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Peruvian-Style Roast Chicken with Green Sauce

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By Jenn Segal
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Tender and juicy Peruvian-style roast chicken with a spicy, luscious green sauce.

Plate of Peruvian-style roast chicken with green sauce.

This is my take on Pollo a la Brasa, the delicious roast chicken made popular by so many Peruvian restaurants. The chicken is first marinated in olive oil, lime juice, garlic and spices, and then oven-roasted until tender, juicy and crisp-skinned. The accompanying green sauce, which gets its color from cilantro and jalapeƱo peppers, is spicy, creamy and downright delectable. You can put it on virtually everything, and it even doubles as a fabulous dip or salad dressing.

What you’ll need to make Peruvian-Style Roast Chicken

Chicken ingredients including lime, kosher salt, and oregano.

Before we get to the recipe, a few words on buying a whole chicken. In the poultry department, you’re likely to find birds labeled “broilers,” “roasters” and “fryers.” These labels are based on the weight of the bird, and are meant to suggest a method of cooking. This recipe calls for a four-pound chicken, which is typically considered a “fryer.” This might seem strange since we’re roasting but don’t worry about it — all of these chickens can be used in recipes interchangeably.

How to make Peruvian-Style Roast Chicken

Begin by making the marinade. Combine the lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar, paprika, cumin, and oregano in a blender or mini food processor.

Marinade ingredients in a food processor.

Blend until smooth.

Food processor of marinade.

Using your fingers or a wooden spoon, loosen the skin over the breasts and legs of the chicken.

Wooden spoon loosening the skin from a chicken.

Spoon 2/3 of the marinade under the skin.

Spoon putting marinade under the skin of a chicken.

And rub the rest over top. Place the chicken in a bowl and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.

Chicken marinating in a bowl.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, and set the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan. I like to tuck the wings underneath the bird and tie the legs together so the bird holds its shape.

Tied, marinated chicken in a lined roasting pan.

Roast the chicken for 20 minutes, until the skin is golden, and then turn the heat down to 375 degrees and roast for about an hour and ten minutes more. Let the chicken rest, covered with foil, for about 20 minutes before carving.

Roasted chicken in a roasting pan.

While the chicken marinates, make the green sauce (recipe adapted from theĀ Serious Eats Food LabĀ by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt).

Green sauce ingredients including sour cream, mayonnaise, and lime.

Simply combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, cilantro, jalapeƱos, garlic, lime juice salt and pepper in a blender or food processor.

Sauce ingredients in a blender.

And process until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil. It will seem thin at first but, don’t worry, it will thicken up as it sits.

Blender of green sauce.

Keep in mind that the heat in the sauce comes from the ribs and seeds in theĀ jalapeƱo peppers. I use about half of the seeds and ribs for a medium-hot sauce. If you’re worried about the heat, you can always leave them out at first and then blend them in to taste. (Also, be sure to wash your hands well after handling hot peppers, and do not touch your eyes while working with them.)

Seeded and sliced peppers on a cutting board.

Transfer the sauce to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish the sauce with a sprig cilantro, if desired, and serve with the roasted chicken.

Plate of Peruvian-style roast chicken with green sauce.

Note: The green sauce in this recipe is adapted from one of my favorite columns, the Serious Eats Food Lab by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt.Ā 

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Peruvian-Style Roast Chicken with Green Sauce

By Jenn Segal (Green Sauce adapted from The Serious Eats Food Lab by J. Kenji LĆ³pez-Alt)

Tender and juicy Peruvian-style roast chicken with a spicy, luscious green sauce.

Servings: 4
Cook Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Total Time: 2 Hours, plus at least 6 hours marinating time

Ingredients

For the Chicken

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup lime juice, from 2 limes
  • 4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 4 pound whole chicken

For the Green Sauce

  • 3 jalapeƱo chili peppers, seeded if desired (I use about half the seeds for a medium-hot sauce), and roughly chopped (see note)
  • 1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • ½ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, from one lime
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

For the Chicken

  1. Combine all of the ingredients except the chicken in a blender or mini food processor, and blend until smooth. Remove the giblets from the inside of the chicken and pat the outside of the chicken dry with paper towels; place in a bowl, breast side up with the legs facing you. Using the handle of a wooden spoon or your fingers, loosen the skin from the flesh over the breasts and legs, being careful not to tear the skin or push all the way through (you want the marinade to stay inside the bird). Spoon about ⅔ of the marinade evenly underneath the skin, and spread the remaining ⅓ evenly over the skin. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
  2. Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position, and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil for easy clean-up. Spray a rack (preferably a v-shape) with non-stick cooking spray and place the chicken on top. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Roast for 20 minutes, until the skin is golden. Turn the heat down to 375 degrees, and continue to roast for about an hour and ten minutes more, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and thigh. (Keep an eye on it -- if it's browning too quickly, cover it loosely with foil.) Tent the chicken with foil and let rest for about 20 minutes. Tilt the chicken over the roasting pan to release the juices, then transfer to a cutting board. Carve the chicken and serve with green sauce.

