Crispy skinned, incredibly tender, sprinkled in spice rub perfection, and topped with the best green sauce you’ll ever have, this Peruvian chicken recipe is our favorite roasted chicken. Plus, it only takes a few minutes to make–let the marinade and oven do the heavy lifting. Here’s how!
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What is Peruvian Chicken?
Peruvian chicken is incredibly moist and flavor packed chicken, often served with Peruvian green sauce. Our marinade not only flavors the chicken beautifully, but it also locks in the moisture for incredibly tender chicken in every bite.
Your crispy skinned chicken is then served alongside aji verde (Peruvian green sauce), a combination of cilantro, jalapenos, garlic, and onion. Truly a match made in heaven!
Ingredients For Peruvian Chicken with Green Sauce
Believe it or not, this recipe comes together quickly and easily, with a handful of kitchen staples. Here’s what to gather for this Peruvian chicken recipe, plus a few notes:
- The marinade: Olive oil, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, paprika, cumin, oregano, and black pepper. Although soy sauce is not traditional, we love adding a bit of umami to this dish.
- The chicken: Grab a 4-pound, whole chicken. We’ll butterfly (i.e. spatchcock) the chicken to ensure a more even roast. You can also use chicken thighs or a deconstructed chicken here–just be sure to grab bone in, we also prefer skin on for a bit of crispy texture. Bake times will vary!
- The Peruvian green sauce is made of olive oil, red onion, mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, jalapenos, cilantro, and garlic. You can adjust the level of heat by adding more/less jalapenos. You can also substitute Greek yogurt or water for the mayo.
How to Make Peruvian Chicken?
Peruvian chicken is surprisingly easy to make, just plan for some marinating time–I like to marinate the chicken for no less than 8 hours to ensure the flavors have successfully infused.
First, The Peruvian Chicken Marinade
Combine the Peruvian chicken marinade ingredients together in a blender or small food processor, and blend until smooth. You can also combine them in a bowl, just mince your garlic first.
Next, Spatchcock and Roast the Chicken
Now we’ll cut the chicken (again, you can skip this step if using a different type of chicken). To do this:
- Place chicken breast side down on a cutting board.
- Grab kitchen sears and cut along either side of the backbone, all the way through the chicken.
- Discard the spine.
- Flip the chicken over.
- Press along the breastbone until you hear a few pops–the chicken should now lay flat on a cutting board.
Finally, The Aji Verde Sauce
Toss all your ingredients in a blender or food processor and combine until smooth. Taste and adjust the flavor to your liking: more salt, more heat, more oil, etc. Really, it’s that easy.
What to do with leftover Peruvian green sauce?
Our family loves aji verde sauce so much, that we make a double batch and still fight over who ate more… it makes an incredible addition to:
- Fried eggs on toast, over potatoes, really any way you serve your eggs it’s perfect.
- For sandwiches, use this instead of mayo or aioli. It’s also great on burgers, burritos, or tacos.
- Grain bowls with roasted vegetables and a bit of cotija.
- It’s the perfect sauce for all your favorite proteins. Seriously. Haven’t met a protein that it doesn’t complement; Think grilled flank steak, baked salmon, or grilled shrimp.
What to Serve with This Roasted Chicken
In Peru chicken is typically served with a side of rice and beans. We like to dish up this Peruvian chicken recipe with vegetables like roasted Brussels sprouts, and our favorite grains: quinoa, wild rice, etc.
More Chicken Recipes to Love
Peruvian Chicken
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 4 pound whole chicken butterflied (instructions below)
Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup lime juice about 2 limes juiced
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 4 large garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Aji Verde (Peruvian Green Sauce):
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup red onion chopped
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 4 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 2 jalapeños roughly chopped, seeds and ribs removed
- 2 cups fresh cilantro leaves and some small stems roughly chopped, about 2 bunches
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Butterfly the chicken by placing your chicken breast side down on a cutting board. Use kitchen scissors to cut along both sides of the backbone all the way to the other side–you'll be cutting along the ribs. Remove and discard the spine. Flip the chicken and press along the breast bone, you'll hear some popping–The goal is for the breasts and thighs to be the same height Place chicken in a 9×13 baking dish.
- Combine all marinade ingredients, in a food processor and blend until creamy and smooth.
- Pour sauce over the chicken, and massage to thoroughly coat the chicken on both sides. Then cover in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 8 – 12 hours.
- Preheat oven to 450 F. Transfer chicken to a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Discard remaining marinade (it'll burn while baking). Tuck the wings under the chicken Cook chicken until the internal temp reaches 165 F, about 50 minutes.
- Place all sauce ingredients together in a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Serve with aji verde sauce and enjoy!
