You’ll love everything about this Peruvian Chicken (Pollo a la Brasa) with Aji Verde Sauce!  It’s easy and bursting with flavor; this can be made in under an hour, baked in the oven or cooked on the grill- perfect for weeknights or special gatherings.  Vegan adaptable. Video.

 You'll love everything about this Peruvian Chicken (Pollo a la Brasa) with Aji Verde Sauce!  It's easy and bursting with flavor; this can be made in under an hour, baked in the oven or cooked on the grill- perfect for weeknights or special gatherings.  
Row row row your boat, gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.~

This flavorful, juicy Peruvian Chicken with Aji Verde Sauce is one you’ll need to make soon! Cook it on the grill or roast it in the oven, either way, you’ll love it. The Peruvian Green Sauce called Aji Verde is bursting with so much flavor, You’ll want it on everything! We pair the chicken with a simple avocado-tomato salad for a light and lean dinner.  The recipe can easily be adapted for vegans (see the recipe notes).

 how to make Peruvian Chicken | Video

How to make Peruvian Chicken

Peruvian Chicken (Pollo a la Brasa) with Aji Verde Sauce, rice and avocado salad in a bowl.

Step one: Make the Marinade.

The easy flavorful Peruvian Chicken marinade is made with olive oil, garlic, spices, and lime juice. Just mix it up in a bowl.

 Peruvian Chicken Marinade with cumin, paprika, lime juice,

Step two: Marinate the chicken.

Marinate the Peruvian chicken while the grill or oven heats up. Or marinate overnight for even more flavor!

Peruvian chicken in a marinade.

Here I’m using boneless skinless chicken thighs, but breasts and bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces would work too. Remember that boneless breasts cook the fastest.

For a vegan option, substitute Portobellos!

vegan option: marinated portobello mushrooms.

Portobellos can be sliced or cooked whole. Be sure to brush the marinade on lightly because mushrooms are porous and can actually soak up too much if you are not careful.

Step three: Make the Aji Verde Sauce.

The creamy delicious Peruvian Green Sauce ( called Aji Verde) truly makes the meal- so don’t skip this part! See recipe notes for a vegan version! Blend the Aji Verde Sauce ingredients in the blender. So easy!

 Peruvian Green Sauce or Aji Verde

Step four: Grill or Roast.

Grill the chicken over medium heat until internal temp reaches 170F for thighs and 165 for Breasts. Grill optional portobellos until tender and juicy.

Alternatively, you can roast on a parchment-lined sheet pan in a 425F oven until thighs reach 170F or breasts reach 165f.

Grilling the Peruvian chicken.

Step five: Make the Salad.

As the chicken cooks make the Avocado Tomato Cucumber salad.

making the avocado 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.

Avocado salad with tomatoes and lime.

Step six: Serve!

Serve the Peruvian Chicken with the Aji Verde Sauce on the side, and the fresh Avocado Salad, either separately or in wide bowls.  Add Cilantro rice for a heartier meal.

Grilled Peruvian Chicken (Pollo a la Brasa) with Aji Verde (Peruvian Green Sauce)and Avocado Tomato Cucumber Salad. Can be made in 40 minutes- perfect for weeknights!

What to serve with Peruvian Chicken

This Peruvian- style meal is such a great combination of flavors! Pollo a la Brasa is one of my favorite recipes on the blog- please tell us what you think in the comments below!

xoxo

Sylvia

 

More recipes you may like:

Hope you like this Peruvian Chicken with Aji Verde Sauce as much as we do. Let us know in the comments below!

xoxo

Sylvia

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Grilled Peruvian Chicken with Green Sauce and Avocado-Tomato Salad |www.feastingathome.com

Peruvian Chicken

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Description

You’ll love everything about this Peruvian Chicken (Pollo a la Brasa) with Aji Verde Sauce!  It’s easy and bursting with flavor; this can be made in under an hour, baked in the oven, or cooked on the grill- perfect for weeknights or special gatherings.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 1/22 pounds chicken (thighs or breast, boneless, skinless- see notes) Or substitute portobellos!