For the Green Sauce

  1. Combine all of the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender or food processor and blend into a smooth sauce. With the motor running, open lid and slowly drizzle in olive oil. It will seem very runny at this point but, don't worry, it will thicken up as it sits. Transfer the sauce to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  2. Note: Be sure to wash your hands well after handling hot peppers, and do not touch your eyes while working with them.
  3. Note: The nutritional information does not include the green sauce.

Pair with

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (4 servings)
  • Calories: 614
  • Fat: 43 g
  • Saturated fat: 10 g
  • Carbohydrates: 7 g
  • Sugar: 3 g
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Protein: 49 g
  • Sodium: 694 mg
  • Cholesterol: 340 mg
Nutritional Data Disclaimer

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Gluten-Free Adaptable Note

To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.

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  • We bbq this and it was off the charts good. We did an oxacan corn on the grill as a side and a chiptole ceasar salad. I must admit that the green sauce was worthy of licking the plate. This is really a great recipe.

  • I prepared this recipe last night and it’s delicious. The green sauce is so tasty. It remains me a sauce that we cook in the Canary Islands called MOJO cilantro. Thank you much for the recipe.

  • Tried this recipe. It was so easy and tasty! I think I’m going to invest in a rotisserie and I think this recipe would be enhanced even further by that. LOVED the green sauce. I subbed plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream and it worked out great!

    Thanks for the wonderful recipe.

  • Your recipes are making me look like a star! I made this chicken exactly as stated in the recipe and my husband and I were salivating while the meat was roasting in the oven. The chicken was great on it’s own but the green sauce took it over the top. We’re so looking forward to the leftovers tonight. Thanks for another delish dish!

  • I made just the green sauce last week and have been eating it on EVERYTHING. Burritos, eggs, toast, roasted veggies, veggie burgers, tortilla chips…it is so good!

  • I cannot say enough about this recipe, especially the green sauce. You will be the talk of the party with this one. Bonus: you can use that green sauce on just about anything!

  • I tried this recipe with a pair of chickens cooked on a rotisserie on the bbq and it turned out amazing. Since then every time I ask my wife what she would like for dinner she asks for ‘Peruvian chicken with that amazing green sauce’. I make extra chicken (it works really well with bone-in chicken thighs) and green sauce, the sauce makes a great vegetable dip and the chicken is even more flavorful as leftovers. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!

  • Absolutely love this recipe! And so easy!! Used chicken thighs and worked out great!

  • I love this better than at my local Peruvian restaurant! And the sauce? Oh man! I doubled the marinade recipe because we had two whole chickens. We let the charcoals get to a medium temperature and grilled them vertically for 1.5 hours. Tender to the bone and the skin was crispy. I didn’t use any seeds for the sauce, but the flavors were all there. Served with broccoli and garlic mashed potatoes. I’m preparing rice and fried plantains for tomorrow’s chicken. I can’t wait to make this for our friends this summer.

  • Hi Jenn,
    I’m currently waiting for the chicken as it marinates. My question relates to the cooking method. I can either roast it 1) vertically in a conical thingamajig which looks like a Bundt pan with a cone in in the middle or 2) place it horizontally on a flat rack over a roasting pan. I’m not sure which would provide the best result or whether it matters. I’m leaning towards the horizontal roaster option cause then the marinade would stay inside the bird better during the cooking. Thanks.
    Stan

    • Hi Stan, Honestly, either way is absolutely fine but the horizontal method is most similar to the method I use. Hope you enjoy it.

  • I was looking for an authentic Peruvian chicken recipe and this was amazing! Thank You!!

  • Hi Jenn! This looks delicious. My husband dislikes spice above the mild level. Is there a way to make this mildly spicy without compensating taste?

    • Hi Heather, The chicken itself isn’t spicy so I wouldn’t alter that at all. For the sauce, all of the heat comes from the seeds of the jalapeƱo peppers. You can just omit them or use less. Enjoy šŸ™‚

      • Awesome! Thanks!

  • Yummy! Super good and spicy. Even my kids loved it.

  • I made your Peruvian chicken with green sauce the other night. It was so simple and absolutely amazing. It brought me back to my favorite little Peruvian restaurant in Seattle I used to go to with my husband. I made some crispy potatoes to go with it and dip in the green sauce. So yummy!

