OK, so the weather is cold in Los Angeles, and today we even had – gasp – rain, but it’s June, so it’s summer, darn it. And summer means long twilit evenings, casual get-togethers with friends, copious cold white wine, eating al fresco, and meals that are fuss-free and delicious.
This Peruvian chicken is perfect for one of these long summer evenings. It can be prepared entirely in advance, served hot or cold or somewhere in between, and it appeals to even fussy eaters, although the chicken and both sauces have a slight kick from the heat of chilies and pepper. There’s enough flavor here that it stands up well to any starchy side dishes you want to throw at it (potato salad, corn, french fries) and the recipe is easily scaled up to serve a larger crowd. And the two sauces add to the party feel, with their bright colors, zesty flavors and variety.
Really, it’s pretty great chicken for those long sunlit evenings sitting on the terrace, or those cold dark ones curled up and listening to the sound of rain. Because if the trappings of summer aren’t meeting your expectations, at least the food can.
- 4 lbs chicken parts, with bone and skin (I used thighs and breasts, and cut the split breasts in half to make all the pieces roughly the same size).
- 1 tsp peppercorns
- 1 T thyme
- 1 T cumin
- ½ tsp. smoked paprika
- 2 T granulated garlic
- 1 T coriander
- 2 T salt
- 6 T orange juice
- 1.5 T soy sauce
- 2 T olive oil
- 2 T cider vinegar
- To make the chicken:
- Grind peppercorns and thyme in spice grinder. Combine with other spices. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken pieces, making sure to cover all surfaces and rub under the skin.
- Combine all ingredients for the marinade, add the spice rubbed chicken pieces, cover and let sit, refrigerated, at least overnight.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken pieces in baking dishes. Bake at 425 for 45 minutes.
- 3 manzana chiles -- deseeded
- 1 c. mayonnaise
- 3 T sugar
- 4 cloves garlic
- salt to taste
- Boil chilies 5 minutes in boiling water.
- In a food processor, combine chilies and remaining ingredients. Process until smooth. (These are HOT chilies, and the boiling and pureeing may create quite a throat clogging fug in your kitchen. Just warning you you may want to open some windows).
- ¾ c. cilantro leaves
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 oz. feta or cotija cheese
- 2 T. red wine vinegar
- ¼ c. olive oil
- 2 jalapenos, deseeded
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
I can’t even believe how amazingly delicious this looks!
This looks great! I have been looking for a pervuian yellow sauce like they serve in our local restaurants. This looks like it might be a bit spicier but I can’t wait to try it.
This recipe looks great! I’d like to try it this weekend. Are all the spices in the dried and ground form (coriander, cumin, thyme) or are some fresh (thyme)?
Thanks!
Chris,
Here I used all dried spices. You could use fresh thyme, but I actually quite like dried thyme, and I think the dried is easier to use when you’re making a rub.
I made this and it came out great! The green sauce was spot on and the spices and marinade for the chicken were perfect. I didn’t bother with the yellow sauce because I couldn’t find manzana chiles anywhere. Are there any other chiles you’d recommend that are similar?
Chris, if you can’t find manna chilies, use Aji Amarillo. Go to your local international grocery store, go to the Peruvian section, it’s in a jar by “inca food” or “doña Isabel” they have both pureed and “pickled” version which is in water. Or if you’re lucky, they might have them in the freezer section, also by inca food. Good luck!
hello i was wondering if you had the ingredients for the yellow peruvian sauce?
Just picture of the cooked chicken alone makes my mouth water! It would be a great party food!
however, I always try to avoid using oven during hot summer days (espcially when my house is crowded with guests). You think we can grill the chicken instead?
I tried this recipe and it turned out great. The only problem is i cant seem to find any Manzana Chiles. There are not many latin markets near here so i have to work with what i have. I was going to try substituting 1 Habanero for the 3 Manzana chiles but I’m not sure if this will ruin the flavor or end up being to hot. Let me know your thoughts because i am not quite a chile aficionado but i absolutely love the recipe! 5 Stars!
it didnt let me put more then three stars for some reason i meant to put 5
Adam – If you can find actual Peruvian Aji Amarillo that would be great. I think Habanero would be too hot for my family, but you might like the heat! I think Jalapenos would be nice, too, or Yellow wax peppers, but they would change the flavor.