A small Peruvian chicken chain is establishing a northern outpost in Delaware.
Viva Chicken plans to open its first location in Delaware in Christiana.
Viva Chicken features pollo a la brasa, the rotisserie chicken cooked in a charcoal-fired oven, the restaurant is planning a June opening at 1103 Churchmans Road.
Northern Delaware is no stranger to Peruvian chicken, with the long-running Chicken House operating restaurants near Newark and in Middletown.
Also, Perucho’s has a restaurant in Bear and Pachamama is slated to open on Newark’s Main Street at the former location of Del Pez.
In addition to the rotisserie chicken Peruvian cuisine includes Asian and U.S. influences that can include stir fry and even hot dogs.
Viva Chicken began with a single restaurant on Elizabeth Avenue in Charlotte in 2013 and now has multiple locations in north Carolina and another outpost in St. George, Utah.
“We like to say our fresh, inspired recipes transport taste buds to Peru,” says co-owner Randy Garcia. “Now we get to bring these tastes of home to new friends in Christiana. We can’t wait to serve them!”
Each restaurant has a charcoal rotisserie imported from Lima, Peru.
The menu includes:
- Rotisserie chicken (served as a quarter, half or whole) marinated for 24 hours with herbs and spices
- Quinoa-stuffed avocado filled with organic quinoa, avocado, red pepper, rocoto chile pepper mayo and balsamic vinegar
- Andina power food salad featuring kale/romaine mix, quinoa, seasonal fruit, edamame, toasted almonds, red peppers, avocado and Viva Chicken’s signature lime passion fruit vinaigrette
- Inca wrap in a sun-dried tomato wrap stuffed with jasmine or cilantro-infused rice, canary beans, salsa criolla (with lime marinated onions and tomatoes), avocado and choice of pulled rotisserie chicken or steak
- Sides including solterito (Peruvian corn salad), canary beans, cilantro-infused rice, plantains, yuca or sweet potato fries
- Signature juices such as herbal limeade (lime, basil, rosemary and mint), Maracuya passion fruit juice and the Chicha Morada (Peruvian purple corn, cinnamon, cloves, pineapple, apple, and limes) made in-house daily.
Dine-in guests order at the counter and eat in the 92-seat dining room.
The restaurant also has a full catering menu with pick-up and delivery options.
Viva Chicken’s Garcia and chef-owner Bruno Macchiavello worked an Italian restaurant in Charlotte but wanted to introduce North Carolinians to pollo a la brasa that Macchiavello grew up eating in Peru and Garcia discovered on a trip home with his Peruvian wife.
The restaurant will open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, visit vivachicken.com.
