Peruvian Chicken Recipe Pollo A La Brasa

PERUVIAN ROAST CHICKEN (POLLO A LA BRASA)

Steps:

• Marinade: In a bowl, mix together ground bean paste and aji amarillo paste. Add chicken stock, cumin, and sunflower oil. Peel garlic cloves, then use a Microplane to grate the garlic into the marinade. Finely chop oregano and add it to the marinade. Stir to combine all of the ingredients.
• Marinate chicken: Place chicken on a rimmed baking sheet fitted with a rack. Spoon marinade onto chicken, liberally covering all surfaces of the bird, including the cavity. Carefully place a heaping tablespoon of the marinade under the skin of each breast. Marinate, covered or uncovered, in the refrigerator, at least overnight and up to 24 hours. (Note: You'll have enough marinade for 2 chickens. Store leftover marinade in a lidded container in the refrigerator up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.)
• Roast chicken, part 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, preferably convection. Meanwhile, remove chicken from the refrigerator and let rest at room temperature 20-30 minutes. Roast for 20-25 minutes. (Total roasting time will be 45-60 minutes, depending on oven and size of the bird.)
• Aji Verde, part 1: Roast poblano and jalapeño peppers by placing directly over the flame of a gas burner set to medium-high. Char on all sides. (Alternatively, peppers can be roasted on a grill or under a broiler in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until charred.) Place charred peppers in a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rest, 20-30 minutes. Steam will continue to cook the peppers and soften the skin for easy removal.
• Roast chicken, part 2: After the first 20-25 minutes, rotate the chicken 180 degrees and continue roasting, another 20-35 minutes. Check temperature: A thermometer placed in the thickest part of the thigh, not touching the bone, should register 160 degrees F. (Temperature will continue to rise after removing chicken from oven.) If necessary, continue roasting and rotating the pan, 10 minutes at a time, until temperature reaches 160 F. Then remove from oven and let rest, 20 minutes.
• Aji Verde, part 2: After the peppers have rested, remove plastic wrap. Under running water, use your fingers to gently remove charred skin, stems and seeds. Dry peppers between layers of paper towels and set aside. Remove cilantro leaves and set aside, discarding the stems. Place peppers into a blender, followed by cilantro, vinegar, and egg yolk. Starting the blender at low speed, gradually raise it to medium-high to combine, 10 seconds. With motor on, slowly drizzle in half of the oil to begin emulsifying the sauce. Turn off blender, scrape down the sides, and salt to taste. Turn on blender and continue drizzling in the remaining oil. Pour into a serving bowl and set aside.
• Carve chicken: As you carve, try to keep the skin intact for maximum flavor distribution. First, cut away the thigh and leg in one piece; then separate the thigh from the leg. Repeat on other side. Cut down the center breastbone to remove the breast meat from the bone; cut the breasts in half crosswise. Remove the wings. Arrange chicken on a serving platter and serve with Aji Verde on the side.

POLLO A LA BRASA (PERUVIAN ROTISSERIE CHICKEN)

Steps:

• On the night before roasting, add dry ground ingredients to bowl
• Combine all the ingredients for the marinade (vinegar, soy sauce, vegetable oil, black beer, ground ají panca chilli pepper, garlic, coarse salt, pepper and cumin) in a large bowl and mix well.
• Place the chicken in a large baking tray or bowl, pour the marinade over it, ensuring it covers all of the parts of the chicken, and leave in the fridge overnight to marinate.
• (Day of roasting) Take the chicken out of the fridge, spread the marinade over the chicken one last time and place into a baking pan, adding 1 inch of water to the bottom of the pan in order to avoid the chicken drying out. Pre-heat the oven at 390°F (200 °C) for 10 minutes and place the tray with the chicken in the middle of the oven. Bake for 2 hours or until cooked, ensuring the chicken is cooked inside (check with a skewer) and the skin is nicely roasted and crispy.
• About 30 minutes before the chicken is ready to come out of the oven, fry the potatoes in plenty of vegetable oil until golden brown. Place on some kitchen towel in a strainer on a plate to absorb any excess oil. Add salt to taste.
• Place the lettuce, tomato and cucumber and toss with your salad dressing of choice.
• When the chicken is ready, cut into individual pieces (usually quartered) and serve with the French fries, salad, and dipping sauces.
• Enjoy your Peruvian classic roast dinner!

POLLO A LA BRASA (PERUVIAN ROAST CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Combine all the marinade ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
• Loosen the skin on the chicken and rub some marinade under the skin. Place the chicken or chicken pieces in a large ziplock bag and pour the marinade over. Swish around to even coat the pieces. Marinate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
• If using a convection oven (that's what I use for crispier skin): Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F and roast the chicken for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F and roast the chicken for another 15-20 minutes or until the internal temp reads 165 degrees F.If using a conventional oven: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and roast the chicken pieces on the middle rack of the oven until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 160 degrees F, about an 45 minutes. If the skin begins to brown too much, move the roasting pan to the bottom rack. You can also reduce the oven temperature.Remove the chicken from the oven. It is recommended that you tent the chicken with foil for 10-15 minutes before serving. If using a whole chicken, cut the chicken into serving pieces.
• Serve the chicken with our homemade Aji Verde Sauce. Traditional sides include thickly cut French fries and a leafy green salad.

PERUVIAN GRILLED CHICKEN (POLLO A LA BRASA)

Steps:

• Marinate chicken:
• Blend soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, cumin, paprika, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and oil in a blender.
• Put chicken in a large sealable bag and add marinade. Seal bag and marinate, chilled, 8 to 24 hours.
• Grill chicken:
• If using a charcoal grill, open vents on bottom and lid of grill. Light a large chimney starter full of charcoal (preferably hardwood). When coals are lit, dump them out along opposite sides of bottom rack, leaving a space free of coals (the size of the quartered chicken) in middle. When you can hold your hand 5 inches above the grill rack directly over coals for 3 to 4 seconds, coals will be medium-hot.
• If using a gas grill, preheat all burners on high, then reduce heat to medium-high.
• Discard marinade, then pat chicken dry. Oil grill rack, then grill chicken over area with no coals (or over a turned-off burner), skin side down first, covered, turning over once, until cooked through, 30 to 35 minutes (add charcoal to maintain heat).

POLLO A LA BRASA (PERUVIAN GRILLED CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Blend soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, cumin, paprika, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and oil in a blender.
• Put chicken in a large sealable bag and add marinade. Seal bag and marinate, chilled, 8 to 24 hours. Turn occasionally to assure even marinating.
• Prepare grill for medium-high heat.
• Discard marinade, then pat chicken dry. Oil grill rack.
• Grill chicken over area with no coals (or over a turned-off burner), skin side down first, covered, turning over once, until cooked through, about 30 to 35 minutes (add charcoal to maintain heat).
• Garnish with lime wedges.
• (IF OVEN ROASTING - Preheat oven to 500°F, and roast chicken for 30 minutes in a 13x9-inch roasting pan with 1 cup water. After 30 minutes of roasting time, tent with foil and continue roasting until browned and cooked through, or about 15 minutes longer.).