Peruvian Chicken (Pollo a la Brasa) with Peruvian Green Sauce (Aji Verde) and Avocado Tomato Cucumber Salad. Can be made in 40 minutes- perfect for weeknights! Vegan adaptable!
Row row row your boat, gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.~
Mildly spicy and citrusy Peruvian Chicken with Aji Verde Sauce is flavorful and juicy and paried with a simple Avocado-Cucumber- Tomato Salad. If you are a fast chopper and a multitasker, the whole meal can be made in about 45 minutes. Seriously!
To simplify this recipe, instead of roasting a whole chicken in the traditional way I used boneless, skinless breast and thighs and grilled them instead of firing up the oven- making the cooking process faster, cooler (during the summer months) and without the skin, a bit lighter and healthier.
For mixed households, vegans can substitute portobellos for the chicken using the same flavorful marinade- it’s very easy to grill up both the chicken and portobellos.
Peruvian Chicken (Pollo a la Brasa) Video
How to make Peruvian Chicken
Step one: Make the Marinade.
The quick and easy Peruvian Chicken marinade is made with olive oil, garlic, spices and lime juice.
Step two: Marinate the chicken thighs (or portobellos).
Marinate the Peruvian chicken while the grill heats up. Or marinate overnight for even more flavor!
Here I’m using boneless skinless chicken thighs, but breasts would work too, as well as bone-in, skin-on chicken. Keep in mind that boneless breasts cook the fastest and are the leanest, not including these portobello mushrooms.
For a vegan option, substitute Portobellos!
Portobellos can be sliced or grilled whole. Be sure to brush the marinade on lightly, because mushrooms are porous can actually soak up too much, if you are not careful.
Step three: Make the Aji Verde Sauce.
This Peruvian Green Sauce ( also called Aji Verde) truly makes the meal- so don’t skip this part! See recipe notes for a vegan version! Simply blend the ingredients together in the blender. So easy!
Step four: Grill.
Grill the chicken over medium heat until internal temp reaches 170F for thighs and 165 for Breasts. Grill optional portobellos until tender and juicy.
Step five: Make the Salad.
As the chicken thighs and portobellos grill, make the Avocado Tomato Cucumber salad.
Avocados and cucumber are diced, and cherry tomatoes are halved. Then it’s simply drizzled with olive oil, lime juice and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Very simple.
Step six: Serve!
Serve the Peruvian Grilled Chicken with the Aji Verde Sauce and the fresh Avocado Salad, either separately or in wide bowls. Add Cilantro rice for a heartier meal.
This Peruvian- style meal is such a great combination of flavors!
Pollo a la Brasa is one of my favorite recipes on the blog!
More recipes you may like:
- Peruvian Burritos with Aji Verde Sauce (Vegan!)
- Peruvian Green Sauce (Aji Verde) Vegan-Adaptable
- Peruvian Seafood Stew with Cilantro Broth
- Peruvian Minestrone Soup
- Peruvian Ceviche Recipe
- Our best 35 Grilling Recipes for Summer
Hope you like this Peruvian Chicken with Aji Verde Sauce as much as we do. Let us know in the comments below!
xoxo
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Peruvian Chicken ( Pollo a la Brasa) Recipe w/ Aji Verde
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Main, chicken recipe,
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: peruvian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
A simple recipe for Peruvian Chicken with spicy Peruvian Green Sauce is bursting with flavor and can be made with either chicken or portobellos (a tasty vegetarian option) or both for mixed households. Served with Spicy Cilantro Sauce, Avocado Cucumber & Tomato Salad and optional rice, these can be made into individual Bowls, or served separately.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ –2 pounds chicken (thigh or breast, boneless, skinless- see notes) Or substitute portobellos!
Marinade:
- 4 garlic cloves- finely minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 teaspoons honey, agave or sugar
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika or smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano ( or 1 tablespoon fresh) or sub thyme or marjoram
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce ( optional)
Peruvian Green Sauce (Aji Verde) :
- ½ cup sour cream or mayo (see notes for vegan option)
- ½ jalapeño (use less for less spicy)
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 cup chopped cilantro- thin stems ok.
