peruvian chicken - pollo a la brasa

Just tried this out and it was delicious! I’ve never roasted a chicken before and had low expectations for how it was going to turn out given my lack of experience, but this was absolute perfection! I made it exactly as directed.

The aji verde sauce was also amazing, but I did modify it a bit. My dad is Peruvian so I grew up watching him make huancaina sauce. I don’t know if this is Peruvian tradition or just his tradition, but he always added some sort of cheese to his sauces. I did the same here. As written, I found the aji verde to be very tangy/acidic (I must have added too much lime) and the cheese helped reduce that. I used manchego, but would have also opted for feta or queso fresco if I had it on hand (which is what my dad has always used).

This is such an awesome recipe. I've made it so many times - the first time I went with the whole chicken, but lately have been using a 8-pack of bone-in thighs. I just put them all into a gallon plastic bag for 4-5 hours.

One thing though - I'm so happy you included the Optional portion to deglaze the pan because quite frankly that is the best part. It's never optional for me.

We also substituted Vegenaise (we had no mayo last time) and it worked great. Not intuitive as why on earth would you use a vegan substitute but I had no choice.

Thanks again for posting this. Such a wonderful recipe.

Sounds fab, we grow lemon aji chillies ... would they work in this recipe?

Just finished licking my plate after cooking this. Best. Chicken. Ever. I misread the recipe and left the chicken slathered in marinade in the fridge for 20 hours, but it still turned out amazing. Served it with a chayote gratin - double amazing. Will definitely make this again and again!

This is bringing me back to my time in Peru. That dipping sauce sounds just perfect.

Great write up. Thanks