Peruvian Chicken with Green Sauce
Peruvian Chicken combines chicken that's marinated overnight, roasted until tender and juicy on the inside and perfectly golden and crisp on the outside. It's served with a delicious green sauce that's easy to make and so good you'll put it on everything!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
For the chicken and marinade
- 1 small chicken backbone removed and halved
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Diamond crystal kosher salt
- 1/2 freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon aji amarillo paste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons aji panca paste
- 8 cloves garlic grated
For the green sauce
- 1 packed cup cilantro leaves and thinner stems
- 2 large jalapenos chopped
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon distilled vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the chicken and marinade
- Whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, soy sauce, distilled vinegar, kosher salt, pepper, aji amarillo paste, aji panca paste, and garlic.
- Cut the backbone out of the chicken and split the chicken in half. Pat dry with paper towels then place the chicken in a flat dish and spread the marinade on the outside and under the skin and on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Note: marinate at least 6 hours but preferably overnight. At this time, you can make the green sauce, or you can make it while the chicken is roasting.
- Preheat oven to 475°F and set the rack to the middle level.
- Remove the chicken from the fridge 1 hour prior to roasting. Pat the chicken with paper towels to remove excess moisture and place the chicken halves, skin side up on a wire rack lined baking sheet or roasting pan. Rub the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil all over the skin. Roast the chicken for 10 minutes then lower the heat to 425°F and continue to roast until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast meat registers 160°F (about 45 minutes total cooking time).
- Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before cutting. Carve the chicken into pieces and serve on a platter with the green sauce on the side.
For the green sauce
- Place all of the green sauce ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Taste test and season with salt and pepper if required. If you want a hotter paste, simply add another jalapeno pepper.
Notes
- Chicken. A smaller chicken (broiler chicken) around 3.5-4 pounds works best. Individual pieces such as all thighs or a combination of thighs and legs can be used too.
- Cook time. 45 minutes is a rough estimate based on a 4 pound chicken. A larger chicken will take a bit longer. Using a instant read thermometer or digital oven safe thermometer is recommended.
- Cilantro. Use all of the leaves and the smaller stems.
- Peruvian paste. Both of the pastes can be purchased online. You can substitute another type of pepper paste, but for best results, use authentic Peruvian aji amarillo paste and aji panca paste.
- Marinating overnight. To get maximum flavor and juiciness, I recommend marianting the chicken overnight.
- Leftovers. Perivian chicken with green sauce can be saved in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be reheated in the microwave or oven.
Nutrition
Calories: 1188kcal | Carbohydrates: 4.4g | Protein: 80.2g | Fat: 87.2g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 265mg | Sodium: 1330mg | Fiber: 2.2g | Sugar: 2.1g | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 5mg
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