Peruvian Chicken Anticucho Wraps

About This Recipe

This wrap draws on anticuchos, Peru's beloved grilled skewer tradition, adapting the smoky, aji panca-marinated chicken into a portable format wrapped in flatbread rather than served straight off the grill. The chicken is marinated in a paste of aji panca, garlic and cumin, giving it a deep reddish color and smoky, mild heat before it's grilled hot and fast until charred at the edges. Wrapped with salsa criolla, Peru's tangy pickled red onion condiment, and a drizzle of huancaina sauce (a creamy, mildly spicy cheese sauce), this wrap brings together several signature Peruvian flavors in one easy handheld lunch.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 600 gboneless chicken thighs
• 3 tbspaji panca paste
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 tspground cumin
• 2 tbspred wine vinegar
• 2 tbspvegetable oil
• 1 tspsalt
• 1red onion(thinly sliced, for salsa criolla)
• 2 tbsplime juice(for salsa criolla)
• 2 tbspchopped cilantro(for salsa criolla)
• 1/2 cupqueso fresco(crumbled, for huancaina sauce)
• 2 tbspaji amarillo paste(for huancaina sauce)
• 1/4 cupevaporated milk(for huancaina sauce)
• 4large flatbreads or flour tortillas

Instructions

1. 1

   Marinate the chicken

   Whisk aji panca paste, garlic, cumin, vinegar, oil and salt into a marinade, then coat the chicken and marinate at least 1 hour.

2. 2

   Make the salsa criolla

   Toss sliced red onion with lime juice and cilantro; let sit 15 minutes to soften slightly.

3. 3

   Make the huancaina sauce

   Blend queso fresco, aji amarillo paste and evaporated milk until smooth.

4. 4

   Grill the chicken

   Grill the marinated chicken over medium-high heat, 6-7 minutes per side, until charred and cooked through; slice into strips.

   Marinate the chicken for at least an hour — aji panca's flavor needs real time to penetrate the meat.

5. 5

   Warm the bread

   Warm the flatbreads briefly on a dry skillet.

6. 6

   Assemble

   Layer the grilled chicken, salsa criolla and huancaina sauce onto each flatbread.

7. 7

   Serve

   Roll tightly and serve immediately.

Variations

• •

  Beef can replace chicken, closer to traditional anticucho preparations, which often use beef heart.

• •

  A spicier version increases the aji amarillo in the huancaina sauce.

• •

  Adding sliced avocado to the wrap gives extra creaminess.

Storage

Grilled chicken keeps refrigerated up to 3 days; assemble fresh wraps rather than storing pre-rolled ones, since the bread softens quickly once filled.

Frequently Asked Questions