Peruvian Chicken

This a fabulous all-season recipe. While the Peruvian chicken is good, the aji verde condiment is so, so, so great! I opted to marinate the chicken for 24 hours. The next day, the meat had a gorgeous garnet tint to it that will remind you somewhat of tandoori. My bird was 3 pounds, so the total roasting time was about 45 minutes. I suggest using a sheet pan rather then a roasting pan. This will produce a crisper skin, which is my personal preference. While the chicken was roasting, I threw all the condiment ingredients into the VitaMix and gave them a medium whirl. I tasted the sauce and made no adjustments. However, I was so smitten by how righteous this sauce was that I spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to capture every last drop out of the blender jar. Why? Because this aji verde is so good that I knew my husband was going to devour whatever I had just made. All I wanted was a little left over for Monday’s office lunch. I served the chicken on a bed of butter lettuce with a side of crisp french fries.

I just loved this roast Peruvian chicken recipe and the aji verde that went with it. The chicken came out juicy and nicely seasoned. As I have to eat gluten-free, I used a gluten-free beer in the marinade. I chose New Planet Tread Lightly Ale, and I thought it worked nicely in this recipe. I marinated the chicken slightly less than 24 hours. The roasting time was about 50 minutes. The green sauce was served at the table to spoon over the chicken after the bird was carved. The green sauce has a nice kick to it and was fantastic on the chicken. It also made a nice dip for the French fries we had to go with the meal and was very good as a sauce with my morning breakfast taco the next day. The sauce is so versatile that I’d recommend going ahead and making a double batch, as you’ll want to try it on everything. I do think the cheese could be omitted.

I find aji amarillo paste at a local supermarket that caters to a Hispanic and Caribbean population and has a Peruvian section. If you can’t find it locally, you can order it on Amazon. Or you could devise a substitution by roasting and skinning a yellow bell pepper and a couple habañeros, and puréeing them together until perfectly smooth. But I do think the aji amarillo paste is worth seeking out, as it’s an essential ingredient in many Peruvian dishes, such as causa, and it has a unique flavor that you just won’t get with a substitute.

I love the flavors of Peruvian food, especially the tartness of abundant lime juice, and this Peruvian chicken recipe delivers. The marinade infuses the chicken with a subtle flavor and ensures the chicken is moist, despite the high oven temperature. This recipe takes a little advance planning, but everything pulls together pretty quickly after the marinating is done. Once the chicken is in the oven, it takes only a few minutes to whip up the green sauce. The chicken was crisp and juicy and the green sauce had an acidic bite to it and plenty of heat. The heat could be moderated by not including all (or some) of the jalapeno seeds. The dark meat hit temperature after roasting for 50 minutes. The breast meat took an additional 10 minutes. The chicken then rested for about 10 minutes before serving. Since I had the aji amarillo paste on hand, I prepared causa, a favorite Peruvian mashed potato dish that also uses the pepper condiment, to accompany the chicken. I had grated some excess cojita cheese, and that was good sprinkled on a green salad. The beer I used for the marinade was Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. The chicken marinated for 24 hours. The green sauce was served on the side, and we spooned it over the chicken. A couple of days after making the Peruvian chicken, I added some of the excess green sauce to mashed avocados for a spicy guacamole. Normally, I prefer guacamole very simple, but that was good. I think I’m going to add some extra mayo to the green sauce that’s left and try it as a dipping sauce for fried oysters.

I found that the beer, lime, and cumin gave the chicken a nice flavor. In the aji verde, I used Parmesan cheese and substituted a jalapeño for the paste. I marinated the chicken for 12 hours. The chicken cooked for 45 minutes. I served each plate with a bed of yellow rice, a dollop of sauce, and a portion of the chicken on top. I made the recipe using just 2 skinless chicken breasts and a light stout in the marinade. After the chicken was cooked, I cut it into 1-inch pieces for easy eating. I finished the plates off with sprigs of fresh cilantro.

I love this Peruvian chicken recipe because you can assemble all the ingredients the night before, bake it the next day, and voilà! You have an amazing dinner. I marinated the chicken for about 18 hours, which made it most amazingly moist. I roasted the chicken for about 35 minutes, and it rendered a juicy chicken with crisp skin. I didn’t find aji amarillo, so I added an extra jalapeño to the sauce. I didn’t find any cotija cheese, either, so I added 2 tablespoons Parmesan. I felt that the sauce lacked a certain bite that I desired, so I added 1/2 habañero pepper, and it definitely gave the sauce a lovely flavor. I served the chicken with roast potatoes flavored with toasted coriander and cumin powder and poured the sauce over the potatoes. They were just perfect.

As the temps outside drop, the heat of this Peruvian chicken recipe provided reminders of tropical flavors. I marinated the chicken for about 15 hours and then roasted it for about 45 minutes. I couldn’t find the aji amarillo paste, so I did as suggested and upped the jalapeños. I served the sauce on the side and let my diners decide how much heat they wanted to experience. All the flavors came together to create a tropical dish that was nice to experience with rice. A mango salsa would also be nice with this. I might try adding some sauce to the marinade in the future.