By Becky Hardin
Published Feb 21, 2020
I’ve never been to Peru, but when I heard about Peruvian Chicken with Green Sauce, I knew I had to try it! I love anything spicy, and this aji verde green sauce was calling my name. This roasted Peruvian chicken recipe delivers a delicious, juicy Peruvian-style roast chicken with a spicy and utterly addictive green sauce! My whole family loves this roasted chicken dish.
What’s in This Peruvian Chicken with Green Sauce Recipe?
Also called Pollo a la Brasa, whole roasted Peruvian chicken is bathed in olive oil, lime juice, garlic, and spices, and then oven-roasted until it’s succulent with crispy skin. The green sauce, or aji verde gets its vibrant color from cilantro and jalapeño peppers… it’s so good. A mix of spicy, creamy, and downright addictive!
- Garlic: Creates a savory base of flavor for the marinade.
- Jalapeno: Adds a bit of heat to the marinade.
- Spices: Ground cumin, chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes, and smoked paprika round out the flavor of the marinade, adding extra heat, warmth, and smokiness.
- Sugar: Dark brown sugar adds sweetness to balance out the spicy and savory flavors of the marinade.
- Oil: Olive oil is my favorite to emulsify the marinade, but any kind of oil will work.
- Soy Sauce: Low-sodium soy sauce enhances the umami flavor of the marinade.
- Lime: Fresh juice and zest add brightness and acidity to the marinade.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger adds a fresh and peppery flavor to the marinade.
- Chicken: When shopping for a whole chicken, you may come across different labels on the chicken – ‘broilers’, ‘roasters’, and ‘fryers’. For this recipe, we’re using a 4-pound chicken, so grab a ‘fryer’, it’ll do perfectly!
- Green Sauce : This spicy, creamy aji verde sauce is made from jalapeno peppers, aji amarillo paste , cilantro, basil, Parmesan cheese, ginger, honey, garlic, lime juice, oil, mayonnaise , and salt and pepper.
How to Store and Reheat
Store leftover Peruvian chicken with green sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
How to Freeze
I recommend carving up the chicken before freezing it in individual portions for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this Peruvian chicken recipe with rice, or even with fried yuca. A great idea is to pan-fry a couple of sweet plantains, which are delicious dipped in the tart green sauce!
Frying plantains couldn’t be simpler too. Peel them, cut them into rounds and pan fry them over medium-high heat in a little vegetable oil until they’re soft and deep golden brown on both sides. Sprinkle them with a little kosher salt – done!
Notes from the Test Kitchen
Make sure to wash your hands after handling the jalapenos, and avoid touching your eyes and other sensitive parts! Trust me, you don’t want to make that mistake even once!
5-Star Review
“This is a home run – the recipe and the roasting technique. Thank a lot for sharing!” -Chris
Ingredients1x2x3x
For the Marinade
- ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
- ▢ 1 jalapeno pepper ribs and seeds removed, diced
- ▢ 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ▢ 2 teaspoons chili powder I prefer Penzey’s Chili 3000 or 9000
- ▢ ¼-½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ▢ 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ▢ ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ▢ 1½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- ▢ 2 teaspoons lime zest (from 1 lime)
- ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
- ▢ 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
For the Roast Chicken
- ▢ 1 (4-pound) whole chicken
- ▢ Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ▢ Peruvian Green Sauce for serving (click for recipe)
Instructions
For the Marinade
- Whisk all marinade ingredients together in a medium bowl. 3 cloves garlic, 1 jalapeno pepper, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons chili powder, ¼-½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 2 teaspoons lime zest, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- Pour ¼ of the marinade into a smaller dish (you’ll use this to brush the chicken).
- Divide the remaining marinade into 2 smaller dishes and reserve one dish for basting the chicken during cooking and another to serve alongside the cooked chicken.
- Keep the marinade refrigerated in airtight, glass containers until ready to use.
For the Roast Chicken
- Line a medium, rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a metal rack over the baking sheet. Cover the metal rack with foil and spray the foil with nonstick spray. (Alternately, a well-seasoned and oiled cast iron skillet can be used for roasting the chicken.)
- Remove the giblets and any excess fat or skin and leftover pin feathers from the chicken. Use paper towels to pat the entire chicken dry and set the chicken on the prepared baking sheet. 1 (4-pound) whole chicken
- Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken, truss the chicken, then salt and pepper the outside of the chicken. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Brush the chicken with ¼ of the marinade.
- Refrigerate the chicken 8-48 hours, uncovered, until ready to cook.
