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This Peruvian chicken rivals the juicy, crisp-skinned roast chicken from your favorite Peruvian spot. And the creamy, zesty green sauce? You’ll want to put it on everything!
This Peruvian chicken recipe 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 and juicy with super crispy skin. The accompanying green sauce, which gets its color from cilantro and jalapeño 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.
“I don’t know I’ve ever eaten a better roast chicken. The rub alone is wonderful, but the sauce??? Oh man, puts it over the top…This recipe is as good as it gets!”
Choosing a Chicken
Look for a whole chicken weighing about 4 pounds, and don’t worry too much about whether the package says “fryer,” “broiler,” or “roaster.” The weight matters more than the label here. A much larger bird will need more time in the oven, so choosing one close to the recipe’s size makes the timing easier to follow.
HOW TO MAKE Peruvian Chicken with Green Sauce
Begin by making the marinade. Combine the lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, sugar, paprika, cumin, and oregano in a blender or mini food processor. Blend until smooth.
Using your fingers or a wooden spoon, loosen the skin over the breasts and legs of the chicken.
Spoon about two-thirds of the marinade under the skin. Then rub the rest of the marinade over top. Place the chicken in a bowl and refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 425°F, 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.
Roast the chicken for 20 minutes, until the skin is golden, and then turn the heat down to 375°F and roast for about an hour and ten minutes more. Let the chicken rest, covered with foil, for about 20 minutes before carving.
While the chicken marinates, make the spicy green sauce. Simply combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, cilantro, jalapeños, garlic, lime juice salt and pepper in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil. It will seem thin at first but it will thicken up as it sits.
Transfer the sauce to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve. Carve the chicken and serve with green sauce.
How Spicy Is the Green Sauce?
With about half the jalapeño ribs and seeds included, the sauce has a medium-hot kick. For a milder version, remove them all before blending, then taste and add a little back if you’d like more heat. Jalapeños can vary quite a bit, so starting mild gives you more control.
Make-Ahead, Freezing & Reheating
The long marinade does some of the planning for you: get the chicken ready the night before, blend the green sauce, and the next day you can concentrate on roasting and sides.
- Prep ahead: Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight, as directed. You can make the green sauce a day ahead, too; keep it covered in the fridge and stir before serving.
- Store: Refrigerate leftover chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 days, keeping the green sauce separate.
- Freeze: Freeze the cooked chicken in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. I’d make the green sauce fresh rather than freeze it, since its creamy texture can change.
- Reheat: Place the chicken in a baking dish with a splash of water, cover with foil, and warm in a 325°F oven until heated through to 165°F. Uncover toward the end to help the skin crisp up. Serve the green sauce cold alongside.
Peruvian-Style Roast Chicken with Green Sauce
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup lime juice, from 2 limes
- 4 large cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 4 lb whole chicken
For the Green Sauce
- 3 jalapeño 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 1 lime
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
For the Chicken
- Combine the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, salt, paprika, black pepper, cumin, oregano, and sugar in a blender or mini food processor. 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 your fingers or the handle of a wooden spoon, gently loosen the skin over the breasts and legs, being careful not to tear it (you want the marinade to stay underneath the skin). Spoon about two-thirds of the marinade evenly under the skin, then spread the remaining third over the outside of the chicken. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position, and preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil for easy clean-up. Spray a rack (preferably a V-shape) with non-stick cooking spray, then place the chicken on it.
- Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Roast for 20 minutes, until the skin is golden.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) and continue roasting for about 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and thigh. If the chicken is 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
- Combine the jalapeño peppers, cilantro, garlic, mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor and blend into a smooth sauce.
- With the motor running, open the lid and slowly drizzle in the olive oil. It will seem runny at this point; it will thicken up as it sits. Transfer the sauce to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- Be sure to wash your hands well after handling hot peppers, and do not touch your eyes while working with them.
- The nutritional information does not include the green sauce.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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.
