This roast chicken is as close as we’ve come to that terrific pollo a la brasa at your local Peruvian joint—you know, the place that has those enormous spits crammed full of chickens that they serve with the crazy addictive green sauce in those teensy plastic thimbles. Except this recipe comes minus the long wait in line.
Why Our Testers Loved This
Each of our testers who tried this Peruvian chicken recipe raved about it, including Melissa Maedgen, who had this to say: “The chicken came out juicy and nicely seasoned. The sauce is so versatile, I’d recommend going ahead and making a double batch, as you’ll want to try it on everything.”
What You’ll Need to Make This
- Beer–Use a pale ale or lager for the marinade. To make gluten-free Peruvian chicken, substitute gluten-free beer.
- Chicken–You’ll need to cut your chicken into pieces or have your butcher break down the chicken for you. Alternatively, you can purchase bone-in breast and leg pieces.
- Aji amarillo paste–This paste is a popular Peruvian ingredient made from ground fresh aji amarillo chiles. It is available at Latin markets, or you can purchase aji amarillo online. If you can’t find it, substitute an additional jalapeño pepper in the sauce.
- Jalapeño–You can adjust the heat level in your sauce by keeping or removing the seeds and membranes of the peppers. Removing them will make the sauce milder and less spicy.
How to Make This Recipe
- Whisk the Peruvian chicken marinade ingredients together in a bowl.
- Tuck the chicken into a resealable bag, pour the marinade over, and zip the bag closed. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat it dry. Roast the chicken at 425°F until cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Blitz the sauce ingredients in a blender until smooth. Serve the roast chicken with the sauce.
Common Questions
It’s a popular recipe for marinated chicken that originated in Peru. The chicken is marinated in a blend of spices, including paprika, cumin, and oregano. After marinating, the chicken is typically slow-roasted on a rotisserie, but many variations exist for oven-roasting and grilling the chicken.
It’s traditionally served with a creamy, spicy green sauce called aji verde.
Aji verde is a popular spicy Peruvian condiment made from aji amarillo chiles, which are native to Peru. The chiles are blended with garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and mayonnaise to create a smooth, creamy sauce.
Use it anywhere you want a creamy, spicy sauce to dribble and drizzle. We’re talking French fries, rice, tacos, baked eggs, grilled hanger steak, crispy smashed potatoes—name it, and you can rest assured that the creamy green sauce will be spectacular with it.
In Peru, the chicken is commonly served with fries, rice, and plantains, but you could also serve it with cool, crunchy salads, like this smashed cucumber salad or grilled vegetables.
Helpful Tips
- The green sauce (aji verde) can be prepared up to 1 week before use. Store it in a sealed container or jar in the fridge.
- Don’t crowd the chicken pieces in the roasting pan or baking sheet. Giving them plenty of space to roast will result in plenty of crispy skin–which everyone loves!
More Juicy Roast Chicken Recipes
Write a Review
If you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, consider leaving a review, a star rating, and your best photo in the comments below. I love hearing from you.–David
I’ve made this recipe three times already, and my family loves it. The only trick for me is remembering to marinate the chicken the night before. The green sauce is good on everything!
Lesley
Peruvian Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken marinade
- 1/2 cup beer, (preferably a pilsner or an ale)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- One (3 1/2-pound) chicken, cut into pieces
For the sauce
- 2 fresh jalapenos, including seeds and ribs, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon aji amarillo paste, (or substitute 1 jalapeño)
- 1 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons cotija cheese or Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
- 1 medium clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Make the chicken
- In a large resealable plastic bag or container, add all the marinade ingredients and combine. Add the chicken. Seal and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade, pat it dry with paper towels, and place it in a roasting pan. Discard the marinade. Roast the chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F, which will hover somewhere around 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the size of your hen.
Make the sauce
- While the chicken is in the oven, combine the jalapeños, aji amarillo paste (or extra jalapeño), cilantro, cheese, garlic, oil, vinegar, and lime juice in a blender or food processor. Blend on high speed until a smooth paste forms. Add the mayonnaise, salt, and pepper and blend until combined.
- Serve the chicken with the green sauce on the side. Unused green sauce can be stored in a covered container for up to 1 week (as if it will last that long).
Notes
- Get ahead–The green sauce (aji verde) can be prepared up to 1 week before use. Store it in a sealed container or jar in the fridge.
