Celebrating 45 years of serving up 'the best' rotisseried chicken in Benalmádena

One of the first takeaway food outlets in Benalmádena is celebrating 45 years of serving what many locals say is the best rotisseried chicken in the area. El Pollo Dorado, located in Calle Blas Infante in Arroyo de la Miel, opened its doors in 1978, and according to the owner, Mariana Plaja, the small shop has maintained the essence of tradition by never changing its secret formula for cooking the chicken.

Opened by her parents, the shop has gone through some difficult times recently, like the pandemic and the financial crisis, but as Mariana points out, “people have to eat every day”.

Mariana, who recently received the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award from the Benalmádena town hall, said that although today it is a solvent business, her parents opened the shop when buying takeaway food was not in fashion.

“During the late 1970s and early ‘80s, many housewives did not go to buy a chicken because they thought that the neighbours would think they could not cook. It was like that, local people were reluctant to buy takeaway food, so most of the clientele in the beginning were tourists or foreigners. Today it is normal to buy take-out food. People do not have time to cook,” Mariana explained.

Marianna learned the art of rotisserie cooking from here parents, who ran the business until her father had a stroke in 1998. Marianna now runs the shop with her husband, Hermes, who is in charge of the rotisserie, but she says they still use the same recipe.

“The quality of our ingredients and the love we put into the business is our secret. We want people to leave happy with the service and the product,” she said.

However, although she has adhered to the family’s secret chicken recipe, Marianna saw the need to make “a few small changes” to the business to make it “more efficient” by adapting to “the needs of the customers”.

The menu now includes numerous traditional homemade dishes, like croquettes, Spanish omelette, meatballs, tripe and soups, all of which, along with its famous grilled chicken, can now also be ordered for home delivery.