Marinade:

Peruvian Green Sauce (Aji Verde) : 

  • 1/2 cup sour cream or mayo (see notes for vegan option)
  • 1/2 jalapeño (use less for less spicy)
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 cup chopped cilantro- thin stems ok.
  • 1/4 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
  • 12 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

  1. Preheat Grill to medium-high, or preheat OVEN to 425F. 
  2. If making rice, start this now on the stove.
  3. 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.)
  4. Make Peruvian Green Sauce by placing all the ingredients in a blender and blending until relatively smooth, scraping down the sides if necessary.
  5. Grill: 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.
  6. Bake: Place the chicken on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake until cooked through; 165F for chicken breasts and 170F  for chicken thighs.
  7. 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.
  8. 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

Chicken: Feel free to use bone-in, skin-on chicken, although cooking time will increase.  Traditionally, in Peru, a whole chicken is marinated then roasted in the oven, which you can also do!

A note on Peruvian Green Sauce ( Aji Verde): Mayo is traditional. I prefer 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

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Comments

  1. Hey, this sounds delicious. How long would you bake after pan searing boneless skinless thighs? Thanks!

  2. Wow!! This recipe is a keeper!! I made this today and it was soooo delicious! Everyone loved it. Thanks for sharing






  3. Hi! I want to try this recipe but don’t have a grill or grill pan. Could this be baked, and if so, how would you recommend doing so? Thanks! Xx

  4. As with all of Sylvia ‘s recipes, this was yummy, easy to prepare and makes a beautiful presentation. I substituted Greek yogurt for the sour cream in the cilantro sauce. We grilled both chicken thighs and Portobello mushrooms to please all eaters. Salad was very refreshing!






    1. You are so sweet Theresa…. I’m so happy you enjoyed. Thanks for the comment and rating! Appreciate it!

  5. I highly recommend this dish! I made this last night for some friends… it was so friggin’ delicious! Lots of rave reviews and requests for the recipe- I directed them right to Feasting at Home!

    Wife said the cilantro sauce now her new favorite! Kids loved it too! No leftovers, which was a bit of a bummer because I wanted them for lunch today.

    I tweaked things just a smidge for my family… reduced cumin to teaspoon and cut back a bit on paprika. I didn’t have enough cilantro so added some parsley…turned out great.

    Really, really enjoy the website! Thanks so much for some many simply delicious recipes.






  6. Forgot to mention: I used chicken thighs and firm tofu and grilled it on a little counter top griller. I also cut the mayo in the green sauce by half with nonfat Greek yogurt. It was all perfect!

  7. Splendid! All at table thought it was scrumptious, including one lad who has been to Peru several times and declared it an improvement on authentic. Marinade was quite delicious, but most declared the “green sauce” topped that. I served a skin-on thigh and a medium portobello cap per person and it was quite filling. I am keto and this menu is not very carb-y: I limited tomatoes in salad, but went with honey in marinade b/c the carbs were well distributed…besides, I had saved carbs for the day so I could have this just as Sylvia created it. I was well rewarded for my will power…Thank you Sylvia!






  8. Great marinade, and wonderful cilantro sauce. Tried it with salmon filets on the bbq, very good

  9. Incredible! I used the cilantro-lime rice (from the Chilean beef skewers recipe) recipe to serve this on.






  10. This has great flavor and is easier than the recipes using a whole chicke. I did marinate it about 3 hours and I am sure more would be fine. I served it with Panna garlic rice.

  11. I made this tonight and it went into my Pinterest favorite recipe boards. Additions: cumin to the sauce and red bell peppers and purple onion to the salad (next time I will soak the onions in the lime juice to mellow them a bit.) Definitely would be better marinated overnight, but 2 hours gave us a hint of flavor and was super juicy.

  12. This looks fantastic! I can’t wait to try it. I have a lot of cilantro in my garden I would like to use and my cucumbers are almost ready to pick.

    1. I think any grill-able whitefish would work here – Like Black Cod, Sea Bass, or even large prawns!

  13. My wife and I made this tonight. It was easy and delicious. Leftover cilantro sauce will be used again in some nice fish tacos! We used the thighs. I loved the tenderness and juiciness compared to chicken breasts which I tend to overgrill and dry out. I grilled the chicken for about 20 minutes in the back of the grill, indirect at 350-400 after searing both sides for about a minute each. They came out perfect.

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