- Don’t crowd the pan–Don’t crowd the chicken pieces in the roasting pan or baking sheet. Giving them plenty of space to roast will result in plenty of crispy skin–which everyone loves!
- Dietary–To make this gluten-free, use gluten-free beer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This a fabulous all-season recipe. While the Peruvian roasted 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 that will remind you somewhat of tandoori. My bird was 3 pounds, so the total roasting time was about 45 minutes.
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, I knew my husband would 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.
I used a gluten-free beer in the marinade because I have to eat gluten-free. I chose New Planet Tread Lightly Ale, which worked nicely in this recipe.
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 and was fantastic on the chicken. It also made an excellent 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. 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-style 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 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.
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.
A couple of days after making the Peruvian chicken, I added some of the left-over green sauce to mashed avocados for a spicy guacamole. Usually, I prefer guacamole simply prepared, but that was good. I’ll add some extra mayo to the left green sauce and try it as a dipping sauce for fried oysters.
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 a fantastic dinner.
I marinated the chicken for about 18 hours, which made it most amazingly moist. I roasted the chicken for about 35 minutes, rendering it juicy with crisp skin.
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 provides 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.
I plan to try this recipe this weekend. If young children are going to eat this, what can I substitute for the jalapenos and aji amarillo paste in the sauce?
Shirley, there’s really no substitute for the jalapenos and especially for the aji amarillo. Each lends its unique flavor to the sauce. Although since the sauce is on the side, you can simply have the kids try a little if they wish…or not!
Thank you for replying. I’m a fan of Pio Pio so I was eager to try this recipe. The chicken and sauce were fabulous! The chicken was very flavorful and juicy. The sauce was a great accompaniment and I want to spoon it on everything. My nearby Latin grocery store didn’t have the aji amarillo paste so I plan to order it online for when I make it next time, which will probably be very soon.
Shirley, I’m thrilled to hear you like this as much as we do! As for the aji amarillo paste, you’ll be glad you have it. Next time you’re at your Latin store, see if they have the aji amarillo peppers frozen. Then you can defrost them and blend them with a little mild olive oil and garlic and have your own paste! My husband’s mom is from Peru and we use the paste on a lot of things. My husband likes to add it to aioli and spread it on sandwiches. He also puts it in potato salad and stirs it into soups and all manner of things. I like to mix it with olive oil and use it as a sauce or marinade. Just a couple of our uses. Oh and it is incredible with eggs! Thanks again for taking the time to drop us a note!
I love this chicken — I’ve made it several times. The flavor is great, the meat is tender and juicy, the color is just as you see in the picture and the aji verde is the perfect compliment to the chicken. I typically roast the chicken on a perforated cookie sheet set on top of another cookie sheet so the skin gets just a little crisp. Next week, I am going camping and would like to cook the chicken on the bbq. My question is – if I make the aji verde the day before, will it get better over time or lose some of it’s flavor. Thanks for another awesome recipe.
CherieDe, so glad you like it! I think the sauce will be perfectly fine made the day before.
I followed the recipe exactly. I chose however, to roast it outdoors over a wood fire. It was terrific. I loved it so much that I’m going to celebrate the kick off of the Crimson Tide football season tonight by trying it with a batch of chicken wings for game time. With Mojito’s, of course.
Thanks one again for turning me on to another ingredient. This market had a variety of different Peruvian chili pastes. Woo hoo!
Mike, you are more than welcome. So glad you liked the recipe.
Mike, so glad you’re a fiend for aji amarillo paste! Try it with eggs in the morning one of these times…
This sauce, along with Brazilian Molho de alho, are standard stock in my fridge. My only suggestion is that since jalapenos can vary widely in their heat level, you should have a Serrano chili available for those instances where a more spicy sauce is desired (chicken wings for example).
Terrific suggestion, Mike. Many thanks!
In the last two months, I’ve added making this sauce each weekend to my honey-do’s. Sometime I double the amount of garlic if I’m going to have a meat-centric weekend or substitute serranos for jalapenos if fish tacos are in order. I’m going to make enchilada suizas today and see how it works with this sauce.
Thank you from the bottom of my gut.
Hah! You’re welcome from the bottom of mine, Mike! Am so glad you’ve found it to be so darn versatile. Love how you’ve tweaked it to be a staple. And now, thanks to you, I’ve a fierce craving fish tacos. Off to the store for some fish and tomatillos…