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- a squeeze of lime ( 1 tablespoon, save other half for salad)
Avocado Cucumber Tomato Salad
- 2 cups diced or sliced English or Turkish cucumber
- 1–2 perfectly ripe avocados, diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes ( yellow and red are nice )
- cilantro leaves for garnishing
- olive oil for drizzling
- generous, 5 finger pinch kosher salt
- squeeze of lime
Optional Bowl Additions- cooked Cilantro Lime Rice or Mexican Pinto Beans…. or both.
Instructions
- Preheat grill to medium-high.
- If making rice, start this now on the stove.
- Make the marinade in a small bowl. Using a garlic press, finely mince the garlic and place it in the bowl. Add oil, lime juice, honey, cumin, paprika, coriander, oregano and salt and optional soy sauce. Stir. Toss it with the chicken in a bowl, coating all sides well, and/ or brush it onto the portobellos. Marinate while the grill heats up or overnight for more flavor. (The portobellos will soak up the marinade so if marinating overnight go lightly, reapply before grilling.)
- Make Peruvian Green Sauce by placing all the ingredients in a blender and blending until relatively smooth, scraping down the sides if necessary.
- When the grill is hot, grill the chicken and/ or portobellos, searing both sides well ( using a metal spatula to flip) then turn the heat down or move to a cooler side of the grill to allow the chicken to cook through. Portobellos will cook faster, so plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Make the salad by placing the diced cucumber in a wide shallow bowl. Add avocado, spacing it out evenly. Add a few cherry tomato halves. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Squeeze with lime juice. Garnish with cilantro leaves.
- Serve with the Cilantro Lime Rice. If making bowls, place ¾ cup rice on the bottom of the bowl, add sliced chicken or portobellos to one side, avocado salad on the other side and drizzle with the cilantro sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
Feel free to use bone-in, skin-on chicken, although cooking time will increase on the grill.
Instead of grilling you can also roast boneless, skinless thighs, in the oven at 400F for roughly 20 minutes (internal temp 165-170) or pan-sear ( bone-in, skin-on thighs) then finish in the oven. Traditionally, in Peru, a whole chicken is marinated then roasted in the oven, but to save time here, I used boneless, skinless thighs, and breast would work just as well.
A note on Peruvian Green Sauce ( Aji Verde): Mayo is traditional. I prefer sour cream, or a blend of sour cream and mayo.
***This can easily be made vegan by subbing vegan mayo, or instead of mayo, using 1/4 cup raw cashews and 1/4 cup water, with a tablespoon of lime juice and upping the salt to 1/2 teaspoon, blending in a high-powered blender. If your blender is not “high-powered” soak the cashews for 4 hours first, so they soften.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: -with chicken breast, one avocado and the green sauce
- Calories: 241
- Sugar: 2.1 g
- Sodium: 146.5 mg
- Fat: 17.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 8.5 g
- Fiber: 3.1 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 48.4 mg
Keywords: Peruvian Chicken, Pollo a la Brasa Recipe, Peruvian Chicken Recipe, Grilled peruvian chicken, Peruvian Green Sauce, peruvian green sauce recipe
A favourite that I make regularly and a go-to for when I have guests over. I typically double the marinade and do chicken thighs for meat eaters and sliced tofu steaks for veggies. For the green sauce, I sub a vegan plain yogurt (PC coconut plant based yogurt for fellow Canadians) instead of vegan mayo/sour cream which I find too salty.
Rave reviews from everyone I serve this to.
Thanks so much Peter!
Loved this recipe. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs – it came out great.
★★★★★
Awesome Maureen! Glad you enjoyed this!
Another winner chicken dinner!
★★★★★
Great to hear Joyce!
I’m serving this to a crowd. Could I prepare the green sauce two days ahead?
Yes, that would be fine!
Wow! My family said I am a chef and need to start a restaurant after this dinner. We loved it so much. I did martinet the chicken overnight and added a few drops of liquid smoke because I cooked it in a griddle instead of a grill. It was so fresh and summery . Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Hahaha! Love it Jamie! Glad you all liked it!
