Tag Archives: Peruvian

Peruvian Arroz con Pollo (Rice with Chicken)

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Arroz con pollo is classic comfort food throughout Latin America. A staple in many Latin American kitchens, arroz con pollo combines inexpensive ingredients—chicken, rice, and spices—in a filling one-pot meal.

To make this Cook’s Illustrated version, choose moist chicken thighs, which are browned in a Dutch oven to build flavor and render fat. Use a food processor to transform onion, cilantro, Cubanelle pepper, garlic, and cumin into a flavorful sofrito that serves as the backbone for the dish. Medium-grain rice to long- and short-grain varieties are preferred because it gives the dish a creamy, cohesive texture. Sazón seasoning does double duty here, adding both savory flavor and vibrant color.

A staple of many cuisines, including Puerto Rican, Dominican and Mexican cooking, sazón is a blend of spices, and when translated from Spanish, it means simply “seasoning.” It can be found with the other Latin American foods in most supermarkets. It was easily sourced at our local supermarket, but if you can’t find sazón, a decent substitute would be smoked paprika.

All of the ingredients in sazón will add a warm, earthy taste to your dish, but the main reason you use sazón is to give your dish a pop of orange color. You can use sazón in a myriad of applications since it plays well with acidic foods and dishes such as in a vibrant tomato dish, as a seasoning on French fries and popcorn, and as a dry rub for pork belly.

If necessary, substitute 3/4 cup of chopped green bell pepper for the Cubanelle pepper. Allow the rice to rest for the full 15 minutes before lifting the lid to check it. Long-grain rice may be substituted for medium-grain, but the rice will be slightly less creamy. 

These photos were taken when beta testing the recipe for America’s Test Kitchen. Once revised and published six months later, the ingredients and instructions were altered and those revisions are reflected in the recipe below.

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, and stems, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped (1 cup)
  • 1 Cubanelle pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped (3/4 cup)
  • 5 garlic cloves, chopped coarse
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 3 ½ Tbsp. lemon juice, (2 lemons), plus lemon wedges for serving
  • Salt and pepper
  • 6 (5- to 7-oz.) bone in chicken thighs, trimmed
  • 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 2 cups medium-grain rice, rinsed
  • 1 Tbsp. Goya Sazón with Coriander and Annatto; OR smoked paprika
  • 2 ½ cups chicken broth
  • ¼ cup pimento-stuffed green olives, halved
  • 2 Tbsp. capers, rinsed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ cup frozen peas, thawed (optional)

Directions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Process cilantro, 1/2 cup onion, Cubanelle, garlic, and cumin in food processor until finely chopped, about 20 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed. Transfer sofrito to bowl.
  2. Process mayonnaise, 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons sofrito in now-empty processor until almost smooth, about 30 seconds. Transfer mayonnaise-herb sauce to small bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  3. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add chicken to pot skin side down and cook without moving it until skin is crispy and golden, 7 to 9 minutes. Flip chicken and continue to cook until golden on second side, 7 to 9 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to plate; discard skin.
  4. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add remaining 1/2 cup onion and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in rice and Sazón and cook until edges of rice begin to turn translucent, about 2 minutes.
  5. Stir in broth, olives, capers, bay leaves, remaining sofrito, remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, scraping up any browned bits. Nestle chicken into pot along with any accumulated juices and bring to vigorous simmer. Cover, transfer to oven, and bake for 20 minutes.
  6. Transfer pot to wire rack and let stand, covered, for 15 minutes. Fluff rice with fork and stir in peas, if using. Discard bay leaves. Serve with mayonnaise-herb sauce and lemon wedges.

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Recipe from Cook’s Illustrated

Skillet-Roasted Peruvian-Style Chicken

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Peruvian pollo a la brasa is a whole chicken that is marinated, then cooked slowly on a rotisserie until the meat is ultra-tender; fried potatoes are a common accompaniment. Here, chicken leg quarters are used and roasted directly on top of sliced Yukon Golds that have first been lightly browned in the skillet on the stovetop.

We have both fallen hard in love with this recipe, and even though I don’t show a photo with the aji verde sauce on my plate, (I dove right into the meal before adding the sauce), it’s a wonderful condiment that enhances the meal enormously!

Marinate the chicken for 24 hours, if you can; if that’s not an option, give it at least an hour to soak in the seasonings. Ají panca paste is made from a Peruvian variety of chili of the same name; the paste is red with fruity, lightly smoky undertones and little heat. Look for it, sold in jars, in well-stocked supermarkets or Latin American grocery stores. If you cannot find it, don’t hesitate to use the sweet paprika plus smoked paprika substitute.

Beer is a common marinade ingredient for pollo a la brasa; Cusqueña, a Peruvian lager, is a good choice, but any quaffable variety will do. We highly recommend serving the chicken and potatoes with ají verde (recipe below), a Peruvian goes-with-everything condiment that’s deliciously creamy, tangy, herbal and spicy.

TIP: Don’t forget to pat the chicken dry after removing it from the marinade, and before sprinkling it with salt and placing the pieces in the skillet. The drier the skin, the better the browning and crisping.

