Peruvian Chicken

Cumin and paprika-spiced chicken is served alongside a crisp arugula-corn salad and topped with an addictively tangy green sauce. This Peruvian Chicken is packed with flavor and sure to be a family favorite!

We’ve got texture, color, and flavor in this dish! And unlike roasting a full chicken (pollo a la brasa), we’re sticking to just boneless breasts (or thighs) to ensure you still have all the great flavors, without the 1+ hours of roasting time.

I have a favorite place to get Peruvian chicken near me and I thought it was about time to recreate a simpler version. This Peruvian-inspired chicken, green sauce and salad is everything I could ever want in a meal — so much flavor, all the perfect textures and lots of color from the veggies! 

And if there’s one thing we can all probably agree on, it’s that dry, bland foods are forgettable and less appetizing. So today I’m using a deliciously creamy mayonnaise to create a sauce that is anything BUT forgettable. We’ll smear the deliciously spiced Peruvian Chicken with this sauce and then drizzle it over the simple arugula salad. I’m ready to make this dish again, just writing about it! 🙂

How to make Peruvian Chicken

• Marinade: Start by mixing together a quick marinade/rub for the chicken breasts. You’ll want smoked paprika (not sweet) for this recipe. 
•  Salad: This salad is quick and uses a lot of the same ingredients that are in the marinade. Whisk the dressing ingredients together or shake it all up in a jar. Don’t toss with the salad until you’re ready to eat. 
• Grill: Cook the chicken, red pepper, and corn on the cob on a gas or charcoal grill. You can also use a grill pan or skillet for this recipe. More tips on grilling below! 
• Green sauce: While the chicken is cooking, prepare the green sauce (see below!). 

How to make the green sauce

The sauce is the crucial element that ties this Peruvian Chicken meal together. It’s essential to use a good, high-quality mayonnaise for flavor and creaminess.

To make the sauce: Give the jalapeños and garlic a quick coarse chop and then add to a high-powered blender. Pile all the other ingredients right on top and blend until smooth. It’s important to test your sauce for personal preference. Adjust seasonings and lime juice first and then adjust for spiciness. To increase spiciness, add more of the jalapeño’s seeds and ribs. I recommend starting without adding in seeds and ribs and slowly adding to personal heat preference. Keep in mind that not all jalapeños have the same amount of spiciness.

Recipe tips

• Toss the salad with the dressing right before serving to keep it from getting soggy. Leftover salad doesn’t sit well with the dressing. 
• If you have time, make the green sauce in advance so it has time for the flavors to meld and intensify (note that the spiciness also increases).
• Make sure to slice the chicken in half, and/or pound the breasts (this is best accomplished by a meat mallet) into an even thickness before marinating. This allows the chicken to soak up more flavor from the marinade (improving taste), and the even thickness will allow them to cook evenly.
• Once it’s finished, let the cooked chicken rest, tented with foil, for 5-10 minutes before slicing. This allows the juices to redistribute.

• Instead of serving Peruvian Chicken with the salad, how about serving it over or with rice?
• Add a hard-boiled egg (see my tutorial on this deviled egg recipe) to the dish.
• Add a side of beans (Peruvian-style in the instant pot).
• For a starchy side dish, try boiled fingerling potatoes tossed with butter and parsley (papitas al perejil).
• Another starchy side option: fries!

More delicious (chicken) meals

• Jamaican Jerk Tacos
• Mango Chicken
• Bruschetta Chicken
• Chimichurri Chicken
• Pesto Chicken Tortellini (one pot)

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5 from 8 votes

Peruvian Chicken

By Chelsea Lords

Spiced with cumin and paprika, this juicy chicken pairs perfectly with a crisp arugula-corn salad and a tangy green sauce that’s downright addictive. Peruvian Chicken may look complex, but it’s simpler than it seems—many ingredients are used multiple times, but written out twice (or three times) for easier reading.

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Marinating Time: 6 hours hours

Total Time: 6 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Equipment

• Grill or grill pan
• Blender

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

Chicken marinade

• ▢ 1.5 pounds chicken breasts 2 large, halved horizontally and pounded to even thickness
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lime juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon honey
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ Salt and pepper

Salad

• ▢ 2 fresh ears corn
• ▢ 1 large red bell pepper
• ▢ 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lime juice
• ▢ 2 teaspoons honey
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 3 to 4 ounces arugula
• ▢ Cotija queso mix optional
• ▢ 1 large avocado optional, thinly sliced or chopped

Green Sauce

• ▢ 2 to 3 large jalapenos coarsely chopped, see note 1
• ▢ 1 cup cilantro lightly packed and coarsely chopped; some stems are fine
• ▢ 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1/2 cup mayo
• ▢ 1/2 tablespoon yellow mustard
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lime juice
• ▢ 1/4 cup sour cream

Instructions 

• In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, honey, 1 clove of minced garlic, olive oil, smoked paprika, ground cumin, and dried oregano. Season to preference with salt and pepper; I add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Halve chicken breasts horizontally. Using a meat mallet or the bottom of your frying pan, pound breasts to even thickness (not super flat, just even in thickness). Place prepared chicken in a large plastic bag and pour the marinade mix over. Seal the bag without air and knead to coat all the chicken in the marinade. Refrigerate for 30 minutes up to 6 hours. If possible, make the green sauce now too, so it has a chance to sit and flavors can intensify.
• Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat (about 400°F.) Generously oil the grill (I drench a rolled-up paper towel in vegetable oil and, holding it with tongs, rub it over the grill grates. Don’t skip this step.) Grill pan: add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan. Place marinated chicken on the grill. Discard any leftover marinade. Grill 10–12 minutes, flipping once halfway through, or until chicken juices run clear and internal temperature is 165°F.
• Salad: Grill the corn on the cob and red pepper (see note 2). In a mason jar, add red wine vinegar, lime juice, honey, olive oil, and salt/pepper to taste (I add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper). Shake to combine. In a bowl, toss the arugula, corn cut off the grilled cob (slightly cooled), and chopped bell pepper. Add dressing right before serving (you may not use all the dressing, but I like a generous amount). Toss to combine and taste for seasoning.
• Sauce: In a high-powered blender, add jalapenos, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, mayo, mustard, lime juice, and sour cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I add 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper). Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust to preference. Note: the heat increases as the sauce sits.
• Serve grilled chicken alongside a generous helping of salad. Sprinkle cheese on top. Add sliced avocado if desired. Serve with a side of green sauce or drizzle it over everything.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: This is about 1 cup chopped jalapenos. Remove ribs and seeds before adding to the blender. Adjust amount to heat preference. The sauce’s heat intensifies as it sits.

Note 2: How to grill corn: Preheat a grill to medium-high heat, around 400°F. Once hot, clean the grill grates. Remove the husks and silk from the corn. Pour about 1 teaspoon vegetable oil on each corn cob and rub that oil into all sides. Very lightly sprinkle salt and pepper on all sides of the corn. (Remember, the cotija cheese is quite salty, so you don’t want to add too much salt.) Place corn directly on grill grates and close the lid. Cook about 3 minutes per side undisturbed. Using tongs, rotate and continue cooking, about 12 minutes total. When all sides are browned, remove from grill.

To grill pepper: Rub vegetable or olive oil over the pepper and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place on grill; rotate every 3–4 minutes for a total of 10 minutes or until charred to preference. Remove all veggies and let cool before chopping.

Storage: Store the chicken, salad, and sauce separately in airtight containers. Keep the chicken and sauce in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat the chicken before serving, and assemble the salad fresh to keep it crisp.

Nutrition

Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 222mg | Potassium: 206mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 2166IU | Vitamin C: 61mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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