What To Serve With Peruvian Chicken
For the full chicken-dinner treatment, add Mexican rice and black bean salad with corn and avocado, and let everyone help themselves. Crispy potato wedges are another great option—especially with extra green sauce for dipping.
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The green sauce is AMAZING! I was putting it on everything. The chicken was super moist and delicious on its own. I had to wait a day to make it because I didn’t read the recipe throughly in the beginning and started a little late for dinner since it has a 6 hours or overnight marinating time. Well worth the wait.
I make this recipe all the time! It’s very flavorful and really easy to pull together. I could drink the green sauce straight up! I once lightened the green sauce a bit and subbed a portion of the sour cream/mayo with greek yogurt…it was still tasty, but I think it’s worth going for the full tanginess of the sour cream/mayo combo.
This recipe also makes killer leftover nachos or tacos. Just reheat some of the meat, put it in a tortilla or on chips, and top with your favorite toppings…but don’t forget to drizzle on the green sauce at the end!
This green sauce is the best hands down. I have tried others – they don’t compare. When I make this sauce I double and freeze some. We use on everything. Great recipe.
Wonderful recipe and part of our regular dinner rotation. It is best with whole chicken, but we make it often with boneless skinless chicken breasts and just marinade for a shorter time. The green sauce is absolutely delicious and is wonderful on roasted potatoes or drizzled over rice and black bean burrito bowls.
THIS CHICKEN DISH IS FABULOUS!!!!! (Trust me, because I don’t type a lot of reviews unless super satisfied)
I made zero changes to any ingredients because they all work perfectly together. But what I have done is used the marinade with bone in Chicken breasts instead of the full fowl. I baked at 450 for 35 minutes then 375 for another 15, super juicy and perfect, although I do have a weird oven, so times may be different.
I’ve used this marinade with pork tenderloin and BOOM! Lovely! And don’t get me started on the Green Sauce, which is a staple! I use this stuff on everything! From just dipping vegetables to fish to even a sauce on roasted vegetables on rice. Plus, more importantly for me, I usually have all of these ingredients on hand, and don’t have to whip out to grab anything.
Thank you so much for another winner!!!!
Excellent recipe – the chicken comes out moist and flavorful, but picky eaters won’t be put off by the spices. The green sauce is delicious and we used it on two other meals later in the week. I have tried a different recipe for Peruvian chicken and green sauce and this was better – we will use this recipe again.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner! Is there really anything left to say? Honestly, this is one delicious bird. The recipe is super easy to make and the green sauce — really, there are no words. It’s true what others have said. I could eat that sauce on anything. Between the flavorful meat and the green sauce this is sure to be one meal that will impress your family and friends. I have followed Jenny’s advice to lift the skin with a wooden spoon to get in the marinade. It worked out just fine, the next time I made this recipe I opted to use disposable medical gloves that really allowed me to get the marinade in all the nooks and crannies. Seriously, if you haven’t tried this recipe, give it a go. It rivals all of the Peruvian chicken places I frequent near my home.
This is the best roasted chicken recipe ever. It is so worth the effort and not as hard as it sound. I marinated the chicken early in the morning, started roasting around 4pm (between the meetings), and only had to make the green sauce after work was over. I served it with rice and coleslaw all topped with the green sauce. I did not use any seeds and only two jalapeño because of our sensitivity to spicy foods but I made no other changes. The chicken out of the oven was irresistible, I had to try it. Perfect crunch, complexed flavors and enjoyed by all, especially my picky eater. I am sharing it with all my friends.
This was one of the first recipes I tried from your website and I have to say I was hooked! I have made this a ton of times and it is always a hit in our home. The green sauce is like icing on a cake! Heavenly! I am from the Caribbean and love food that’s packed with flavor and spice! This recipe, like all the others I have tried from your site (and book!) did not disappoint. I use legs and thighs and it’s so good! Thank you!
Hands down this is my favorite recipe from your site! My husband loves it so much we make it every Sunday! And the leftovers are fabulous added to your smoky red lentil soup. F