Peruvian Aji de Gallina Recipe: How To Make Peru’s Favorite Spicy Creamed Chicken

Our Peruvian Aji de gallina recipe guides you in crafting an authentic spicy shredded chicken dish wrapped in a creamy sauce.

Peruvian aji de gallina recipe
“aji gallina” by frankfarm is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Aji de Gallina is the ultimate Peruvian comfort food.

This creamy chicken dish has just enough bite to ward off the cold nights in the Andes mountains. And the cheesy mixture mixed with the delicate crunch of walnuts makes this dish a treat to enjoy both in texture and taste.

Our Aji de Gallina recipe takes an authentic Peruvian classic and lets you know all the adjustments for those hard-to-find ingredients of the typical North American groceries.

Peruvian Aji de Gallini roughly translates to “hen’s chili”. This dish, which is one of the most popular foods to eat in Peru, can be found everywhere in the country. The recipe for Aji de Gallina (also known as Aji Gallina), involves shredded chicken slathered in a nut-based sauce that get’s just a tinge of spice from the bright orange and red aji amarillo peppers that are incredibly popular in Peru.

The dish is typically served over white rice with a side of boiled or steamed potatoes. The end result is a hearty, comfort food that is both filling and delicious.

At first glance, this Peruvian aji de gallina recipe looks complicated. Although there are several steps to perfecting this dish (it’s definitely not as simple as this authentic Peruvian ceviche recipe), it’s actually quite an easy dish to make. And that’s part of the reason that it has become so popular in one of the world’s best countries for foodies.

My family traveled throughout Peru, and aji de gallina was ordered by at least one of us in pretty much every city and town that we visited. The best we had though was in Lima at El Rincon Que No Conoces on José Bernardo Alcedo. That’s the dish that I based this recipe on.

Family exploring the Uros islands on Lake Titicaca Peru
My family exploring the Uros islands on Lake Titicaca Peru

What Is Aji De Gallina?

Aji de gallina is a perfect representation of the fusion of cultures that have helped Peru to adopt one of the most diverse and world-class culinary backbones in the world.

The dish has been heavily influenced by immigrants from around the world. Peruvian fusion cuisine has a heavy mix of Asian, African, and European flavors mixed with local Andean dishes. Aji de gallina is believed to have its roots in African food and the original version was brought over by African slaves as part of the Spanish colonization of the country.

Traditional aji de gallina gets its spicy zip from the Peruvian aji pepper (you can order them off of Amazon here), however, in countries where that pepper is difficult to find, it’s often replaced with habanero or Scotch bonnet peppers.

The dish pairs parmesan cheese, milk, and walnuts with traditional Peruvian ingredients such as mild Peruvian Aji peppers and shredded chicken to create a recipe that’s cheesy, nutty, spicy, and creamy. A perfect combination for chilly mountain nights.

Authentic Peruvian Aji de Gallina Recipe

Aji gallina must-try food in Peru

Authentic Peruvian Aji de Gallina Recipe

Yield: 5 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Our Peruvian Aji de gallina recipe guides you in crafting an authentic spicy shredded chicken dish wrapped in a creamy sauce.

Ingredients

  • 4 yellow potatoes. Peeled.
  • 4 slices white bread
  • 3/4 cup evaporated milk, plus 2 tbsp more to be used if necessary
  • 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 3 to 4 yellow ají peppers
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 cloves garlic. Minced.
  • 1 large Spanish onion. Chopped.
  • 3 tbsp walnuts. Coarsely chopped (can be substituted with pecans).
  • 3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
  • 3 cups white rice. Cooked.
  • 2 large hard-boiled eggs. Quartered (optional).
  • 5 black olives. Pitted and halved.
  • Salt
  • Evaporated milk (optional).

Instructions

    1. In a medium-sized pot add potatoes, 1 tsp of salt, and enough water to cover the potatoes by 1-2 inches.
    2. Bring water to a boil then reduce heat to medium. Cook until the potatoes are fork-tender.
    3. Once the potatoes are tender, quarter them and set them aside.
    4. Place the bread slices in a medium-sized bowl. Pour 3/4 cups of milk over bread. Set it aside to soak.
    5. Place the chicken breast in a medium-sized pot. Cover with water and allow to simmer until cooked through (approx. 10-15 minutes).
    6. Remove chicken from stock water. Set the chicken aside,
    7. Strain chicken stock and set aside 2 cups for later.
    8. When the chicken has cooled, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces.
    9. Core the peppers and remove the seeds.
    10. Add peppers and vegetable oil to a blender. Process them until liquified.
    11. In a medium saucepan over medium heat add the liquified peppers, garlic, and onions,
    12. Cook the mixture until the onions have softened and are semi-transparent. Set aside when finished.
    13. In a blender add the bread and milk mixture. Blend until smooth. Tip: If you want a smoother mixture you can add chicken stock or evaporated milk till the perfect consistency is achieved.
    14. In the blender, add the pepper/onion/garlic mixture to the bread mixture. Pulse to combine.
    15. Pour the mixture into a large pan over medium heat. Add chicken and 1 1/2 cups of the reserved chicken stock. Stir to combine.
    16. Simmer the mixture until warmed through. Add more chicken stock if you find the mixture to be too thick.
    17. Serve the completed aji de gallina over a bed of white rice. Garnish with potato wedges and sliced olives. Top with crushed walnuts.

Notes

Aji de gallina is traditionally served with a halved hardboiled egg. This can easily be added to this recipe if you would like.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 835Total Fat: 32gCarbohydrates: 79gProtein: 55g

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