I’m a personal chef and just received this text from a client “ Peruvian chicken is THE best chicken I have ever eaten. WOW!!! ”
My clients love the recipes which I appreciate because I don’t have a lot of extra time to create new recipes. As a former restaurant chef and longtime personal chef I can say the recipes are the real deal!
★★★★★
So Glad they enjoyed this!
OMG I made the Peruvian chicken, aji sauce, cucumber salad, and cilantro lime rice last night and my goodness was it delicious!! I made the aji sauce in the morning and let the chicken marinate all day in the refrigerator. Next time I’ll add a few seeds from the jalapeño to spice up the aji sauce because we like a little heat. Everything else is perfect as is.
My husband loved this meal so much he said it needs to be on regular rotation. This recipe is perfect for everyday and worthy for company.
Thanks for yet another delicious recipe.
★★★★★
Thanks so much Julie!
I loved this recipe. There was such a depth of flavor. I baked this dish and poured the marinade over the chicken in the pan. The cooked down sauce was great poured over the chicken. When I heated up the left overs, I added dates, cut into 6 pieces. I really enjoyed the sweetness with the chicken and flavors. I think next time I will add the dates to the marinade.
Thanks for all your great recipes.
Sandy
Yum! Sounds tasty Sandy!
Hubby said it was like a trip to a restaurant. I made the whole meal, along with cilantro rice. No grill so we had the roasted chicken the first night and pan fried portobellos the second. Really great flavors. Thank you! Remaining green sauce is going on fish tomorrow night.
★★★★★
Great to hear Janet!
This meal was absolutely delicious!! Husband grilled the marinated chicken & I grilled the portobellos, both were so flavorful. The salad was crisp & fresh & a perfect accompaniment to the awesomely flavored rice. The Cilantro Verde sauce was the bomb!!! Thank you Sylvia!!
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed this!
Incredibly easy, healthy and fantastically delicious – In my repertoire forever.
★★★★★
Great to hear Chris!
Peruvian chicken was a huge hit. Ended up marinating it for two days. Made the cilantro lime rice with the aji and the avocado salad. Will make again often. Everyone loved it.
★★★★★
Great to hear! Thanks Dara!
I make this all the time. It’s a great way to make chicken really flavourful. It always goes down especially well when we have guests over for a bbq!
★★★★★
Great to hear Amanda!
Excellent recipe!!! My whole family loved this and my kids aren’t fond of mushrooms but loved the grilled portobellos with Peruvian sauce almost more than the chicken:))
★★★★★
Great to hear Eliz!
absolutely delish! Must try. the whole family loved it. I will have to try more of your recipes now 🙂
★★★★★
Great to hear!
Made for the first time – this will be a regular meal at our house! It was easy and delicious! I only had one English cucumber so I tossed some fresh asparagus tips into the salad. Added some nice crunch. Can’t wait to try some more of your summer grilling recipes! Thanks for sharing! I enjoy reading your blog!
★★★★★
Love it Jan!
This was so good! I will definitely be making this again.
★★★★★
Wonderful!
This marinade was an absolute hit with my husband. He said it is _the_ perfect chicken. I made it twice this week, it’s that good.
★★★★★
Great to hear! Thanks Elizabeth!
Amazing!! Didn’t change a thing. I used a mix of Mayo and sour cream 😋
★★★★★
Thanks Savanna!
Delicious recipe, but have leftover green sauce… how long will that keep in a mason jar in the fridge?
★★★★★
Up to 4 days.
Absolutely divine! We had it with oven chips, for speed, and did the chicken in the oven at the same time. Loved the sauce too.
Is there any chance you could include metric measurements with your recipes? Being British, using cups to measure ingredients is completely alien to me!
★★★★★
Hi Juliette- glad you enjoyed this- working on metrics!
Delicious recipe! My friends who never had Peruvian chicken ate it all clean!
I also made the cilantro rice, the salad, and the sauce. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Awesome Julianne!