This Peruvian style roasted chicken uses robust flavors in the marinade to deeply flavor the chicken. The marinated spatchcocked chicken roasts in the oven and once it is done, you have crispy spiced skin and juicy tender chicken. This Peruvian style roast chicken is served with a bright Aji verde (spicy green) style sauce. This spatchcocked chicken will be your favorite way to roast a chicken and wow your tastebuds.
What is Peruvian Chicken?
Peruvian chicken is a rotisserie chicken, also known as pollo la brasa, originating in Lima, Peru. The chicken would be marinated and then cooked over hot coals, while rotating. The pollo a la brasa became so popular it was given it’s own day of celebration on July 21st. This recipe adapts the traditional pollo a la brasa to be roasted in the oven.
Why spatchcock a chicken?
When cooking a whole chicken, different parts of the chicken cook at different rates. You are typically left with a dry overcooked breast, waiting for the legs to be fully cooked through. Spatchcocking a chicken allows the chicken to lay flat with the breast even with the legs. This allows the chicken to cook evenly. The best part about spatchcocking a chicken is the crispy skin. Since the surface area of the spatchcocked chicken is even, the skin is evenly exposed to the heat, resulting in mouthwatering crispy skin.
How to prep a whole chicken
When handling chicken, I like to wear gloves and also set up a sanitary station with a bowl, sheet pan, and a gallon ziplock bag for discard.To prep the chicken, first you need to remove the bag from the cavity and the pouch that is usually located on top of the neck. I typically place in a ziplock, then freeze until it’s garbage day. I place colander inside of a bowl to catch all the juices while I dry the chicken with paper towels. You want the entire chicken dried, inside the cavity and out. (I add the paper towels to my discard ziplock, ensuring not to touch anything else without gloves or washing my hands).
How to spatchcock a chicken
Once the chicken is prepped, transfer it to the sheet pan, breast side down.
- Locate the back bone of the chicken.
- Using sharp poultry shears (or strong scissors), begin cutting to one side of the back bone. There are small bones you will be cutting though, so ensure the scissors are strong enough.
- Repeat on the other side of the back bone and then place the back bone in the ziplock discard bag.
- Next, locate the inside of the breast bone. Careful to not cut the skin, cut through the cartilage of the breast bone. This will assist you in flattening the breast, if you are strong enough, you can skip this step.
- Flip the chicken over and place the heel of your hand in the middle of the breast. Press down hard until the breast is fully flattened.
- Rotate the legs inward. You can also tuck the wings into the armpits, so the tips do not burn when roasting.
Peruvian style marinade
For the marinade I used: dark brown sugar, chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, minced garlic cloves, ground ginger, soy sauce, lime juice, lime zest, olive oil, and kosher salt.
Using a marinade brush, brush whole surface of the chicken, ensuring to get the nooks and crannies. Place in refrigerator and allow to marinate overnight for maximum flavor.
Roasting chicken
You can roast the chicken on a sheet pan, but I prefer roasting in my cast iron pan to keep the heat even throughout the skillet. Take two heads of garlic and cut the top ¼ off to expose the bulbs. Tuck these cut side down next to the legs. A thermometer will be your best friend in this recipe, you are looking for an internal temperature of 165F, test the thickest part of the breast and also the leg before removing from the oven.
Aji verde style sauce
Aji verde is a spicy Peruvian green sauce with notable ingredients of aji chile peppers, huacatay leaves (black mint), and cheese. Since aji chiles are hard to find, you can substitute Serrano or jalapeño peppers. Huacatay also can be hard to find, so cilantro is used instead.
Using a food processor or an immersion blender, blend cilantro, peppers, lime juice, garlic, cotija cheese, mayo, and salt. The cotija is salty, so it’s best to blend and adjust salt after tasting. This aji verde sauce is served alongside pollo a la brasa, but is amazing on fish, steak, potatoes, everything. A sauce that you will want to put-on everything!
Roasted Peruvian chicken
Once the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165F, remove it from the oven. I love using oven safe thermometer probes, so you don’t have to keep pulling the chicken out to check on the temperature. I typically eat the chicken wing first, as my reward for cooking such a beautiful looking chicken.
To remove the legs from the chicken, lift by the bone to expose where the leg meats the breast and cut through where thigh meets the breast. To separate leg from thigh, cut through joint. Slice breast down the middle and you can additionally cut into slices to serve. Rest of bones can be discarded in ziplock bag and frozen until trash day.
