Generally the chicken is marinated in spices like garlic, ginger, pepper, salt, rosemary, cumin, etc, and turns out amazingly juicy due to being rotated while cooked, so the juices stay moving around inside of the chicken instead of moving out. The maple wood charcoal used to cook the chickens imparts some amazing flavor and should stand out just a enough so it's almost like another spice that the chicken has taken on.
Junior's failed on both of those accounts. The chicken lacked much spice and the coal flavor did not stand out. Maybe it was bad luck, but I've never had such bad luck at other Peruvian favorites of mine.
Some more authentic sides that are served, are rice and beans, salsa, fried Yuca, and fried Plantains. If you've never tried Fried Yuca or Plantains, I highly recommend them. Yuca is very similar to potato, a starchy root, but a bit firmer with a slightly different taste. Plantains are similar to bananas, but are firmer and not as sweet, so they're usually fried to soften their texture and bring out a mild sweetness. Sometimes they are tossed with (brown) sugar to sweeten them as a desert.
SAUCES! Your food is usually served with some of the most delicious green and yellow sauces. The green is a spicy pepper sauce for those who like the fresh flavor of heat and the yellow a delicious creamy sauce that's something like a spice flavored mayo. They are both delicious!
Junior's fried Yuca was good and their yellow sauce was pretty good. The yellow sauce came in hot and mild, but I didn't really get any heat from the hot one, and they weren't much different in flavor.
So, definitely seek out your nearest Pollo A La Brasa.. but if you're in Gaithersburg, I'd choose a different one then Junior's... Then let me know how it is!
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