Peruvian Chicken (Pollo a la Brasa)

My popular Peruvian Chicken, known as Pollo a la Brasa, is marinated overnight with spices, herbs, and soy sauce, then roasted until the skin is crisp and the meat is full of flavor. Once you try it alongside my homemade Aji Verde sauce, you’ll see why this dish keeps showing up in my kitchen.

As you’ve probably noticed, I cook with chicken a lot. That’s because we eat it several times a week in our house. It’s quick to prepare, it’s a lean source of protein, and it won’t wreck your grocery budget. If you’re the same way, check out my chicken Parmigiana or this delicious chicken Biryani recipe, both are packed with flavor and worth making.

Peruvian Chicken

Peruvian Chicken, or pollo Peruano, simply known in Perú as pollo a la brasa, is a native dish of whole spice and herb-marinated chicken roasted on a spit or rotisserie until golden brown. It is one of Perú’s more popular dishes and is commonly served with fried potatoes or pommes frites.

This dish became popular during the 1950s by Swiss immigrants who owned a chicken farm in Santa Clara, Perú. When the business was close to closing, one of the owners opened a restaurant and focused on roasted chicken. They experimented with marinade and coal-fire cooking procedures and eventually settled on the popular pollo a la brasa. Now, it is served across restaurants throughout Perú.

I first made this Peruvian chicken on a weekend for my family, and they absolutely loved it. Now I’m sharing it with you because I know some of you are in that same place. You’re not after shortcuts. You want to try something new, put in the effort, and enjoy a dish that really stays with you.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Chicken – This recipe traditionally uses a whole chicken, but you can break it down into parts like thighs, drums, breasts, or wings. You can also make it using just one cut if that’s what you prefer or have on hand.
• Rosemary – I use fresh rosemary in the marinade, but you can swap it one to one with dried if that’s what you’ve got.
• Ginger – Fresh peeled ginger adds some wonderful spicy, citrus flavors.
• Spices – I used a combination of cumin and coriander in this dish.
• Vinegar – Red wine vinegar is the classic vinegar to use. You can substitute with balsamic, white wine, cider, or distilled vinegar.
• Oil – I used olive oil, but any neutral-flavored oil will work.
• Soy Sauce – Any good soy sauce, such as tamari, will work. You can also use low-sodium soy to cut back on salt.
• Garlic – Several garlic cloves are added to the marinade. You can substitute 1 1/2 tablespoons of garlic granules or powder.
• Huacatay – This is a marigold that produces leaves known as black mint. It is hard to find in the United States and can be substituted with equal parts minced fresh cilantro and mint.
• Aji Panca – This is a pepper indigenous to Perú and has a Scoville of 1,000 to 1,500. You can purchase the paste or even the dried pepper version. You can easily substitute with a dried ancho chili, which is readily available in the United States. 

How to Make Peruvian Chicken

Toast: I add the seeds to a medium-sized sauté pan and cook them over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally until they’re fragrant.

Grind: Then, I transfer the toasted seeds to a mortar and pestle and grind them until they’re finely ground.

Add: After grinding the seeds, I toss in the garlic and ginger, then start working everything together with the pestle until it’s well blended.

Mix: In go the rosemary, huacatay, vinegar, soy sauce, oil, and aji panca. I mix it all together until it’s fully combined, then give it a taste and adjust with a little salt and pepper as needed.

Substitute huacatay: If I don’t have huacatay, I grind three to four large fresh mint leaves instead. They bring a similar brightness to the marinade.

Replace aji panca: When I don’t have aji panca, I use one dried ancho chili. I start by removing the stem and seeds to get it ready for toasting.

Toast: I place the chili in a small pan and cook it on the middle rack at 275 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes. Once it cools slightly, it goes straight into the mortar and pestle to be ground up with the rest of the ingredients.

Prep the chicken: I rinse it thoroughly, pat it dry with paper towels, and place it in a large bowl.

Marinate: Most of the marinade goes right over the chicken, with just a few tablespoons set aside for later. I make sure it’s well coated and ready to soak in all that flavor.

Coat: Working the marinade into every part of the chicken, I make sure to get inside the cavity, under the skin, and all over the outside for even flavor throughout.

Chill: Once it’s fully coated, I cover the bowl and place it in the fridge, letting it marinate anywhere from 12 to 72 hours so the flavors really settle in.

Truss: I tuck the wings behind the chicken and tie the legs together with butcher’s twine to help it cook evenly and hold its shape in the oven.

Set: The chicken goes on a rack inside a roasting pan, then I pour in two cups of water or chicken stock to keep things moist while it cooks.

Bake: I place the pan on the middle rack of a preheated 400-degree oven and let it roast for about 70 to 75 minutes, until the skin is well browned and the chicken is cooked all the way through.

Grill Option: Another way I like to cook it is by heating one side of the grill over high heat, then setting the pan with the chicken on the cooler side where there’s no direct heat underneath. I let it cook there for the same time and temperature as in the oven.

Rest: Once it’s out of the oven or off the grill, I let the chicken rest uncovered so the juices settle and the skin stays crisp.

Finish: Just before serving, I brush the chicken with the reserved marinade to bring back a fresh layer of flavor.

Serve: I like to plate it up with a generous side of Aji Verde, the classic Peruvian green sauce that really ties everything together.

Chef Tip + Notes

Keep in mind, the foundation of what makes this Peruvian Chicken deeply flavorful is the time it spends in the marinade. The longer it sits, the better it gets. If you’re short on time, twelve hours is the minimum. Any less, and you’ll miss the full effect.

