Peruvian-Style Roast Chicken with Green Sauce
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Enjoy tender, juicy Peruvian-style roast chicken drizzled with a spicy and irresistibly good green sauce.
This is my take on Pollo a la Brasa, the delicious roast chicken made popular by so many Peruvian restaurants. The chicken is first marinated in olive oil, lime juice, garlic and spices, and then oven-roasted until tender, juicy and crisp-skinned. The accompanying green sauce, which gets its color from cilantro and jalapeño peppers, is spicy, creamy and downright delectable. You can put it on virtually everything, and it even doubles as a fabulous dip or salad dressing.
What you’ll need to make Peruvian-Style Roast Chicken
Before we get to the recipe, a few words on buying a whole chicken. In the poultry department, you’re likely to find birds labeled “broilers,” “roasters” and “fryers.” These labels are based on the weight of the bird, and are meant to suggest a method of cooking. This recipe calls for a four-pound chicken, which is typically considered a “fryer.” This might seem strange since we’re roasting but don’t worry about it — all of these chickens can be used in recipes interchangeably.
How to make Peruvian-Style Roast Chicken
Begin by making the marinade. Combine the lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar, paprika, cumin, and oregano in a blender or mini food processor.
Blend until smooth.
Using your fingers or a wooden spoon, loosen the skin over the breasts and legs of the chicken.
Spoon 2/3 of the marinade under the skin.
And rub the rest over top. Place the chicken in a bowl and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, and set the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan. I like to tuck the wings underneath the bird and tie the legs together so the bird holds its shape.
Roast the chicken for 20 minutes, until the skin is golden, and then turn the heat down to 375 degrees and roast for about an hour and ten minutes more. Let the chicken rest, covered with foil, for about 20 minutes before carving.
While the chicken marinates, make the green sauce (recipe adapted from the Serious Eats Food Lab by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt).
Simply combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, cilantro, jalapeños, garlic, lime juice salt and pepper in a blender or food processor.
And process until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil. It will seem thin at first but, don’t worry, it will thicken up as it sits.
Keep in mind that the heat in the sauce comes from the ribs and seeds in the jalapeño peppers. I use about half of the seeds and ribs for a medium-hot sauce. If you’re worried about the heat, you can always leave them out at first and then blend them in to taste. (Also, be sure to wash your hands well after handling hot peppers, and do not touch your eyes while working with them.)
Transfer the sauce to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish the sauce with a sprig cilantro, if desired, and serve with the roasted chicken.
Note: The green sauce in this recipe is adapted from one of my favorite columns, the Serious Eats Food Lab by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt.
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Peruvian-Style Roast Chicken with Green Sauce
Enjoy tender, juicy Peruvian-style roast chicken drizzled with a spicy and irresistibly good green sauce.
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup lime juice, from 2 limes
- 4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 4 pound whole chicken
For the Green Sauce
- 3 jalapeño chili peppers, seeded if desired (I use about half the seeds for a medium-hot sauce), and roughly chopped (see note)
- 1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- ½ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, from one lime
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
For the Chicken
- Combine all of the ingredients except the chicken in a blender or mini food processor, and blend until smooth. Remove the giblets from the inside of the chicken and pat the outside of the chicken dry with paper towels; place in a bowl, breast side up with the legs facing you. Using the handle of a wooden spoon or your fingers, loosen the skin from the flesh over the breasts and legs, being careful not to tear the skin or push all the way through (you want the marinade to stay inside the bird). Spoon about ⅔ of the marinade evenly underneath the skin, and spread the remaining ⅓ evenly over the skin. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position, and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil for easy clean-up. Spray a rack (preferably a v-shape) with non-stick cooking spray and place the chicken on top. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Roast for 20 minutes, until the skin is golden. Turn the heat down to 375 degrees, and continue to roast for about an hour and ten minutes more, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and thigh. (Keep an eye on it -- if it's browning too quickly, cover it loosely with foil.) Tent the chicken with foil and let rest for about 20 minutes. Tilt the chicken over the roasting pan to release the juices, then transfer to a cutting board. Carve the chicken and serve with green sauce.