- When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking and heat oven to 450°F.
- Turn the chicken, breast side down, onto the wire rack and set the chicken in the oven (middle rack).
- Cook the bird 30 minutes then turn it breast-side up.
- Cook an additional 30 minutes. (If the chicken is getting too brown, cover it with a piece of foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray. (Don’t wrap the foil around the chicken – just set the foil on top of the chicken.)
- Turn off the oven, baste the chicken with reserved marinade, and set the chicken back in the oven. Replace the foil and leave the chicken 10-15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the thighs registers 175°F-180°F.
- Transfer the chicken to a cooling rack and tent with foil. Allow it to rest 15 minutes before serving.
To Serve
- Carve the chicken and place on a serving tray. Drizzle reserved marinade and Peruvian Green Sauce over the chicken and serve. Peruvian Green Sauce
- Serve any extra green sauce and marinade in bowls alongside the chicken and cooked white rice.
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
Becky’s Tips
- It is best to prepare the chicken, marinade, and green sauce 1-2 days ahead of cooking/serving.
- Nutritional information does not include the green sauce. Click on the green sauce recipe to view nutritional information.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More Chicken Recipes To Try
- Baked Chicken Tacos
- Baked Chicken Wings
- Oven Fried Chicken Breast
- Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
- Caesar Chicken
- … Browse All Our Chicken Recipes !
Peruvian Chicken with Green Sauce
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper ribs and seeds removed, diced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder I prefer Penzey’s Chili 3000 or 9000
- ¼-½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons lime zest (from 1 lime)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
For the Roast Chicken
- 1 (4-pound) whole chicken
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Peruvian Green Sauce for serving (click for recipe)
Instructions
For the Marinade
- Whisk all marinade ingredients together in a medium bowl. 3 cloves garlic, 1 jalapeno pepper, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons chili powder, ¼-½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 2 teaspoons lime zest, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- Pour ¼ of the marinade into a smaller dish (you’ll use this to brush the chicken).
- Divide the remaining marinade into 2 smaller dishes and reserve one dish for basting the chicken during cooking and another to serve alongside the cooked chicken.
- Keep the marinade refrigerated in airtight, glass containers until ready to use.
For the Roast Chicken
- Line a medium, rimmed baking sheet with foil and set a metal rack over the baking sheet. Cover the metal rack with foil and spray the foil with nonstick spray. (Alternately, a well-seasoned and oiled cast iron skillet can be used for roasting the chicken.)
- Remove the giblets and any excess fat or skin and leftover pin feathers from the chicken. Use paper towels to pat the entire chicken dry and set the chicken on the prepared baking sheet. 1 (4-pound) whole chicken
- Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken, truss the chicken, then salt and pepper the outside of the chicken. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Brush the chicken with ¼ of the marinade.
- Refrigerate the chicken 8-48 hours, uncovered, until ready to cook.
- When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking and heat oven to 450°F.
- Turn the chicken, breast side down, onto the wire rack and set the chicken in the oven (middle rack).
- Cook the bird 30 minutes then turn it breast-side up.
- Cook an additional 30 minutes. (If the chicken is getting too brown, cover it with a piece of foil that has been sprayed with cooking spray. (Don’t wrap the foil around the chicken – just set the foil on top of the chicken.)
- Turn off the oven, baste the chicken with reserved marinade, and set the chicken back in the oven. Replace the foil and leave the chicken 10-15 minutes or until the internal temperature of the thighs registers 175°F-180°F.
- Transfer the chicken to a cooling rack and tent with foil. Allow it to rest 15 minutes before serving.
To Serve
- Carve the chicken and place on a serving tray. Drizzle reserved marinade and Peruvian Green Sauce over the chicken and serve. Peruvian Green Sauce
- Serve any extra green sauce and marinade in bowls alongside the chicken and cooked white rice.
Notes
- It is best to prepare the chicken, marinade, and green sauce 1-2 days ahead of cooking/serving.
- Nutritional information does not include the green sauce. Click on the green sauce recipe to view nutritional information.
Nutrition
By Becky Hardin
Published Jul 12, 2017
This Essential Grocery List is an absolute life saver for my family on the busy weeks. When I started this journey to learn how to cook, I quickly realized that the first step in cooking is having staple ingredients on hand. I want to avoid having to run out to the grocery store every single time I prepare a new recipe. Having a well-stocked pantry has made my life in the kitchen so much simpler, because when it’s time to cook, I have what I need.
Essential Grocery List
It’s so helpful to have a basic grocery list to help me remember which foods to buy at the store. This food shopping list is my go-to!