We could not bear to eliminate the flavorful marinade altogether, yet we wanted the skin to be very crispy. So we wiped off the marinade from the chicken into the baking dish and patted them dry. The leftover marinade was then spread over the hot potato slices, and then the chicken pieces placed on top before going into the hot oven.

Not a fan of poultry legs, we used 8 bone-in chicken thighs, which required a larger oven-safe skillet. They went into the baking dish skin-side down, but we ladled the marinate onto the undersides to make sure all parts of the chicken got some flavoring going on. After 30 minutes, we turned the thighs to skin side up and brushed with more marinade.

Skillet-Roasted Peruvian-Style Chicken

  • Servings: 4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 cup beer
  • 4 medium garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. ají panca paste OR 1 Tbsp. sweet paprika, plus 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp. dried oregano
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters, OR 6-8 chicken thighs (about 3 lbs.), trimmed
  • 1 1/2 lbs. Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, sliced into ½-inch rounds
  • 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, chopped
  • Ají verde, to serve (optional, see recipe below)

Directions

  1. In a 9-by-13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish, stir together 2 tablespoons oil, the beer, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, ají panca, oregano, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons pepper. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours, turning the chicken once about halfway through marinating.
  2. Heat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the lowest position. Remove the chicken from the marinade; discard the marinade. Pat the chicken dry and season lightly with salt.
  3. In a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil until shimmering. Add the potatoes in an even layer and cook, uncovered and without stirring, until lightly browned at the edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Place the chicken skin side up on top of the potatoes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast until the chicken is deeply browned and the thickest part of the leg quarters reach 175°F, about 45 minutes.
  4. Remove the pan from the oven (the handle will be hot). Let rest for about 10 minutes, then transfer the chicken and potatoes to a serving platter. Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve with ají verde (if using).

Aji Verde Sauce

Ají verde is a popular Peruvian condiment. Creamy and spicy, with fruity acidity from lime juice, it’s the perfect accompaniment to pollo a la brasa. Ají amarillo is a spicy yellow Peruvian chili. Look for ají amarillo paste in Latin American markets, but if not available, simply omit it. The sauce still will taste great.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup  mayonnaise
  • 1 jalapeño, stemmed and seeded, coarsely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove. minced
  • 2 Tbsp. grated cotija cheese
  • 3 Tbsp. fresh minced cilantro
  • 1 Tbsp. jarred huacatay paste
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender or small food processor until smooth, about 1 minute.

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Recipes by Courtney Hill & Elizabeth Mindreau for Milk Street

Chicken Escabeche

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This Peruvian chicken escabeche is seasoned with aji amarillo, an orange-yellow chili ubiquitous to that country’s cuisine. In the U.S., the chilies are difficult to find fresh, but aji amarillo paste, sold in jars, is available in some well-stocked markets, specialty stores, or easily online. We purchased it online as a 3-pack with two other Peruvian pastes.

Escabeche is made by soaking meat or seafood in an acidic marinade after cooking, allowing the addition of bright flavors without altering the texture of the meat. The fruity, yet earthy flavor of aji amarillo is an important part of this dish, but if you cannot find the paste, use 1 or 2 seeded and finely minced jalapeños.

FYI–Don’t use regular chili powder instead of pure ancho chili powder. Regular chili powder is a spice blend, whereas ancho chili powder contains only ancho chilies. If you can’t find the powdered, grind some dried ancho chilies in a spice grinder, as shown above.

Because the skin was removed, you might encounter the chicken meat sticking to the pan. Try to pry most of it off the pan, but it is OK to leave some of the meat because it will make a nice fond and release itself once the liquids are added in. It was delicious served with the onion mixture on top of the thighs over a bed of garlic rice.

Chicken Escabeche

  • Servings: 2-4
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. bone-in chicken thighs (4 thighs), skin removed, trimmed and patted dry
  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. grapeseed or other neutral oil, divided
  • 2 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade
  • 4 medium garlic cloves, minced (1 Tbsp.)
  • 2 Tbsp. aji amarillo paste
  • 1 Tbsp. ancho chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
  • 3 medium red onions, halved and sliced ¾-inch thick
  • 1 large orange bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and sliced into ¼-inch strips
  • 1/3 cup white wine vinegar

Directions

  1. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon of oil until barely smoking. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook on each side, without disturbing, until deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to low and simmer until a skewer inserted into the largest thigh meets no resistance, 10 to 15 minutes.
  2. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish and cover with foil. Bring the cooking liquid to a boil over high and cook until reduced to 1 cup, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl or measuring cup and set aside.
  3. In the same pot, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium until shimmering. Add the garlic, aji amarillo paste, ancho chili and cumin, then cook, scraping the bottom, until browned and fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the onions, bell pepper, 2 teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, then add the vinegar. Cook, stirring, until the onions have begun to soften and the sauce is just thick enough to coat the vegetables, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the reduced broth, bring to a simmer over medium-high and cook, stirring, until thickened to a glaze, about 10 minutes.
  4. Pour the sauce and vegetables over the reserved chicken. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes, then serve.

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Adapted from a recipe by Julia Rackow for Milk Street