  • This is an amazing recipe…so delicious. I used skinless, boneless chicken breasts and marinated them all day. The green sauce is so good. I served it with rice and broccoli. I’ve made it twice in the last two weeks!

  • I have never tried Peruvian chicken before but had 2# of skinless, boneless chicken thighs in the freezer so decided to give it a go. Halved the marinade and marinated overnight. Grilled them and they were super. We don’t like cilantro so substituted parsley but used other Green Sauce ingredients and made a Creamy Chimichurri Sauce which was delish. Today we are having leftovers in sandwiches mixed with sauce. Not sure if I will try the whole chicken as the grilled thighs were so good and plan to make them again.

  • This was the first recipe I made from your website and it got me so hooked on your recipes that you have been my “go to” site for months since then. That green sauce just makes it. I have made this a bunch of times since then. Most recently I turned it into “green wings” for St. Patrick’s day by using the same exact marinade with chicken wings and then tossing them in the green sauce. Really really good. In fact everything I have tried from your website has been a winner. Thank you!

    • That sounds amazing, I’m gonna try that! Did you grill the wings first? Bake?

  • OMG this chicken is the absolute best and a family favorite. The sauce is amazing. Thanks for all the great recipes…all have been great!

  • I substituted with Pheasant and it was fabulous. The green sauce is out of this world!

  • Delicious! Make extra green sauce to have on hand for dipping just about anything.

  • We eat a lot of poultry at our house so i am always on the hunt for new and interesting ways to make it. I decided to give this recipe a try and it is a winner! The chicken is full of flavor and delicious on its own but when you add the green sauce it is divine!
    Thanks Jenn for another “keeper!”

  • I was looking for an easy roast chicken recipe that strayed from my usual butter and herb roast chicken that I make. The chicken was so flavorful and moist and I loved how the flavors were so bright and “popped” in your mouth. The sauce was just awesome. I paired this meal with some simple rice of diced ham, onions, and edamame ( it was all I had in hand) and my husband loved it so much he has this dish on his “favorite dinners” list. Because we are only two people, we of course, had leftovers and I decided to do my take on the Cuban sandwich the next day using this chicken and the green sauce. My husband is not a fan of mustard and plain mayo so I used the green sauce like the mustard and mayo, spread it on both pieces of bread, layered ham over it, chopped up the chicken (delicious skin included), added Swiss and placed it in my panini grill. It was absolutely delicious. This recipe served 2 meals for us and I am so happy I found it on your site! Thank you!

  • This has been one of my favorites. After visiting a peruvian restaurant in NY I was really looking for a recipe to make peruvian chicken when one of my friends came upon this site. Since then I have been hooked to onceuponachef.com. I have shared this site with numerous friends and many have come back to thank me. I tell them to thank Jenn. Every recipe I have tried has been fabulous.

    Thank You,
    Abraham.

  • This is one of my favorite recipes…..ever! The sauce is super tasty and without using any seeds not spicy and perfect for my young not spicy loving kids. The chicken is super flavorful and taste even better the next day. I always double the recipe because everyone always asks for seconds!

  • This was the most flavorful chicken I have had in a long time! The only thing I might change is to make half the sauce next time, as I had quite a bit left over.

  • This is a keeper. I used a cut up chicken and grilled instead of roasting (finally nice out!). Marinated the chicken overnight and made the green sauce last night too. Sauce was really good on grilled red potatoes too. Awesome chicken recipe.

  • Made this for a “Quess who’s coming for dinner” party. So many raves, the rest of the church wanted the recipe!!

  • Jenn! Thank you so much for this recipe! Absolutely a favorite. Made it for my daughter’s birthday party and it was a tremendous hit! I am on your website for all my recipe needs and for a novice cook it has never let me down! Thanks again!

  • Hi. Thank you for this recipe. I’m a new cook with zero imagination when it comes to food combining. I would like to make this roast chicken recipe for my husband. Can you suggest carb and vegetables sides to go with this roast chicken?

    • Hi Jackie, I love it with my Mexican Rice Pilaf and French Green Beans with Shallots.

      • Thank you for the quick response. I will try the whole menu.

  • This recipe is the BOMB.com! I made an 8 pound roaster so I doubled everything. With the high heat method it took about 2+ hours to roast. And the green sauce is AMAZING! Double that too and am so happy I did. FANTASTIC on chips alone. Served with pinto beans seasoned w/garlic powder, cumin and oregano, brown rice, fried plantains and whole wheat tortillas on the side. Can’t wait till spring/summer so I can do this on the charcoal grill!