• Grill or oven: I usually cook this in the oven or on the grill, but the most traditional way would be on a rotisserie or spit over open fire.
• Toasting spices: Toasting the seed spices first brings out more aroma and flavor. It’s a small step that makes a big difference.
• Grinding spices: You can use a spice grinder instead of a mortar and pestle if that’s easier. Both work well.
• Rotisserie option: If you’ve got a rotisserie, use it. It’s how this chicken was meant to be cooked.
• No rack: Don’t have a rack? I just use six thick slices of onion to lift the chicken up in the pan. Cooking on a rack with some liquid underneath keeps the chicken moist. It gives you a result that’s close to rotisserie-style.

Serving Suggestions

I always serve this with aji verde, the classic Peruvian green sauce. That creamy, herby, spicy element ties the whole dish together. If I’ve got guests over, I’ll slice up some limes and maybe add a simple caesar salad or some crisp roasted red potatoes. It’s a generous meal that feeds people well.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: You can make this up to 30 minutes ahead of time. Just keep it covered in a pan in the oven or in a grill at low temperatures (<200°).

How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This will freeze covered for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.

How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of Peruvian chicken to a 13×9 casserole dish with ½ cup of water and cover with foil. Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until hot.

More Chicken Recipes

• Chicken Milanese
• Orange Chicken
• Chicken Saltimbocca
• Chicken Shawarma
• Chicken Vegetable Soup

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Peruvian Chicken (Pollo a la Brasa)

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5 from 17 votes

My popular Peruvian Chicken, known as Pollo a la Brasa, is marinated overnight with spices, herbs, and soy sauce, then roasted until the skin is crisp and the meat is full of flavor. Once you try it alongside my homemade Aji Verde sauce, you’ll see why this dish keeps showing up in my kitchen.

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• 1 whole chicken, 3 1/2 to 4 pounds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 12 garlic cloves
• 1/2 ” peeled chunk of fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon huacatay, or 3-4 fresh mint leaves
• 1 ½ tablespoons aji panca, or 1 dried ancho chili
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup olive oil
• coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

• Add the cumin and coriander seeds to a medium-sized sauté pan and cook over low to medium heat for 7 to 8 minutes while occasionally stirring.
• Transfer them to a mortar and pestle and grind until finely ground.
• Next, add the garlic and ginger and grind using the pestle until finely minced. It’s ok if there are some bigger pieces.
• Add the rosemary, huacatay, vinegar, soy, oil, and aji panca, and mix until combined. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.
• Alternatively, to the huacatay, grind in 3 to 4 large fresh mint leaves.
• To replace the aji panca, remove the stem and seeds from 1 dried acho chili. Next, add it to a small pan and cook it on a middle rack at 275° for 15 to 20 minutes. Let the chili cool slightly or just until it becomes crunchy, then add it to the mortar and pestle and grind until finely ground along with the other ingredients.
• Rinse and pat dry inside and outside of the chicken and place it in a large bowl.
• Pour all but 2 to 3 tablespoons of the marinade over the chicken. Reserve those few tablespoons for later.
• Coat the chicken inside the cavity, on the outside, and under the skin as best you can.
• Cover and place in the refrigerator for 12 to 72 hours.
• When it’s done marinating, remove it from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to remove the chill.
• Tuck the wings behind the chicken and then tie the legs together using butcher’s twine.
• Place it on a rack in a pan and pour in 2 cups of water or chicken stock.
• Classically this would be cooked on a rotisserie. If you have one, please use it following the times and temperatures below. Alternatively, Bake it in a preheated oven on a middle rack at 400° for 70 to 75 minutes or until well browned and cooked throughout. The juices should run clear, and the thickest part of the chicken should read 162° to 163° when pulling it from the oven.
• You can also heat 1 side of a grill over high heat and cook the chicken in the pan on the other side of the grill where there is no heat underneath and cook it for the same time and temperature.
• Let the chicken rest for 10 to 15 minutes uncovered. Brush with the remaining marinade. Try serving with Aji Verde Peruvian Green Sauce.

Notes

Keep in mind, the foundation of what makes this Peruvian Chicken deeply flavorful is the time it spends in the marinade. The longer it sits, the better it gets. If you’re short on time, twelve hours is the minimum. Any less, and you’ll miss the full effect.

Grill or oven: I usually cook this in the oven or on the grill, but the most traditional way would be on a rotisserie or spit over open fire.

Toasting spices: Toasting the seed spices first brings out more aroma and flavor. It’s a small step that makes a big difference.

Grinding spices: You can use a spice grinder instead of a mortar and pestle if that’s easier. Both work well.

Rotisserie option: If you’ve got a rotisserie, use it. It’s how this chicken was meant to be cooked.

No rack: Don’t have a rack? I just use six thick slices of onion to lift the chicken up in the pan. Cooking on a rack with some liquid underneath keeps the chicken moist. It gives you a result that’s close to rotisserie-style.

Make-Ahead: You can make this up to 30 minutes ahead of time. Just keep it covered in a pan in the oven or in a grill at low temperatures (<200°).

How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This will freeze covered for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.

How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of Peruvian chicken to a 13×9 casserole dish with ½ cup of water and cover with foil. Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until hot.

Nutrition

Calories: 577kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 38gFat: 43gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 22gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 143mgSodium: 897mgPotassium: 564mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1811IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 3mg

Course: Main

Cuisine: Peruvian

Author: Chef Billy Parisi