Traditional Peruvian Chicken Marinade

Photo from Bon
Appeteach

What feels like a lifetime ago, a former friend made Peruvian chicken at a Fourth of July gathering. I remember taking one bite and instantly falling in love with the flavors. It's funny how certain foods can stay with you long after the people and circumstances fade into the background.

I never managed to get her recipe, and I've always been a little disappointed about that. Every so often I'd think about that chicken and wonder if I'd ever find a version that captured the same magic.

So when I stumbled across this recipe, I was curious. Would it be anything like the Peruvian chicken I remembered? Could I even recall those flavors accurately after all this time?

What is Peruvian chicken anyways? According to the author of the Bon Appteach blog: 

"Peruvian chicken, also known as pollo a la brasa is a spit-roasted chicken available all over the country! It is marinated in a traditional Peruvian chicken marinade consisting of soy sauce, lime, garlic, and ají amarillo paste. This marinade penetrates deep into the meat, creating a tender and flavorful chicken.  In Peru, you will find this chicken served with french fries, salad, and sometimes rice. It is almost always served with a spicy green sauce called aji verde, which is packed with cilantro for an herbaceous flavor."

The secret, as it turns out, is aji amarillo paste.

I'd never used it before and couldn't find it at any of my local stores, so I ordered a jar from Amazon. When it arrived, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The aroma was tangy and slightly spicy, but the flavor itself wasn't overwhelmingly hot. Instead, it had a unique, vibrant taste that's hard to describe but impossible to forget. It's made from yellow chili peppers and gives the chicken its signature flavor.

I marinated the chicken for five hours—because apparently that's my answer to every marinade recipe—and then tossed it on the grill. The result was absolutely incredible.

The flavors were warm, savory, and comforting, and with the very first bite I was transported right back to that long-ago Fourth of July celebration. Food memories are funny that way.

I've made several Peruvian chicken recipes over the years, but none of them quite hit the mark. Looking back, I realize they all had one thing in common: none of them included aji amarillo paste. After making this version, I'm convinced that's the key ingredient that gives Peruvian chicken its distinctive flavor.

This recipe didn't just come close to the one I remembered—it surpassed every other version I've tried. And now that I've finally found it, I know it'll be making a regular appearance on my grill.

Traditional Peruvian Chicken Marinade

Recipe from Bon Appeteach

Serves 4

• 1/2 cup Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
• 1/2 cup Lime Juice
• 6 Garlic Cloves minced
• 2 tbsp Aji Amarillo Paste
• 1 tbsp Cumin
• 1 tbsp Paprika
• 1 tsp Oregano
• 1 tsp Black Pepper

Make the marinade by combining the soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, aji Amarillo paste, olive oil, and spices in a bowl. Whisk to combine.

Pour the marinade over the chicken and let it marinate for 2 hours or overnight.

Prepare the chicken by grilling over direct heat, pan searing, or air frying. The chicken should be cooked until it hits 165 F. internal.

Peruvian Chicken (Recipe 40 of 150)

Photo from Chelsea's
Messy Apron

A thousand years ago I had a friend named Kippi. We did everything together. She dated one of my other friends and when they broke up, I too was kicked to the curb. Ahem. 

But Kippi lived near Gas Works Park in Seattle. For a couple 4th of July's we'd meet up early at Kippi's and then walk down to see the show. One year, Kippi made a batch of Peruvian Chicken. It was so amazing. So delicious. So much so that I salivate thinking about it. 

I never got the recipe from her. So since then I've tried many, many Peruvian chicken recipes and none of them are like hers. 

This recipe was delicious. I don't know why it's Peruvian though. It seems like a normal lime chicken you'd often see in many Latin recipes. I did some research on Peruvian chicken and the recipes I found are all over the place. Some include amarillo paste - which may be the flavor and color I remember from Kippi's chicken. Stay tuned. More Peruvian chicken in likely on the way. In the meantime, enjoy this one. It's good.

Peruvian Chicken

Recipe from Chelsea's Messy Apron

Serves 4

• 2 large (~1.5 pounds) chicken breasts halved horizontally and pounded to even thickness
• 1 T freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 T olive oil
• 1/2 tsp EACH: smoked paprika and ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• Fine sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, smoked paprika, ground cumin, and dried oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper; I add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Halve chicken breasts horizontally. Using a meat mallet or the bottom of your frying pan, pound breasts to even thickness (you don't want the meat super flat, just even in thickness). Place the prepared chicken in a large plastic bag and pour the marinade mix over. Seal the bag without air and knead to coat all the chicken in the marinade. Refrigerate for 30 minutes up to 6 hours. If possible, make the green sauce now too, so it has a chance to sit and flavors can intensify.

Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat (about 400 degrees F.)  Place the marinated chicken on the grill. Discard any leftover marinade. Grill for 10-12 minutes, flipping once halfway through, or until chicken juices run clear and internal temperature is at 165 degrees F.

Spicy Peruvian Chicken

Spicy indeed! Whoa! Sooo good and spicy. 

I've not had Peruvian food before so I really can't tell you if this is true "Peruvian", but I can tell you it was tasty. 

I took some liberties with this recipe. I didn't really follow it with regards to the tomato and jalapeno. Instead, I made a pica de gallo with the tomato, lime juice, jalapeno and the green sides of the onions. 

I made the rice as it was written. Although, it was not as fluffy as I like. A little mushy to me. I was only going to use 1 c water to the 1 c rice, and against my better judgment I used the 1 1/4 c water.

I'd order this again for sure. 

Spicy Peruvian Chicken with Bacon with Loaded Rice, Pickled Jalapeño & Creamy Salsa Verde

Recipe from Hello Fresh

Serves 2

• 2 Scallions
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 Jalapeño
• 1 Lime
• 1 Tomato
• 1 tablespoon Fajita Spice Blend
• 1Chicken Stock Concentrate
• ¾ c Jasmine Rice
• 12 ounce Chicken Cutlets
• 2 tablespoon Mayonnaise
• 1.5 tablespoon Sour Cream
• 4 ounce Bacon

Peel and mince or grate garlic; place a pinch of garlic in a small bowl and reserve later.

Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens 

Thinly slice jalapeño into rounds, removing ribs and seeds for less heat.

Zest and quarter lime.

Dice tomato into ½-inch pieces.

Melt 1 TBSP butter in a small pot over medium heat; add scallion whites, remaining garlic, and 1 tsp Fajita Spice Blend. Cook, stirring, until softened and fragrant, 2-3 minutes.

Stir in rice, stock concentrate, 1 ¼ cups water, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.

In a second small microwave-safe bowl, combine jalapeño, juice from half the lime, ¼ tsp sugar (½ tsp for 4 servings), and a pinch of salt. Microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside to pickle, stirring occasionally.

Heat a medium dry pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon; cook, turning occasionally and adjusting heat if browning too quickly, until crispy, 6-10 minutes. Turn off heat; transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Once cool enough to handle, roughly chop.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Season all over with remaining Fajita Spice Blend, salt, and pepper. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, 5-7 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board to rest.

While chicken cooks, remove jalapeño from pickling liquid (reserve liquid). Reserve a few rounds for garnishing; mince remaining. To bowl with reserved garlic, add mayonnaise, sour cream, a squeeze of lime juice, a big pinch of lime zest, and a pinch of minced jalapeño to taste. (TIP: If you like zesty heat, add a small splash of jalapeño pickling liquid in place of, or in addition to, lime juice.) Add water 1 tsp at a time until mixture reaches a drizzling consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Fluff rice with a fork. Stir in tomato, half the scallion greens, remaining lime zest, a squeeze of lime juice, and as much remaining minced jalapeño as you like. Season with salt and pepper. • Thinly slice chicken crosswise.

Divide rice between bowls and top with chicken. Squeeze juice from remaining lime over chicken. Drizzle everything with creamy salsa verde; garnish with bacon, remaining scallion greens, and as many reserved jalapeño rounds as you like. Serve.

 

Pollo a La Brasa (Peruvian Grilled Chicken) (Recipe 100 of 150)

I've seen a lot of recipes for "Peruvian" chicken lately. I've collected several. This one was one of those I've recently acquired. 

Instead of my normal way of "changing it up" I kept this recipe to it's original guidelines. And friends, I'm here to tell you, this was yummy. 

To be fair, I didn't use 2 jalapenos in the sauce because I only had one jalapeno. But that was enough heat for me. I didn't cut back on any of the other ingredients so the sauce was heavy with cilantro and light with the jalapeno flavor. When I make this again, I'll use two to get that flavor. 

I had the chicken in the marinade for 5 hours. That's starting to be my standard I think. I love working from home so I can start a marinade at noon and have it ready to go by dinner around 6. 

Pollo a La Brasa (Peruvian Grilled Chicken)

Recipe from All Recipes

Serves 4

• 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
• ⅓ c soy sauce
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 T lime juice
• 1 T vegetable oil
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp dried oregano

Sauce:

• 2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
• ½ c firmly packed cilantro
• ¼ c mayonnaise
• 1 T lime juice
• 1 T extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

Place chicken thighs into a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag. Blend soy sauce, garlic, lime juice, vegetable oil, cumin, paprika, and oregano in a blender until smooth. Pour mixture over chicken, seal the bag, and refrigerate for 8 hours.

