal tinge. It also comes with those yucca fries and two sauces -- one yellow and creamy, the other green and spicy -- that are the hallmark of the Peruvian chicken fad. Well worth the $10-20 that you'll spend depending on whether you want a half or whole chicken and how many sides you order. We got four meals from a whole bird with yucca and rice & beans.
The restaurant has zero ambiance. It's a converted McDonalds with a counter and fast food tables. But it's extremely clean, and it's a quick ride west on Rte 198 through Laurel and home. Inadvertently, I discovered that everything travels well. I raced home only to find Mrs. HowChow on a business call. By the time she was done, I had had the food for an hour. The chicken was still moist and delicious. The yucca fries softened as they cooled, but then crisped in a 400-degree oven until they were as good as they'd been when I was sneaking a few in the car.
If you go, concentrate on the chicken and yucca. Try the plantains, which I didn't notice on my visit. The half and whole chickens come with salads that are just lettuce and some shredded carrot. You can also buy rice and beans, but they were nothing special. Definitely add some of the spicy green sauce to liven them up. On Yelp, reviewers did not talk highly of the beef dishes. It is called Mega Chicken for a reason.
If you're looking for other trends that are close, but not yet in Howard County, you should go for the tart frozen yogurt at YogiBerry in Olney. If you're looking for takeout chicken, check out the fried chicken -- or the roasted ones -- at Chick N' Friends in Columbia.
Mega Chicken
3485 Fort Meade Road
Laurel, MD 20724
301-725-1355
NEAR: This is on Rte 198 east on downtown Laurel and into Anne Arundel County. It's not an upscale area. You pass the Home Depot on the right, then look for Mega Chicken after another light or two. It's a converted McDonalds. You can't miss it.
