Aji Verde and Avocado Tomato Cucumber Salad with Peruvian Green Sauce (Pollo a la Brasa) can be prepared in 40 minutes, making it the ideal weeknight meal.
Life is but a dream, row row row your boat merrily, merrily, merrily, down the stream.
If you’re a quick chopper and multitasker, the entire meal can be prepared in about 45 minutes with a flavorful, juicy, and mildly spicy Peruvian Chicken with Aji Verde Sauce and a simple Avocado-Cucumber-Tomato Salad.
To make this recipe easier, I used boneless, skinless breast and thighs that I grilled rather than roasting a whole chicken as is traditionally done. This made the cooking process quicker, cooler (during the summer months), and without the skin, a little bit lighter and healthier.
In mixed households, vegans can use the same flavorful marinade to replace the chicken with portobellos; grilling both the chicken and portobellos is very simple.
How to Make Peruvian Roast Chicken-Pollo a la Brasa with Green Sauce
Peruvian Grilled Chicken (Pollo a la Brasa) 🔗
This iconic regional dish incorporates soy sauce, evidence of the strong influence of the Japanese and Chinese communities in Peru. The intensely flavored marinade, bright with lime juice and zesty with garlic, deeply seasons the meat, and the grill gives it a beautiful sear. We’ve provided a range for the portion size, because while some home cooks may be content with a quarter chicken per person, many Peruvian restaurants and takeout places serve each customer a half chicken (even here in the States, where chickens tend to be on the large side).
Total: 9 3/4 hr
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 whole chicken (about 3 1/2 pounds), quartered
- Accompaniment: lime wedges
Instruction:
- Blend soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, cumin, paprika, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and oil in a blender.
- Put chicken in a large sealable bag and add marinade. Seal bag and marinate, chilled, 8 to 24 hours.
- If using a charcoal grill, open vents on bottom and lid of grill. Light a large chimney starter full of charcoal (preferably hardwood). When coals are lit, dump them out along opposite sides of bottom rack, leaving a space free of coals (the size of the quartered chicken) in middle. When you can hold your hand 5 inches above the grill rack directly over coals for 3 to 4 seconds, coals will be medium-hot.
- If using a gas grill, preheat all burners on high, then reduce heat to medium-high.
- Discard marinade, then pat chicken dry. Oil grill rack, then grill chicken over area with no coals (or over a turned-off burner), skin side down first, covered, turning over once, until cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes (add charcoal to maintain heat).
FAQ
What is special about Peruvian chicken?
Before being roasted on a spit, a whole chicken is marinated in a potent concoction of garlic, herbs, and spices, giving the browned, crispy skin an irresistibly exotic and earthy flavor.
Is Peruvian chicken healthy?
My version of Pollo a la Brasa uses boneless chicken thighs but you can easily substitute these for a whole chicken, breasts, wings, or legs.Peruvian grilled chicken, or Pollo a la Brasa, is similar to rotisserie or roasted chicken but marinated first in a mixture of lime juice, oil, garlic, and spices.
Who invented Pollo a la Brasa?
Another essential nutrient in Peruvian chicken is selenium, which the body needs to support the immune system, reduce inflammation, and act as an antioxidant by neutralizing free radicals. A full serving of Peruvian chicken also contains significant amounts of zinc, which supports the immune system.