Peruvian Chicken

As I have always said, the sauce is what makes the meal. I started off with a Costco rotisserie chicken and added to it. Don’t me wrong. We love those. We eat them all the time. But I turned that good chicken into a great chicken dish, just by adding a delicious sauce.

This time, I went Peruvian. I actually was closer to the original recipe than I thought, since, in Peru they use rotisserie chickens too, or pollo la brasa. Peruvian chicken was first created near Lima, Peru, by a Swiss chicken farmer named Roger Schuler. Roger and his cook created the dish by marinating chickens in salt water and cooking them over coals. Schuler’s goal was to sell the chickens quickly, and he offered an all-you-can-eat deal for a small price. The dish became popular, and later, with the help of Franz Ulrich, a mechanical specialist, they created the “rotombo” oven (also known as “planetario” or “spiedo”) to cook the chickens. We call these rotisseries. The marinade, often including ingredients like garlic, cumin, paprika, soy sauce, and vinegar, is key to the dish’s distinctive flavor. Pollo la brasa has become a favorite Peruvian meal, eaten and enjoyed by all, with roughly 27 million people eating it everyday in Peru, but especially on the 3rd Sunday of July, which has been designated as polla la brasa day.

Peruvian chicken is first marinated in olive oil, lime juice, garlic and spices, and then oven-roasted until tender and juicy with super crispy skin. The accompanying green sauce, which gets its color from cilantro and jalapeño peppers, is spicy, creamy and downright delectable. If you are cooking a raw chicken, this is how your would prepare it Peruvian style. I eliminated this step since my chicken was already cooked.

I was inspired to make this delicious recipe by The Brook Cook at https://thebrookcook.wordpress.com/. Many thanks for this great idea. 🙂

Peruvian Chicken

1 whole chicken, cut into parts, or whatever pieces you like

5 TBSP olive oil

5 TBSP lime vinegar or red wine or sherry vinegar – I used lime balsamic vinegar

3 TBSP cumin

3 TBSP paprika

3 TBSP soy sauce

1 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup green onions

1 jalapeno

1/2 cup cilantro

4 TBSP lime juice

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup yogurt

1/4 red onion

Mix everything together with the exception of the yogurt in a food processor. I forgot to put the cilantro into my mix at first, but added it later. It’s all good. It all worked out just fine. Add the yogurt separately and fold in so the sauce stays nice and creamy and doesn’t separate.

Traditionally the sauce is green, but I followed the recipe and mine came out golden instead of green. Who cares though?! It tasted great, and that’s all that really matters.

Since my chicken was already cooked, I just topped it with sauce and reheated it in the oven, which I already had on for my potatoes. I reheated the chicken for about 20 minutes. When it was heated all throughout, I added more sauce on top right before serving.

I served it with some potatoes mixed with bacon and green beans, since potatoes too are Peruvian. More on the potatoes later though. I have to keep you coming back for more, right?! 🙂

Enjoy this delicious chicken with every bite. I know you will! 🙂

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.