Whether fresh ceviche, creamy chicken, or beef stir-fry, it’s no secret that the States has fallen in love with Peruvian cuisine That’s why we’ve developed our pollo peruano recipe, a take on pollo a la brasa, Peru’s nationally-beloved rotisserie chicken dish. But don’t worry, all you need for this simplified version is your oven and a few choice ingredients! Read below to find more.
Pollo Peruano: A Classic Reimagined
Let’s start by turning to our pollo peruano’s inspiration: the pollo a la brasa, which literally means chicken on the embers. The story of this beloved dish actually begins in a place of desperation. As the legend goes, in the 1950s, Swiss-born Roger Schuler, who had originally hoped to earn his wealth through chicken farming, saw that his farm was going bust. Fearing that he wouldn’t be able to sell his young chickens before they died, he had to think quickly and creatively. Thus, his farm transformed into a restaurant.
His home chef and he developed a roasted chicken recipe that turned on a few things, but above all else smokey flavoring and slow roasting, hence chicken on the embers. What’s more is that Schuler, in the hopes of selling his chicken stock, offered an incredibly cheap deal: All you can eat for five soles, which roughly translates to 29 cents. Word spread not only of the good deal, but the incredible recipe. Plus, it wasn’t hard to find the farm, Schuler had iconically painted it blue! A veritable star was born and pollo a la brasa still persists as one of Peru’s most beloved dishes. The original chicken farm turned restaurant is also still held in the family, along with a few other restaurants.
This dish is delish, there’s no way around it. We think it’s a shame that this dish can’t as easily be enjoyed at home, who has the time or rotisserie oven?! So, we’ve adapted the recipe to our pollo peruano: It is still refreshing, tender, and served with a side of aji, or green sauce, but forgoes any complicated rotisserie-methods and spices you may not be able to find at larger grocers also make for amiable partners. We wish you happy cooking!
Follow our recipe and you’ll find that our pollo peruano really is a dish to be enjoyed! We suggest pairing it with a side of french fries or plantains. If you are looking for more chicken inspiration, recipes like our slow cooker BBQ pulled chicken, chicken in yogurt sauce, and chicken breast in zucchini cream sauce.
Pollo Peruano
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 4 lb. whole chicken
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup plain vinegar
- ½ cup dark beer
- 4 large garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp brown sugar
For the aji (green sauce):
- 3 jalapeño peppers roughly chopped
- 1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 lime juiced
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper ideally freshly ground
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- If using a frozen chicken, defrost it in the fridge a day in advance.
- To prepare the marinade: Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
- Place the whole chicken in a large resealable bag or bowl.
- Now, pour the marinade over the chicken, making sure it’s fully coated.
- Cover or seal, then refrigerate for at least 8 hours, ideally overnight.
- Flip the chicken once or twice during marinating if possible.
- About 30 minutes before cooking, remove the chicken from the fridge to bring it to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place a rack in a roasting pan and set the chicken breast-side up. Truss the legs if desired.
- Roast the chicken for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Baste once or twice with pan juices.
- As the chicken roasts, prepare the green sauce: In a clean blender, combine all the sauce ingredients and blend until creamy and smooth Chill until time to serve.
- Once the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F at the thickest part of the thigh, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 10–15 minutes.
- Carve into pieces and serve hot with the aji on the side and topped with any remaining parsley. Enjoy!