It’s better to stock up on things like grains, seasonings and spices, baking essentials, oils, condiments, canned and frozen foods, etc. so I can just grab them when I need them. These things have a long shelf life , so I keep them in my kitchen for convenience.
However, I do have to go to the supermarket sometimes, and there’s a way to make that trip easy and hassle-free: I keep a grocery list! If I go in blindly, I’ll leave with things I don’t need, and nothing that actually helps me prepare a good meal.
In the list below, I’ve compiled everything I always have on my stock-up grocery list.
I’ve got you covered! I created an easy grocery list filled with all of the essentials. Plus there’s a free printable version that you can take with you to the grocery store. It has everything you need to stock your pantry, your freezer, and your refrigerator.
Click to get my Free Printable Grocery List
What to Buy at the Grocery Store
This is the perfect grocery list filled with all the basics and essentials. It should help get you going if you’re new to cooking, or if you’re just left staring helplessly at an empty pantry and don’t know how to fill it.
When I first started cooking, things could seem overwhelming. I quickly realized that they more prepared I could be, the more confident I felt. If you already have the basics in your kitchen, then you can shop stress-free.
So print out our easy grocery list, stock up your pantry and fridge, and you’ll be cooking in no time!
Click to get my Free Printable Grocery List for the perfectly stocked pantry and freezer!
Fresh Produce
- Apples
- Bananas
- Strawberries
- Avocados
- Bell Peppers
- Carrots
- Broccoli
- Garlic
- Lemons/Limes
- Onion
- Parsley
- Cilantro
- Basil
- Potatoes
- Spinach
- Tomatoes
GRAINS
- Breadcrumbs
- Pasta
- Quinoa
- Rice
- Sandwich Bread
- Tortillas
MEAT/PROTEIN
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Ground Beef
- Sliced Turkey
- Lunch Meat
DAIRY
- Butter
- Sliced Cheese
- Shredded Cheese
- Milk
- Sour Cream
- Greek Yogurt
BAKING GOODS
- Baking powder
- Baking Soda
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Flour
- Honey
- Vanilla Extract
- Dry Yeast
- Chocolate Chips
- Cocoa Powder
- Powdered Sugar
FREEZER
- Fruit and Berries
- Frozen Veggies (Corn, Peas, Broccoli, etc)
- Juice Concentrate
- Pizza or Other Convenience Meals
- Pie Crust
- Cookie Dough
CANNED/DRIED GOODS
- Chicken stock/broth
- Salsa
- Diced Tomatoes
- Jam/Jelly
- Peanut Butter
- Pasta Sauce
- Beans (Black Beans, Chickpeas, Baked Beans, etc)
- Soups
- Tuna
- Green Chiles
- Canned Veggies
- Coffee or Tea
Get more details on the best non-perishable and pantry foods
CONDIMENTS/SPICES
- Black Pepper
- Chili Powder
- Cinnamon
- Crushed Red Pepper
- Cumin
- Garlic Powder
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Mayo
- Nutmeg
- Paprika
- Salt (Course Sea Salt and Kosher Salt)
- Soy Sauce
- Steak Sauce
- Hot Sauce/ Buffalo Sauce
- Salad Dressings
OILS/VINEGARS
- Apple cider vinegar
- Balsamic vinegar
- Coconut Oil
- Olive Oil
- Vegetable/Canola Oil
- Red Wine Vinegar
- White Vinegar
- Cooking Wine
- White Wine Vinegar
SNACKS
- Crackers
- Nuts
- Quick Oats
- Popcorn
- Tortilla Chips
- Cereal
Click to get my Free Printable Grocery List for the perfectly stocked pantry and freezer!
Click ☝🏻 for my FREE Grocery List Printable!
I hope this essential grocery list can help you buy what you need and make your home cooking so much easier!
Stock Your Kitchen
Find more ideas for your grocery list, stock up your kitchen, and print more cooking guides and charts to keep handy!
Non-Perishable Foods to Stock Up On
Frozen Vegetables to Stock Up On (and Recipes to Make)
Ultimate List of Cooking Herbs for Your Kitchen
Ultimate List of Cooking Spices for Your Kitchen
Cooking Oil 101: Types of Cooking Oils to Use
26 Types of Pasta and When to Use Them
What Fruits and Vegetables are in Season?
Meat Temperature Chart (Free Printable)
How to Meal Prep (Guide for Beginners)
Basic Cooking Measurements & Kitchen Conversion Chart
