Peruvian Chicken
This Peruvian Chicken is succulent, juicy, flavorful, and very easy to make! It’s marinated, then roasted, and is good enough to eat on its own, or with a side of Cilantro Jalapeño Sauce. Many readers have said this is the best chicken they’ve ever had!
Peruvian Chicken (Pollo a la Brasa) is a lime, garlic, and spice marinated chicken roasted or grilled until the skin is deeply bronzed, traditionally served with a creamy, spicy green sauce (ají verde).
My obsession with Peruvian Chicken started when I lived in New York City, where there were numerous restaurants serving this staple roast chicken with green sauce.
As I wrote in my Where to Eat in NYC post, I ate at over 500 places during my time living in Manhattan, and I rarely repeated restaurants because I always had a list of new places to try. But I went to Peruvian restaurants like Pio Pio and Chicken Festival over and over again, because their chicken and sauce was just so. darn. good.
And though I have left the city, I still enjoy what I’ve been able to replicate at home, and for my entire family, it is one of our favorite recipes. As I discuss in the post, Cilantro Jalapeño Sauce is not quite the same as a true aji verde sauce or Peruvian green sauce, but we enjoy it as a pairing for this dish. It’s very easy to make in a food processor or blender in just 10 minutes. It has a vibrant flavor that’s really delicious!
Peruvian Chicken Tips & Substitutions
Spatchcock the Chicken – While not required, I highly recommend spatchcocking the bird, which means we cut the backbone out so we can flatten it. This meat cooks more evenly, more quickly, and is much easier to carve. I have step-by-step pictures for how to Spatchcock Chicken and it only takes a couple minutes.
Pat the meat dry – Poultry in particular tends to float in excess liquid when you buy it from the store. This will water down the flavors in the marinade, so remove it first with paper towels. Dry meat also helps with the roasting process.
Marinate at room temperature, not in the fridge – One of the practices that has completely revolutionized the juiciness and tenderness of all meat I cook, is leaving the meat at room temperature for an hour or so before cooking. The meat requires less cooking this way, inherently retaining more moisture. It’s safe to leave out for up to 2 hours.
Ají Amarillo Paste – This is a hot pepper that’s grown in Peru. This is key for authentic Peruvian chicken. I get mine on amazon (affiliate). In a pinch you can blend some habaneros and bell peppers together.
Want To Use Other Cuts? You don’t have to do a whole chicken here. You can get your favorite cut, like a pack of drumsticks, bone-in or boneless skinless chicken thighs, bone-in or boneless breasts, or wings, and make this recipe with specifically that cut.
Step by Step Overview:
This Peruvian Chicken recipe is just a few easy steps. Spatchcock, Marinade the chicken, & roast!
- Spatchcock your chicken and dry with a papertowel. We wont want any liquid on the bird.
- Mix your marinade together. It will look like this below
- Coat your chicken in the marinade. Cover the entire bird, and know that the marinade will pool around a little bit, this is fine.
- I like to wear a glove to spread it around
- Marinade for 1 hour at room temp
If you want to marinade longer, you can do this up to 1 day in advance. Just make sure you marinate it in the fridge. Meat should never be left at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
(1 hour is plenty of time for the meat to absorb the flavors of the marinade )
- Roast your Peruvian Chicken,with a little basting toward the end. The back of my oven is slightly hotter than the front, so I put the pan in the oven with the breast side in the back
Do not worry about the burned bits on the pan. I assure you that even though the skin can look dark in parts, it does not taste burned whatsoever. There are some natural sugars in the marinade from ingredients like the lime juice that are going to caramelize and darken no matter what.
How to Serve It
Once completely cooked through, let your Peruvian-style roast chicken rest for a few minutes, then you can carve it up. We enjoy it with a side of Cilantro Jalapeño Sauce, served in a small bowl right on the platter of cut chicken pieces.
Cilantro Lime Rice is a compatible side dish for this recipe, and you can make it lower carb with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice. A green salad is also nice. I recommend this Steak Salad but without the steak.
Recipe FAQ and Tips
You don’t have to do a whole bird here. You can get your favorite cut, like a pack of drumsticks, breasts, or thighs, and make this recipe with specifically that cut.
Keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
You can freeze leftovers for up to 2 months. Do not freeze the green sauce.