For the Green Sauce
- Combine all of the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender or food processor and blend into a smooth sauce. With the motor running, open lid and slowly drizzle in olive oil. It will seem very runny at this point but, don't worry, it will thicken up as it sits. Transfer the sauce to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Note: Be sure to wash your hands well after handling hot peppers, and do not touch your eyes while working with them.
- Note: The nutritional information does not include the green sauce.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 614
- Fat: 43 g
- Saturated fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 49 g
- Sodium: 694 mg
- Cholesterol: 340 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Truly outstanding recipe!
Also great to prep ahead. I get 4 pounds skinless boneless thighs, cut them up and marinate them over night and freeze in separate baggies. Defrost, and on the grill with Mesquite wood.
The sauce freezes beautifully! Make a nice size batch, freeze in small plastic containers.
With some roasted sweet potato wedges, and putting the chicken on the barbie, a fabulous dinner comes together with no fuss, and almost no cleanup.
Would give this recipe 10 stars if I could!
(And who say’s I can’t???)
Hi, I have made this recipe several times and it’s ALWAYS a big hit. I made it for my Peruvian friend and she told me it made her feel like she was home again! I would like to make this for someone who is allergic to soy and cannot eat mayonnaise. Do you think subbing Greek yogurt in the green sauce would work?
Glad you like it, Tanya! The mayo helps to round out the flavor in the sauce and counteracts the tanginess of the sour cream. That said, I think you could get away with subbing Greek yogurt for it. You want to cut back on the lime juice a bit though, as that adds additional tang. Hope that helps!
Replace the mayonnaise with an avocado, you will love it!
We have made this once and are obsessed! Best way to cook a whole chicken. It doesn’t even need the green sauce, but it is amazing, so we poured it on roasted veggies, etc! LOVE this recipe!!!!!!
Ok Jen, you hit this chicken recipe out the park. My family is so sick of chicken so like you I’m trying different recipes. Anywho, I’ve tried the green sauce before from one of your other recipes, I LOVE it but my picky 14 year old son doesn’t care for it so I had a brainstorm. I doubled the ingredients for the marinade and when dinner was served I told my picky eater to use it on the chicken as a sauce. It worked he loved it. I didn’t tell him it was marinade remember it’s “sauce”. 🤗 Thanks Jen I look forward to trying out more and more of your recipes. Keep Me Cookin’ 😜
I would love to try this recipe. Only problem is that I do not like very spicy food and I am afraid the jalapenos will be too spicy for my taste. I also noted in an earlier review that I can substitute Italian parsley for cilantro. Are there any modifications that I can make regarding the jalapenos?
Hi Carole, you can omit the jalapeños if you choose to (or just use less if you’re concerned about the sauce being spicy). Hope you enjoy!
I love this chicken. It is so juicy. I use the green sauce on everything – it is so delicious. Can I marinate my chicken and then cook it over a beer can or do you think I should use your tequila lime chicken marinade on a whole chicken and cook it over a beer can. Looking for a juicy, tasty, beer can chicken. Thanks, Patti
PS You are the best chef around!
I’d definitely use this marinade, Patti. I’d love to know how it turns out!
Made this last week and it’s fantastic! I also made a side of Yucca Fries to go with it. We dipped the fries in the green sauce which is the bomb. Going to make it on the grill for the 4th of July bbq using my vertical chicken stand. And a double batch of sauce.
This is absolutely the best meal I have made in a long time. My husband and I could not stop eating this – especially the sauce. I made the recipe exactly as written. It is so delicious. Can’t wait to serve it next time my family is here for a visit!
Summer grilling is a perfect time to make this recipe. I’ve also made it in the oven in cooler months. The chicken marinade is tasty and the green sauce notches it up. Plus, the sauce tastes great on sides and salads, too.
Delicious