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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I follow recipes exactly and I didn’t deviate with this one. The chicken and green sauce came out Wonderfully. It was a hit with everyone and the recipe was asked for numerous times. Instead of the oven, we cooked the chicken on the grill and it was amazing. Will definitely make this again!
I followed the recipe for the chicken to the T and it came out delicious! The only thing I did different was cook the chicken in the air fryer. It came out so juicy anf full of flavor! I used the chicken to make arroz Chaufa. The green sauce I used half of the mayo because my boyfriend doesn’t like it, and I used 1 bunch of cilantro. Everything was super yummy and will definitely nake it again.
I made the roast chicken and green sauce for dinner tonite. It’s going into the family favourite list. Such a simple and delicious recipe. Thank you.
Amazing! The Green Sauce is so good.
Hi Jenn, We love this recipe and would like to try it on the BBQ. We’d like to rotisserie BBQ a few chickens on a gas BBQ. Any ideas, re: grilling time, BBQ temp etc would be appreciated. Thanks.
Hi Catherine, I think it would work beautifully, but I’m not quite sure how it it will impact the cooking time. If you google it, it looks like there are a number of videos that may be able to provide you some guidance. Sorry I can’t be more helpful – I’d love to hear how it turns out though! 🙂
I made and reviewed this recipe already, but last night, after marinating chicken legs and thighs all day, we cooked it on the barbecue. I’m sorry I didn’t pay attention to the time. Again, this recipe was AMAZING. The green sauce too. Everyone loved both. I do think I doubled the paprika though. 🙂
Hi Catherine V. I know this is late, but we regularly make this recipe on our Traeger. We cook the chicken at 375 for about an hour and a half and it always comes out fantastic. Love this recipe!
This was amazing! I always buy 3.75-4lb chickens, leave it out at room temp for an hour, roast at 400 F in a convection oven for 60 minutes. It’s roasted perfectly and I never have to check it – stays moist! So simple even my babysitter can do it – easy to prep and leave in the roasting pan, in the fridge. Not being covered in the fridge helps the skin be crispy too. My husband loved the flavors and I loved the change from our simple roasted chicken. With no Jalapeño seeds added the sauce is flavorful but not spicy. Super addition to my weeknight rotation, thanks!
I have made this recipe several times with chicken wings. Very simple, guests love it. The green sauce is awesome.
Thanks for the website and your cookbook, Jenn. Love them both. Just hooked my daughter-in-law on both this weekend.
❤️
Insanely good… will become a staple for sure. And leftover green sauce is good on EVERYTHING! From tortilla scrambles to chicken sandwiches. Huge winner!
This was soooo good. I did add one step though – I used legs and thighs and not the entire bird. After marinating the chicken for about 6 hours, I browned the chicken pieces in butter, in a cast iron skillet. Then I baked the browned pieces in the oven. So, so good!
I’m almost at a loss for words. I had given up on roasted chicken because mine were never flavorful, crispy or sassy enough. Blah. When I saw this recipe, though, something told me I should give it a try and my family is so glad I did! We all absolutely loved the chicken and the adults loved the sauce. I am pretty sure my husband is going to brush his teeth with it tonight. I covered it with foil halfway through because it was getting too dark in places – it turned out just right. I am so thrilled to have this in my repertoire – already looking forward to sharing it with friends someday when we can all see each other again. I have to say that every recipe I have made from this site has been a bang-on winner, as-is. I also made the Mexican rice with the chicken and followed up with the AHMAZING strawberry shortcake for dinner. Thank you!
xoxo
So glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Could we freeze this green sauce?
I don’t think it would freeze well — sorry!