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.
This might be my favorite chicken of all time.
And yes, I did peruse through the chicken section of my recipe index just to make sure I can stand behind such a statement. Peruvian chicken is just so flavorful and tender and delicious!
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. As I discuss in the post, Cilantro Jalapeño Sauce is not quite the same but we enjoy it as a pairing for this chicken.
How to Make Peruvian Chicken:
There’s nothing complex about this recipe, and basically all we do is marinate a whole chicken and then roast it.
Spatchcock the Chicken
While not required, I highly recommend spatchcocking the chicken, which means we cut the backbone out so we can flatten it.
This chicken 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 with Paper Towel
Before I do anything else with the meat, I always remove excess moisture. Particularly with chicken that comes out of a plastic shrink bag, there can be quite a lot of excess liquid.
Peruvian Chicken Marinade Needs Aji Amarillo
One ingredient that’s important to get is Aji Amarillo Paste. This is a hot pepper that’s grown in Peru, and it has a really unique, delicious flavor that’s important for the marinade.
To me, it tastes like a cross between habanero and hatch chile with a hint of fruitiness.
It’s blended up into a paste that has a bright orange color:
While you may be able to find it at the store, this is an item I order on Amazon (affiliate).
I know it’s a little annoying to get unusual ingredients, but it’s essential here, and the opened jar keeps well in the fridge for repeat batches of chicken.
Make the Marinade
Combine avocado oil (or olive oil), the aji amarillo paste, fresh lime juice, garlic, salt, cumin, dried oregano, and black pepper in a bowl:
Stir the ingredients together, and it will look like this:
Add the Marinade
Once the chicken is patted dry, pour the marinade on top:
Rub it all over, and know that the marinade will pool around the chicken a little bit. This is fine.
Marinade for 1 Hour at Room Temperature
1 hour is plenty of time for the chicken to absorb the flavors of the marinade. I let the chicken sit at room temperature for an hour, which takes the chill off the chicken and helps it cook more evenly as well.
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.
Roast the Chicken
All that’s needed now is a 40-45 minute roast in the oven, with a little basting toward the end.
Do not worry about the burned bits on the pan. I assure you that even though the chicken 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.
When the chicken has cooked through, let it sit for a few minutes, then you can carve it up. We enjoy it with a side of Cilantro Jalapeño Sauce.
Cilantro Lime Rice is a compatible side dish for this recipe, and you can make it lower carb with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice. Enjoy!
Peruvian Chicken FAQ and Tips:
Other Cuts of Chicken: You don’t have to do a whole chicken here. You can get your favorite cut, like a pack of drumsticks or chicken thighs, and make this recipe with specifically that cut.
How to Store Leftovers: Keep the chicken in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezing: You can freeze chicken leftovers for up to 2 months. Do not freeze the green sauce.

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. Spatchcock chicken 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 chicken dry with a paper towel. Then rub the marinade all over the chicken. 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 the chicken 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 chicken 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.
65 Comments on “Peruvian Chicken”
So I made this and it is better than the Peruvian chicken I have eatten. I made the green sauce without the feta and it was beyond wonderful. I added mayo and used it as a salad dressing. I did not run into heat issues at all. I used canned jalapenos in the sauce.
Wonderful recipe! My wife loved it. It went great with the cilantro lime rice, black beans, and fried plantains (ok, they were bananas, not plantains). Will definitely be making it again soon!
I can’t do anything with heat like those peppers; even got sauce is a no- no. Guess I’ll just have to make something else, unless you can suggest a less heat/jalapeno marinade. Thanks.
My first review was pre-cooking. While the chicken was in the oven, my wife commented at how wonderful the smell was. When i took it out of the oven, i plated the chicken for all to try. My non-spice loving wife said it was “flavorfully spicy” and the pre cooked spiciness had softened in the oven. The chicken was juicy and perfectly cooked after 45 minutes at 425. will definately make again
So i went to my local market that caters to central and south american shoppers and bought the Aji Amerillo in the Peruvian aisle. I noticed there is the “regular” version and then a “not hot” version of the Aji. Since I didnt see anything that mentions this is a very spicy dish, (i guess i should have read reviews, though it would be helpful to mention in the recipe that it is indeed spicy) I bought the regular version. I am glad i tasted it before i planned a full dinner because it would have been too spicy for my wife and daughter. That being said, it is tasty and i like spice. Maybe if you are averse to spicy, try the “not hot” version to get the flavor without the extra kick. I used split breasts and thighs. I plan on making spicy peruvian chicken wings next! oh and cilantro lime rice helps tame the heat.
Is there a way to lower the heat? It looks so good, but I am worried about the amount of heat for me.
I have the world’s most sensitive taste buds, so I will have to use less of the aji amarillo paste or I won’t be able to tolerate it. To keep that lovely color, what could I add? What about substituting yellow and/or red bell peppers for some of the aji amarillo pepper?
I like the diavolo chicken, but am dying to try out the rotisserie feature on my brand new air fryer/toaster oven. Do you think this would work well? Can’t wait to make this chicken!
Made this tonight for a quick (the 2 hours driving around looking for Aji Amarillo is not included in the time) dinner. It was fantastic! I also made the cilantro jalapeños sauce as well as the cilantro lime rice. I added some toasted almonds to the rice but other than that followed the recipes and it was great. Many times I find myself adjusting recipes after the fact for the next cooking, this one I’m going to keep 100% as written.
Followed recipe to the letter , we found the aji amarillo disappointing not much flavor. The dipping sauce however was to die for!
Served with lime rice and green chilli fried corn.
My Husband said this is the best chicken he ever had!! Very easy!!
That is awesome!! Enjoy 🙂
This was absolutely delicious Joanne! Amazing! Easy recipe, I marinated most of the day.Just added more garlic and lowered temp on my convection oven to 400. With the delicious pan juices and crispy pieces I don’t think you need the green sauce!
Thank you for this great recipe!!
Really happy to hear this, Kathy! I agree with you that it has enough flavor that the green sauce isn’t necessary if you don’t feel up to making it. Happy cooking!
Made this for dinner last night. It was a huge hit. My husband said it tastes better than the chicken we get from the Peruvian restaurants. I let it marinade overnight and it was very juicy and flavorful.
That’s amazing! So glad to hear. Enjoy!
I made this last night for my family.
This was fantastic!!
Definitely will be making this a lot.
Thank you….
That is great, Jessica. Enjoy!
Making this right now! Between the aji amarillo paste and the jalapenos, I am not sure I will be able to feel my lips later! Completely zoned out when making the marinade and used regular salt instead of kosher salt – it was inedible and I had to start over – luckily I tasted it before putting it on the chicken!! Anyway, can’t wait to see how it turns out. Trying to decide on a side dish now. Thanks for the recipe!
LOL heat tolerance varies so much. Let us know how it goes for you. I’ve noticed other commenters saying it’s not as spicy as they thought it might be, though this is very personal. To me this is only moderately spicy. But my brother can’t tolerate any at all.
This is fabulous! Made it last night an it’s a keeper for sure. Super easy and full of flavour. And the cilantro Jalapeño Sauce will be a permanent fixture in my fridge from now on. It’s simply amazing!
So happy to hear this, Pat. Enjoy!