I have had success marinating the meat in a plastic bag in the fridge, then cooking it the next day. Make sure to let the meat warm up on the baking sheet for an hour before roasting.
Tried this recipe? Leave a rating and comment below — I’d love to hear how it turned out! Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!
Peruvian Chicken
Ingredients
For the Peruvian Chicken:
- 3.5 lb* whole chicken spatchcock recommended**
- 2 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- 2 tbsp aji amarillo paste***
- 1.5 tbsp lime juice
- 3 large garlic cloves pressed or minced
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- While it's not required, I highly recommend you spatchcock the chicken. All this means is you cut the backbone out so it lays flat on the roasting pan, so that it cooks more evenly, more quickly, and is much easier to carve. My Spatchcock Chicken post shows you how do to this.
- In a small bowl, mix together the avocado oil, aji amarillo paste, lime juice, garlic, salt, cumin, oregano, and black pepper.
- Place the chicken on a sheet pan and pat the exterior dry with a paper towel. Then rub the marinade all over the meat. Let sit at room temperature for one hour. Alternatively, you can marinate this up to 24 hours in advance in the fridge. Note: never leave meat out of the fridge for more than 2 hours.
- 15 minutes before cooking, preheat the oven to 425F.
- Roast the chicken for 40-45 minutes, basting it in its own juices after 30 minutes, and again at 40 minutes. When the chicken is done, the breast should register at 160F when measured with a thermometer.
- Let the bird rest for 5-10 minutes after roasting, so the juices don't run out while carving. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
89 Comments on “Peruvian Chicken”
I never rate recipes, but WOW. This is some of the best chicken I’ve ever made, and I cook a LOT.
wow! Thank you Jonna! It is one of my favorites too.
Hello! I just want to add that for Peruvian households, soy sauce IS a traditional ingredient. The integration of soy sauce into Peruvian cuisine reflects the significant influence of Chinese immigrants who arrived in Peru in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Youll find the influence al throughout the cuisine like arroz chaufa
Hi JJ, Thank you for adding that! Thats a fun insightful fact on it
Excellent! This was one of the best things I have ever made. Easy too! Ihad already cut up whole chicken pieces. Followed directions but only had to cook for 30 minutes. Paired with the cilantro lime rice and it was delicious!
Love to hear that! I truly love this one too. Cheers to more happy cooking
This recipe is in my regular rotation of home meals. We love it.
these are my favorite comments, Thank you!
I’ve made this with bone-in and boneless thighs and both have been amazing! Definitely make the cilantro jalapeno sauce to go with it
so yummy! Thanks Gale!
I have now made this 4 times; 2 times using the exact recipe (except I only use Mexican oregano, it is truly different), 1 time with my tweaks, and 1 time with pork. My tweaks involved more heat via cayenne, so I’ll ignore them, although we loved them. The recipe as written is simply perfect, no changes needed for the typical adventurous palate. But I am here to tell you that making this exactly as noted, but for 2 pounds of bone in very thick pork chops will also make you deliriously happy. I kept them in the fridge with the marinade for 24 hours, then tipped them, along with marinade, into a stainless steel deep skillet (with lid), added about 4, maybe 6 oz of Modelo beer, covered and baked at 300 for 2.25 hours. I then removed the lid, flipped the chops over, spooned the goo in the bottom over them, and turned the temp up to 400 and let the sauce caramelize for about 15 minutes (it might have been longer, I just focused on the visuals, as ovens vary, keep an eye out). The sauce looked burned, but it was simply darker, and omg, we lost our minds over the flavor. I will next look to find a way to do this on a sheet pan with pork and cannellini beans, likely needing 2 to 3 times the sauce, but am convinced it’s gonna be good!
My wife and I love this recipe! I use spatchcocked cornish game hens and it comes out perfect
Thanks Danny! So glad you guys are enjoying this one!
My husband loved this recipe! The chicken was moist, juicy, and flavorful. I served it with cilantro lime rice and calabacitas. I will definitely be making it again!
Thanks Tracy! Im glad you guys enjoyed!
Fantastic, moistest chicken we have had. Sauce was extremely delicious. My family asked when we were going to have it again even before the meal was over.
Wow! Im so glad everyone enjoyed them!
Some of the best chicken I’ve ever had. Delicious!!
This is a delicious recipe. Thanks, Joanne!