~ "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; Through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." ~ "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" ~ "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." ~ "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."~

Monday, June 27, 2011

Pollo a la Brasa and Aji Verde Sauce... Peruvian Grilled Chicken with Green Chile Sauce


Pollo a la Brasa... Peruvian Grilled Chicken. I've been wanting to make this dish for several months now...well, ever since this dish was brought to my attention through a phone conversation that I had with my brother. We chatted about this and that... and then he mentioned how he was looking forward to having some Pollo a la Brasa that weekend. Pollo a la Brasa is a classic Peruvian rotisserie-style chicken that's quite flavorful. But I had never heard of this dish before...
The rotisserie-style chicken has become quite popular here in the states. And you'll probably find lots more restaurants that serve Pollo a la Brasa... either on the west coast and/or the east coast...but not so much in Montana:). So it's no wonder why I'd never come across this particular dish before. And it wasn't a surprise to me that my brother knew of this dish as he has the advantage of being married to a sweet Peruvian girl. My brother definitely comes in contact with lots more Peruvian dishes than I do:). In any case, I had him repeat the name of the dish for me and I wrote it down on a piece of paper so that I could make it one day. I went on a search for a recipe recently...
We finally had a warm day... reached close to 80 degs F... it was sooo nice and warm:). It was probably the first real warm day since last summer. While some of you may have had some hot weather for some time now... we on the other hand, had lots of rain with plenty of chilly weather. I mean we had to heat up the house instead of cooling it:). Anyway, I was excited when we finally warmed up a bit and thought it would be nice to make a summery dish while using the grill. Chose to sort of welcome the summer months with Pollo a la Brasa....
While the chicken is ideally cooked rotisserie-style, I decided to use my vertical roaster pan(mimics the popular beer-can method), and it is much simpler to use. The chicken stays quite moist and flavorful... as long as you don't over cook it. And I really like the fact that I don't need to worry about the chicken burning when placed on direct heat. The supervision is minimal... I just basically check it about halfway through the cooking time... and then at the end of the cooking time, when it's close to being done. By now, I know the cooking time is close to 1 1/2 hours... and during that time I usually get the sides ready, clean up, and set the table. And if it's hot outside, using the outdoor grill is the perfect way keep the house cool.
I chose to pretty much follow the recipe from Gourmet magazine... just because it had lots of great reviews. The only change I made was to add some spicy smoked paprika. In the end, I felt I could have used a bit more of the spicy smoked paprika as it wasn't spicy at all. The cumin is quite light and definitely not overpowering... so this is a great dish to make if you want to introduce cumin gently:). While I don't use too much soy sauce in the dishes I make... adding it to this dish brought lots of color to the chicken... as well as flavor.
I am always looking for different ways to make chicken... and this was a great addition to the chicken recipes I make. I also made an aji verde sauce( my way) to go along with the chicken ...I posted the recipe below, as a guide only. Oh, and don't forget the lime wedges to be served with the chicken , as it really brightens the dish up. Hope you enjoy...

Tip: You can use this marinade on boneless chicken thighs, chicken legs...and even breast meat(with the breast meat I would probably marinate it for a few hours only, and use bone-in) and just cook the chicken pieces directly on the grill.
While cooking the chicken on the grill is ideal, I am sure you can use the oven as well... especially if you don't have an outdoor grill.

You will need: adapted from Epicurious/Gourmet

1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
5 garlic cloves, finely grated
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika*
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon oil
3 1/2 lb whole chicken or quartered
* I used 1/2 tsp regular paprika and 1/2 tsp spicy smoked paprika

Directions:

MARINATE:
1. Whisk together soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, cumin, paprika, oregano, pepper, and oil....you can likewise do all this in a blender if you wish.
2. Put chicken in a large sealable bag and add marinade.
3. Seal the bag and marinate in the refrigerator 8 to 24 hours. I suggest at least a 24 hour marination (for a whole chicken) for better flavor...I left mine for 24 hours. During the 24 hour period, turn chicken over a few times(from breast side up to back side up... still in the bag) so the marinade has a chance to penetrate the chicken from all sides.
GRILLING:
1. Take out chicken from fridge and bring to room temperature. Discard the marinade... then pat chicken dry( I didn't bother). Place whole chicken in vertical roaster pan or an aluminum can (to mimic the beer-can method)
3. Preheat the grill on high. Lower heat to med-low(more towards the low side) on 2 burners and turn one burner completely off(mine was the middle). Place the chicken on indirect heat...mine was placed in the middle with the middle burner turned off... the 2 side burners were on med-low heat.
4. Grill chicken for 1 1/2 hours...or until thigh register 165 deg. F. Check halfway to ensure even cooking...
5. Let chicken rest for 5-10 minutes. Cut in quarters and squeeze lime juice over the chicken. Serve with french fries, rice, salad, Peruvian Aji verde sauce, or whatever you prefer....


Aji Verde... Peruvian Green Chile Sauce(my version)...This is a taste-as- you- go sort of sauce... adjust to preference. Traditionally the sauce is made simply out of green chiles, cilantro, garlic, and oil... there are some versions that add a few extra ingredients to the sauce to make it creamier and bring all the flavors together. It goes wonderfully well with the chicken.

