Roasted Peruvian Chicken with Aji Verde (Green Sauce)

Photo Credit: Katie Senft

My friends and I recently went to a Peruvian restaurant where we were instantly obsessed with the delicious roasted chicken. Once we tried the chicken with the aji amarillo (yellow sauce) we could not get enough of the flavor. My friend found this recipe and we both loved that the ingredients are very easily found and the end result was a hit. She had made it first and sent me the recipe. I tried it the next week and as more than happy to have leftover. Adjust the spiciness to your preferences and you might be hooked too.

Recipe from The Gourmet Gourmand

For the Chicken:

1 whole chicken, quartered (or 2 breast pieces and 2 leg pieces, bone-in, skin on)

Juice of 2 limes

2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons white vinegar (I’ve used red wine vinegar too)

1 tablespoon salt

5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder or paprika

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

For the Potatoes:

1 lb fingerling potatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

For the Green Sauce (Aji Verde):

2 whole jalepenos, roughly chopped (include ribs and seeds for more heat)

1 medium clove garlic, roughly chopped

1 cup packed cilantro

Juice from 1/2 lime

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons grated cotija cheese (can substitute parmesan)

½ cup mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

Ideally, prepare the chicken marinade a day before you plan on cooking this dish. To do so, in the bowl of blender or food processor, combine the juice of 2 lines, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, garlic, sugar, cumin, chili powder (or paprika), smoked paprika and dried oregano. Blend until smooth. 

Place the chicken pieces in a baking dish, Ziploc bag or other container for the chicken to marinate in. Pour the marinade over the chicken. Make sure all the chicken is covered, getting the marinade between the chicken meat and skin. Marinate at least 6 hours, or overnight.

When you're ready to roast the chicken, preheat your oven to 425F/220C with one baking rack in the middle and one in the lower third of your oven. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Bake the chicken on the middle rack for 45 minutes until no longer pink.

In the meantime, prepare the potatoes by slicing them lengthwise. In a bowl toss the potatoes with the oil, salt and pepper. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and roast the potatoes for 25 minutes in the bottom third of the oven. Halfway through roasting the potatoes, stir the potatoes.

While the chicken and potatoes are roasting, prepare the aji verde. In the bowl of a blender or food processor, combine all of the aji verde ingredients until sooth, scraping down the sides as needed to ensure everything is incorporated. 

Serve the roasted chicken with the potatoes and aji verde. Enjoy!

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