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
- 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.
Keywords: Peruvian Chicken, Pollo a la Brasa Recipe, Peruvian Chicken Recipe, Grilled peruvian chicken, Peruvian Green Sauce, peruvian green sauce recipe
Super flavorful and moist chicken. Made the whole meal with salad, rice, and pinto beans. Perfect for a weeks worth of meal prep.
★★★★★
Awesome Caitlin- glad you enjoyed it!
This was so delicious!! We ended up marinating overnight (not the plan) and it was amazing-thanks for a great recipe!
★★★★★
Thanks Megan- glad you liked it!
OMG what an amazing recipe.Actually all of your recipes are amazing but this one was especially amazing,
Thank you very much.
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Thanks so much Marylou!
Marinated some lamb loin chops with this marinade and they were delicious iI highly recommend this.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Laura!
Fantastic meal, made the chicken, green sauce, avocado tomato and cucumber salad and the lime cilantro rice. All of it was delicious and these will be go-to recipes from now on. Chicken was skewered and cooked over the coals in the backyard.
★★★★★
Perfect Laura and I’m so glad you enjoyed this!
This was so amazing! I marinated the chicken a day in advance and then served with some air fryer fries to round it out (the salsa de aji verde makes a very good dipping sauce for those as well) – this is going into dinner rotation for sure!!
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Glad you liked it, Christine!
delicious! The salad and the chicken were really lovely. Didnt have the sauce ingredients so skipped that, but will try in future. I use a Ninja Foodi Grill and it was superb, really easy to cook this recipe. Love your site and plan on making many recipes as they all look phenomenal,, thank you
★★★★★
Thanks Kathryn- yes, the sauce is everything here, so I hope you try it sometime!
How long do you leave it in the oven for at 400? And will I have to flip chicken over if using oven?
For boneless thighs, start at 20 minutes, add more time until internal temp reaches 165-170F. You don’t need to flip.
I’ve made this recipe twice now for guests, and it’s always a hit! It’s so of flavor and delicious.
★★★★★
Thank you so much for this recipe ! This is so gooood with the sauce and the rice. Wow !
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Awesome Annick!
This Peruvian chicken recipe is absolutely to die for! Tasty, moist and totally delicious. Thank you! With the simple salad and even corn instead of rice in this summer season It is such a great recipe to use for any occasion. Loved it!
★★★★★
thanks!
First, I’ve only reviewed a handful of recipes online and I’ve been cooking since long before the dawn of the internet! But I had to post because this is recipe is incredible. I used split chicken breasts (bone-in, skin on) and marinated for 2 days to ensure juiciness (I don’t eat the skin, but you do you). I subbed fat-free Greek yogurt in the sauce, which is so tasty you won’t miss the fat, if that’s a consideration for you.Have sent the recipe to all my foodie friends.
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Great to hear Anne and thanks for sharing!
I enjoyed making this and eating it so much. 10/10 great recipe
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Glad you liked it Sammie!
This recipe is tremendous! It’s delicious, easy to make, and doesn’t take a great deal of time. Also–healthy! Quick, easy, healthy and tasty–isn’t this the perfect paradigm?! The sauce takes boring grilled chicken to a new level. This recipe has become part of the repertoire in our household. Pro tip: depending on how spicy your jalapeno is, you can add more greek yogurt as needed.
On another note, Sylvia, my husband and I adore your blog! Your sourdough starter recipe is so detailed it makes it easy to troubleshoot. Thank you for sharing your expertise! It’s much appreciated 🙂
★★★★★
Thanks so much Megan- glad you both enjoyed!
So f-ing awesome!!!!!! Definitely my new favorite recipe👍👍👍👍
★★★★★
Awesome Kelly!
Hi Sylvia,
I stumbled onto your website and now it’s in my favorites! Made this recipe last night, marinated it for 24 hrs and WOW! We loved it!
I will be trying some of your other favs. No more same ol’ same ol’!!!
Thanks for sharing,
Ali
★★★★★
Great to hear Ali- glad you are enjoying the blog!
Made it for dinner, the family loved it. Thank you for sharing.
Delicious. That was a hit ! Thank you !
★★★★★
So good, but preferred with the chimichurri sauce that we had left over from the other night!
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Oh that sounds good too!
So delicious! Marinade was incredible, I could eat the aji verde straight, and the salad was a refreshing addition! Was a hit for dinner last night
★★★★★
This recipe was a huge hit at our barbecue on Memorial day! My daughter made it and marinated the chicken the night before. She only used a little bit of jalapeno pepper and no seeds in the sauce and it was fabulous. We used boneless thighs so the meat would stay moist. Everyone wanted the recipe!
Also made the avocado tomato cucumber salad to go with it and increased the amount of avocado to match the amounts of cucumber and tomato. If the avocado is too ripe it tends to look a little messy so I would recommend using a not completely ripe avocado that holds its shape better. Delicious salad!
★★★★★
Thanks Selene, appreciate this!
Served this to my friends on Memorial Day and All Thumbs
up . Marinated all night and was so delicious 😋
Wish I did more because not enough !
Will do it again.
Thank you.
★★★★★
Great to hear Irene!
The picture of the avocado, cucumber, tomato salad does not look like there is only one avocado per two cups of cucumber and only a handful of tomatoes. The picture looks more like there are equal amounts of all three ingredients. Can anyone comment on the proportions of this salad?
It was an extra-large avocado, and there is more cucumber underneath. You really can adapt this to your taste and preferences. 🙂
Gorgeous! I marinated it for a few hours in the fridge. I made it with the salad. Light and fresh and a little spicy – loved it 🙂
★★★★★
Great to hear!