Peruvian Roasted Chicken with Aji Verde (Green Sauce)

Peruvian chicken is juicy and packed with flavor and Aji Verde is the best dipping sauce to make this your go-to chicken recipe! (FYI, leftover Aji Verde is great with eggs!)

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon of chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons sugar (optional – I chose not to add sugar and it was still delicious)
  • 4 pound whole chicken

For the Green Sauce:

  • 3 jalapeño chili peppers, seeded if desired (seed one-two for mild spice, leave seeds for spicy)
  • 1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves/ One whole bunch of cilantro leaves 
  • 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

For the Chicken:

  1. Marinate the Chicken – Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Remove the giblets from the inside of the chicken and pat the outside of the chicken dry with paper towels. Loosen the skin of the chicken and spoon some of the mixture underneath. Spread the outside of the chicken with additional mixture. Place chicken and leftover mixture in a large freezer bag, seal tight and refrigerate for 6-12 hours. I left it 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. 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. Carve the chicken and serve with Aji Verde (Green Sauce – see below)

For the Aji Verde (Green Sauce)

  1. Combine all of the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender or food processor and blend into a smooth sauce. Slowly drizzle in olive oil. It will seem very runny at first but it will thicken after it chills a bit. Transfer the sauce to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

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