Directions:

Blend/Process:
1 bunch of cilantro
1-2 green onions, optional
2- 3 fresh jalapenos, or to taste(in a pinch, you can also use pickled)
1/2 -1 clove of garlic, or to taste
2-3 oz cotija cheese*
*I used queso fresco( because I needed to use it up), but you can probably even use some Parmesan...or omit all together. But I rather like the cheese addition.

Drizzle in:
Olive oil, about 4 TBS...and adjust as needed

Mix in: totally optional and probably not as authentic, but it does round out the flavors.
Mayonnaise, about 3 TBS...and adjust as needed*
*you can omit the mayo and add extra oil, if you like.

Thin out with:
1/4 cup water, or as needed

Finish off with:
Freshly squeezed lime juice or white/red wine vinegar .
Salt to taste

Drizzle some of the aji verde over the chicken..and enjoy!

17 comments:

Alina---Explora Cuisine said...

The color on that chicken is amazing and I love the ingredients you used for marinating it!
I hope summer takes over so you can enjoy some sun :) Have a great week Ellie! XoXo

Mihaela said...

Ellie, this chicken looks phenomenal! And it sounds good too, if I only could serve myself thru the screen :)) Have a sunny week!

Mindy said...

This looks amazing, Ellie! I think I'll try it. I have never heard of the vertical roaster, but that makes so much sense. Need to go find one of those, too. We love chicken, but need a change in how we prepare it. Thanks for the great post!

Andrea the Kitchen Witch said...

Theres so much I like about this chicken recipe! The color it gets is amazing, so rich and delicious looking :) This really sounds like a delicious and different type of chicken, can't wait to try it!

retete- ina said...

looks amazing

Katie said...

Thanks for posting this! I'm currently doing a study abroad program and we eat Pollo a la Brasa at least once a week so I'm going to miss it when I get back to the states. But now I have a recipe for making it at home. Thanks!

Katie said...

I'm currently doing a study abroad program in Peru and I eat at a Brasariella at least once a week! I'm gonna miss not having one in North Dakota but it's nice to know that now I have a recipe to make it when I get a hankering.

Ellie said...

Alina, Thank you...the chicken does take a rather beautiful dark color for the soy sauce...thanks for the visit:)... and have a great week as well!

Mihaela, You are sweet...thank you! I'd gladly share:)... Have a wonderful week!

Mommamindy, Good to hear from you...and thank you! Ah, I love the vertical roaster...such a cool gadget and they are not very expensive. You can likewise use an aluminum coke/pepsi can ... I hope your family likes. Thanks for the visit.

Andrea, Totally love trying out new chicken recipes..and this was such a nice variation. Hope you can give it a try and thanks for your visit:)!

Reteta- Ina, Thank you for your kind comment. Have a great day!

Ellie said...

Katie, Thanks for stopping by. I am hoping this recipe will come as close as it can to the one in Peru...though I am sure the pollo a la brasa that you are enjoying there in Peru is probably a bit different...the spices are local to the region and I am sure every restaurant has their own "secret" spice mixture. But it's definitely worth making at home...hope you enjoy it when you come back to the states:).

Unknown said...

Hello Elli, I am totally astonished... everytime I take a look on your blog so many new recipes are uploaded... your fast, or Iam to busy haha.

Anyhow... I noticed you use your food processor rather often- but I couldn't find a branch or a picture of the hole thing on my quick search- could you share this information with me? I only have very small processors so I wondered which processor likes the drill :D

awaiting your answer
XoXo Yumi

Ellie said...

Yumi, You are too sweet:)! I guess, sometimes I find too many good recipes that I would love to try:)...and then I have to file it in my "cookbook":).

I do use my food processor very often...simply love it. I do keep it on my counter so I see it all the time:)...and use it.

I have a review of the food processor I use(Cuisinart)...under the tab named PRODUCT REVIEWS( way up on the top header). Here is the link to it as well:

http://homecookinginmontana.blogspot.com/2010/03/product-reviewcuisinart-elite-12-cup.html

Hope that helps...and thanks for stopping by! Have a great day...

Deborah Dowd said...

These look so good- I love their dark rich color. I think I will give it a try in an upcoming tapas night!

Ellie said...

Deborah, Thank you! The tapas idea sounds great! Love it...Hope you can give it a try... and thanks for stopping by.

Kenya said...

Hello ! This recipe was SOOO GOOD. It tasted exactly like the chicken I remember . It was absolutely perfect, thank you so much !!!

Ellie said...

Oh, that's wonderful Kenya! I'm so glad you tried it and that you liked it. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback. I really appreciate it!

Fatsh29 said...

hi i just came across your recipe the chicken looks delicious and i want to give it a try in this case i will have to cook it in the oven bc i don't have a outdoor grill. what temp should i set the oven for ? thanks

Ellie said...

Fatsh29, Baking the chicken in the oven will change things a bit... You can roast a chicken at various temperatures, but I would bake it at a high temperature to gain a crisp and golden color. I'd preheat the oven at 450deg F, then lower the temperature to 425 when placing the chicken in the oven.... Bake for 50- 60 minutes or until cooked through. You will need to check chicken so it doesn't burn, if it browns too quickly opt to tent chicken with foil as needed.

Hope that helps... and enjoy!