Combine jalapeno peppers, cilantro, mayonnaise, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender; pulse until sauce is smooth. Transfer sauce to a covered bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.

Remove chicken thighs from the bag and place on the grill. Discard bag with excess marinade. Grill thighs for 7 minutes; flip and grill 7 additional minutes.

Transfer thighs to a serving dish and drizzle reserved sauce over the chicken.

Peruvian Chicken

I know every entry I start with OMG - but seriously, this recipe...Oh. My. goodness. It was more effort than I had intended, but it was worth every ounce of work.

And for those of you who know me, don't be shocked, but I actually followed this recipe word for word and I even *gasp* measured!

Peruvian Chicken

Recipe from Cuisine at Home

Serves 4 - easily

FOR CHICKEN

• 1/4 cup Low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Lime juice
• 1 tablespoon Ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon Chili powder
• 4 Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, trimmed

FOR RICE

• 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup Diced onion
• 1 1/4 cups Water
• 1 tablespoon Minced garlic
• 2/3 cup Dry medium grain rice
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Seeded, diced tomato

FOR SAUCE

• 1/2 cup Fresh bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup Milk
• 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup Diced onion
• 1 tablespoon Minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon Each: Ground cumin, chili powder, and annatto powder or paprika

• 1 1/2 cup Chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons Fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons Grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon Ground walnuts
• 1/4 cup Chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons Chopped fresh cilantro

1. Preheat grill to high heat. Brush grill rack with oil. Combine soy sauce, 2 T lime juice, 1 T cumin, 1 T oil, oregano and chili powder in large bowl or resealable plastic bag. Add chicken, marinate in fridge while you prepare rice and sauce.

2. Heat 1 T oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup onion; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in water and 1 T garlic; bring mixture to a boil Add rice and salt; cover pan. Reduce heat to low; simmer rice 20 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork; stir in tomato.

3. Soak bread crumbs in milk in a bowl. Heat 1 T oil in sauté pan.

4. Add 1/2 cup onion and 1 T garlic to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in cumin, chili powder and annatto; sauté 30 seconds. Add broth and bread crumbs; bring to a boil. Remove mixture from heat; stir in 2 T lime juice, Parmesan and 1T ground walnuts.

5. Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade. Grill chicken covered, over direct heat, 6 minutes on each side or until chicken reaches 160F. Serve chicken with rice and sauce; garnish with 1/4 cup chopped walnuts and cilantro.

********************

As I was doing step 3 I wondered about not using fresh bread crumbs and after I tasted and had the sauce I realized that fresh soaked in milk is the only way to go.

I had no idea what annatto was and so used Paprika in its place. I now need to find out what it is and where I can get it - cuz I'll be making this recipe again. = ) Enjoy!

Best Ever Baked Beans (106 of 150)

Photo from Dance
Around the Kitchen

Again with the "best ever". I tell ya, if you put that in front of any recipe, it had better bring it. 

Tonight was Sunday dinner. We had a small group so I opted to forego the theme (Peruvian) and do ribs instead. Ribs are much easier in a small group (and less expensive). I did my famous ribs for the crew and as usual they loved them. The only time this family seems to be silent is when we're eating ribs. All you hear is "mmmmm". 

Along side ribs, I usually do Mom's Mac Salad and buy canned baked beans. This time, I opted for this broccoli salad and these "Best Ever" Baked beans. 

Let's start with what went wrong. 

I, um, didn't get burger. So these beans didn't get the burger in them. Honestly, I didn't miss them. Bakes beans don't get burger to me. 

What went right? These reminded me of the beans my mom used to make! I'd make these again (without burger) again in a heart beat. Super easy to make. 

I did mine in a slow cooker since I had the oven taken over by ribs. 

Best Ever Baked Beans

Recipe from Dance Around the Kitchen

Serves 18 (so I cut this bad boy in half)

• 1 pound ground beef
• 8 slices bacon
• One 28 ounce can pork and beans drained
• One 8 ounce can homestyle pork and beans
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 teaspoon mustard
• 1 tablespoon vinegar

Brown the ground beef, drain and set aside.

Cook the bacon until crispy in the oven or in a skillet. Let cool then crumble or chop into small pieces.

In a large mixing bowl (or in the slow cooker), combine the beans, ground beef, bacon, onions, sugar, brown sugar, ketchup, mustard and vinegar.

Cook the beans:

In a slow cooker on high for 1 hour (stirring occasionally) or low for 2-3 hours OR

In a saucepan on medium-low heat for 30 minutes (stirring occasionally) OR

In a baking dish in a 350°F oven for 1 hour