Serve chicken with green sauce on the side and roasted caramelized garlic (use a knife or fork to remove bulbs out of the skin) on the side.
I hope you enjoy my take on a Peruvian style roast chicken with aji verde sauce.
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Peruvian Style Roast Chicken with Aji Verde (Green Sauce)
Equipment
Ingredients
Peruvian Chicken
- 4 pounds whole chicken innards removed and spatchcocked (see notes)
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 cloves garlic finely minced or pressed through garlic press
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoons lime zest
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 2 heads garlic ¼ of top sliced off to expose tops of cloves
Aji Verde (Green Sauce)
- 2 cups cilantro
- ¼ cup mayo
- ¼ cup crumbled cotija cheese
- 1 large or 2 medium jalapeños seeds removed for less heat
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- ¼ teaspoons Kosher salt
Instructions
- Prep and spatchcock whole chicken (see notes for how-to prep and spatchcock chicken). Place on half baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, mix all marinade ingredients together until fully combined: brown sugar, chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, pressed garlic, ground ginger, soy sauce, lime juice, lime zest, olive oil, and kosher salt.
- Using a marinade brush, brush whole surface of the chicken, ensuring to get the nooks and crannies. Place in refrigerator and allow to marinate overnight for maximum flavor.
- Preheat oven to 425F
- You can roast the chicken on a sheet pan, but I prefer roasting in my cast iron pan to keep the heat even throughout the skillet. Take two heads of garlic and cut the top ¼ off to expose the bulbs. Tuck these cut side down next to the legs.
- Roast chicken until thickest part of breast and leg reach 165F. Depending on the size of your bird, should take about 45 minutes. If the skin begins charring too much for your liking, you can tent with foil.
- While the chicken roasts, prepare the aji verde (green sauce). Using a food processor or an immersion blender, blend cilantro, peppers, lime juice, garlic, cotija cheese, mayo, and salt. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- To remove the legs from the chicken, lift by the bone to expose where the leg meats the breast and cut through where thigh meets the breast. To separate leg from thigh, cut through joint. Slice breast down the middle and you can additionally cut into slices to serve. Rest of bones can be discarded in ziplock bag and frozen until trash day.
- Serve with drizzling aji verde green sauce over the top or on the side as a dipping sauce and with roasted garlic cloves to spread on every bite.
Notes
Prepping the chicken
- When handling chicken, I like to wear gloves and also set up a sanitary station with a bowl, sheet pan, and a gallon ziplock bag for discard. To prep the chicken, first you need to remove the bag from the cavity and the pouch that is usually located on top of the neck. I typically place in a ziplock, then freeze until it’s garbage day.
- I place colander inside of a bowl to catch all the juices while I dry the chicken with paper towels. You want the entire chicken dried, inside the cavity and out. (I add the paper towels to my discard ziplock, ensuring not to touch anything else without gloves or washing my hands).
How-to spatchcock a chicken
- Locate the back bone of the chicken.
- Using sharp poultry shears (or strong scissors), begin cutting to one side of the back bone. There are small bones you will be cutting though, so ensure the scissors are strong enough.
- Repeat on the other side of the back bone and then place the back bone in the ziplock discard bag.
- Next, locate the inside of the breast bone. Careful to not cut the skin, cut through the cartilage of the breast bone. This will assist you in flattening the breast, if you are strong enough, you can skip this step.
- Flip the chicken over and place the heel of your hand in the middle of the breast. Press down hard until the breast is fully flattened.
- Rotate the legs inward. You can also tuck the wings into the armpits, so the tips do not burn when roasting.
Thermometers
- Thermometers are your best friend when roasting chicken, it ensures not only that the chicken is fully cooked through, but that you are not over cooking the chicken.
- There are different types of thermometers you can use, my favorite is this oven safe probe so you do not have to keep removing from the oven to check the temperature.
Aji Verde (green sauce)
- Store in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 4 days. If it begins to separate, re-blend or whisk. Great on steak and seafood as well!
Liz
I’m confused. Aren’t there supposed to be aji peppers or paste in the aji verde? Are the jalapeños instead of?
Stephanie
This is an aji style green sauce, not traditional. There is a section in the recipe post discussing the traditional ingredients and why my twist on the recipe uses jalapeños instead of aji chiles. If you are able to find them, substitute it for the jalapeños.
Robin
Well done recipe. Good instructions. I will be looking for more tasty things here.