  • I have already reviewed the recipes…. Just an update…I fixed the Peruvian chicken,black bean salad with chipolte honey dressing for our supper club…six foodies trying hard to impress…I added a corn pudding, and fixed Jen’s margaritas with a warm spicy cheese dip….my guests, all wonderful cooks, went CRAZY… The best review came when a girl leaned in and whispered…IHATE you:):):) This dinner was a smash hit….many,many thanks!

  • I’ve made this chicken several times- it’s amazing! Tonight was the first time that I used the left over bones to make stock. Possibly the best chicken stock I’ve ever had.

    Thanks for all the great recipes, Jenn!!

  • I made this for the 1st time this past weekend — had some friends over for game night. This recipe is great. I marinated the chicken (did a whole chicken cut up and then some thighs because we love dark meat) overnight. As far as the marinade, the only thing I subbed was the paprika for smoked paprika (all I had). I cooked the chicken for probably a total of 45 min., (20 min on 425) and it was just right. The sauce is awesome. I did use half jalapenos and half serranos. The sauce was popular even with my fiance who thinks mayo is gross (he tried it before he knew what was in it & said YUM). Also makes great leftovers. We sort of made burritos with the leftover meat, rice, sauce, etc. We are thinking we’ll use the leftover sauce for some shrimp or white fish. Great recipe. So glad I finally tried it….. thanks!!!

  • Peruvian-Style Roast Chicken with Green Sauce. Holy Cow this is a Great recipe. Thanks to you Jenn. Keep up the great work! Tim, Brisbane Australia.

  • Simply Delicious Jen!!
    Thank you so much for your well written and easy to follow recipes, they are always a winner!!

  • Good site! Concise, simple enough for any level cook. Like the choices of weekly recipes.

  • I’ve made this 3 time,s once with a whole chicken, twice with bone in, skin on breasts. It was better with the breasts for me because it was hard to get the marinade down under the skin of the thigh/leg. I’ve also made it with a lower fat version of the aji and it was just as good (low fat mayo, fat free greek yogurt, 1tb less of olive oil). My Peruvian husband approves, really is as close as I’ve ever been able to get to the real thing!

  • I thought there was supposed to be soy sauce in Peruvian pollo a la brasa?

  • I was pressed for time and was unable to marinade for any length of time and yet the chicken was still delicious! This recipe is a keeper!

  • LOVE this recipe. I use the chicken marinade on tofu and the green sauce is amazing.

    THANK YOU!! šŸ™‚

  • Loved every bit of this recipe! Wondering if this can be made with a whole skinless chicken?

  • Can you cook this on a rotisserie over charcoal?

    • — leonard taylor
    • Reply

    • Hi Leonard, Yes, I’m sure that would be delicious.

  • This chicken is so amazingly good. My sis made it and omitted the pepper seeds (for her kids) and later regretted it, everything balances out and the flavors are amazing.

    • — Grace Saunders
    • Reply

  • This Peruvian style roast chicken with green sauce is superb! Excellent! I’ve made the sauce just to have around. My guests couldn’t stop eating it and now I will make it again and again. Thanks!

  • I’d like to adapt this recipe for either the chicken cut up or use legs/thighs & breasts (w/ skin for marinade purpose). What are the temperature & approximate roasting time changes from the recipe? Any other revisions that should be made?

    • Hi Dana, You can keep the recipe pretty much the same, just reduce the cooking time. Once you turn the heat down to 375, you’ll probably only need to cook it another 25-30 minutes. Hope you enjoy it šŸ™‚

  • I made this recipe for my mother’s birthday – it was an absolute hit! I paried it with a corn soufflĆ©, avocado salad and a carrot cream cheese cake. The only thing substituted was omit the mayo from the green sauce because we do not like mayo – I just sub it with additional cream cheese.

  • I made this last week and it tastes just like the chicken we get from our local Peruvian resteraunt. I used chicken quarters instead of a whole chicken since there were only two of us.

  • My husband and I lived with a family for 4 weeks while studying Spanish in Peru. Our meals prepared by the family had very little meat. We were thrilled when we discovered grilled chicken with dipping sauces at a local restaurant. This chicken recipe brought us right back to Cuzco, Peru. I always make a double recipe of the sauce since it is so good on everything;beans, eggs, potatoes, salad etc, etc

  • I have made several recipies…peruvian chicken,blackbean and corn salad, and chicken enchaladas….the families response?” Off the chart!” I am serving the salad,chicken,and a corn pudding to my supper club, paired with your margarita recipe…thank you sooo much!! Your blog is a masterpiece!
    A SoFl cook

    • Thank you, Gayann! So glad you are enjoying the recipes šŸ™‚

  • I would say that the green sauce I have had in the Peruvian restaurants I’ve visited used serrano peppers not jalapeƱos. I can tell the difference.

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