Pollo a la Brasa is an incredible Peruvian dish of roasted chicken served with a mayonnaise based sauce. If you want to get truly authentic, this dish was traditionally made over fire, and you can absolutely use this recipe to cook the chicken on your grill over indirect heat. We love the convenience of roasting, and decided to write this recipe specifically for roasting so you can enjoy it even without a grill. Let’s face it, the roasting pan is pretty dang convenient.
Peruvian chicken is traditionally enjoyed with a green sauce made with Aji Amarillo paste, a spicy yellow pepper paste. Now, that isn’t exactly something you can generally find in your local grocery store. You can always order it from Amazon, or you can simply omit it and have a completely Americanized version. You will be blown away by how much you love these flavors!
HOW DO I PREP A WHOLE CHICKEN?
No need to be nervous about prepping a whole chicken. If you’ve never done this before, you’ll feel like a pro in no time!
If you tend to keep your chicken in the freezer, make sure to remove it and let it thaw in the fridge. Expect it to take at least 24 hours per 5 pounds of chicken and plan accordingly.
With your thawed chicken, make sure to remove any giblets or any other innards. Sometimes they come in a tiny bag inside of the cavity, sometimes they are loose and not in a bag, and sometimes they just don’t come with any. It all depends on the brand.
Current food safety recommendations are that you not wash your chicken. Do pat it dry so that your seasoning will stick.
PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES
TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 40 MINUTES
SERVING: 6
INGREDIENTS
Chicken
3 to 4 pound whole chicken
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons butter optional
PERUVIAN GREEN DIPPING SAUCE
1 cup fresh cilantro loosely packed
1 to 2 jalapenos
1 tablespoons aji Amarillo paste*
2 tablespoons grated cotija cheese**
1 clove garlic , minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/8 teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
FOR THE CHICKEN
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place the chicken on a roasting pan rack.
- In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, salt, cumin, paprika, sugar, pepper, and oregano. Use your fingers to loosen the skin around each end opening. Spoon some of the spice mixture under the skin so the flavors get in direct contact with the meat. Brush the outside of the chicken with some of the mixture as well. Optional, use kitchen string to tie the drumsticks together.
- Roast in the 475 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Continue roasting until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees, about 1 hour, 15 minutes. Baste the chicken periodically for maximum moisture.
- Let chicken rest for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting and serving. Serve hot with Peruvian Dipping Sauce.
PERUVIAN GREEN DIPPING SAUCE
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Puree. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
NOTES
*If you don’t have aji Amarillo paste, you can substitute 1 whole pepperoncini instead or 1 habanero which have similar flavor profiles.
**For the cotija cheese, grated parmesan cheese is also an acceptable substitute.
ENJOY!