Chook Brings Charcoal-Cooked Chicken to Stanley Marketplace

In its short two-year history, Chook Charcoal Chicken has already served more than 80,000 Australian-style rotisserie chickens, and it’s about to cook up a whole lot more. Chook opened its third location, inside Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace, on December 19.

“When we first got started, I remember Alex [Seidel] and I out in that community, and it was one of the first times that he got excited about what Chook could be,” says partner Adam Schlegel. “It’s such a strong community out here with families, and it ties to what we’re trying to offer, which is really great, affordable, delicious, healthy food that you can bring home to your family.”

Chook the Third will be extra accessible, with a patio for winter-day dining, a prime curbside spot for pick-up, and delivery via Stanley Delivers, the marketplace’s in-house delivery program that brings, well, almost everything from the food and retail hall to your doorstep. (Seriously, you can choose from more than 2,200 products from Stanley’s shops, vendors, and restaurants, and it will bundle everything together for delivery or curbside pickup.)

Chook’s family-friendly rotisserie chickens, veggie-centric sides, hearty sandwiches, and salads are pretty much designed for takeout and delivery, which means that Central Park and Aurora residents now have a no-brainer solution for weeknight dinners whenever the pandemic has killed their will to cook. “We’ve always thought of ourselves as a great takeaway place,” Schlegel says. “This food travels really well. We’re all super busy and always running home late and have families that are hungry and ready for something good and delicious, and that’s exactly what a charcoal chicken shop should be. It should be that saving grace.”

Schlegel says he’s excited that Chook is joining the Stanley Marketplace community, which has become a neighborhood hub since it opened in December 2016. Before signing onto the Stanley space (the former home of Yellowbelly Chicken), he spoke with other business owners at the food hall, including Joshua Pollack of Rosenberg’s After Dark and Caroline Glover of Annette. Their recommendations of Stanley were glowing.

“It’s really refreshing,” Schlegel says. “You don’t often come across a mix of so many independent entrepreneurs. Their business is their heart and they’re fighting and pouring everything into it. It [opening at Stanley] made a lot of sense for who we want to be and how we want to fit into the community.”

Chook Charcoal Chicken at Stanley Marketplace is open daily, 11 a.m.–8 p.m. 2501 N. Dallas St., Suite 106, Aurora