Shredded chicken in a creamy, walnut-thickened aji amarillo sauce, one of Peru's most beloved comfort dishes.
Aji de gallina takes shredded poached chicken and coats it in a thick, golden sauce built from bread soaked in milk, ground walnuts and a generous amount of aji amarillo paste, giving it a distinctly Peruvian creamy, mildly spicy character. The sauce's body comes almost entirely from the soaked bread and walnuts blended together, a technique that thickens without any flour or cream, resulting in something richer and more textured than a simple roux-based sauce. Traditionally served over boiled potato slices and white rice, garnished with sliced hard-boiled egg and black olives, aji de gallina is considered one of Peru's most comforting home-cooked dishes, its bright yellow-orange color instantly recognizable.
Serves 4
Soak the bread slices in milk until fully saturated and soft.
Heat oil in a pot and cook onion until soft, add garlic and aji amarillo paste, cooking 3-4 minutes until fragrant.
Blend the soaked bread with its milk until smooth, then add to the pot along with the reserved chicken broth.
Blend the bread completely smooth before adding it — any lumps will show up as an unpleasant texture in the finished creamy sauce.
Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens.
Stir in ground walnuts, grated parmesan and salt, simmering 5 more minutes.
Fold in the shredded chicken and simmer 10 minutes until heated through and well coated in the sauce.
Serve over sliced boiled potato and rice, garnished with hard-boiled egg and black olives.
Blend the soaked bread completely smooth before adding it to the sauce, since any lumps will be noticeable in the final creamy texture.
Use the chicken's own poaching broth as the sauce liquid rather than plain water, for much deeper flavor.
Simmer the sauce gently and stir occasionally, since it can stick and scorch as it thickens.
Turkey can substitute for chicken, and was traditionally the original protein used in this dish.
Adding pecans instead of walnuts gives a slightly different, sweeter nuttiness.
A spicier version increases the aji amarillo paste for those who enjoy more heat.
Refrigerate up to 4 days in an airtight container; the sauce thickens further as it cools, so thin with a bit of broth or milk when reheating.
Aji de gallina has roots in colonial-era Peru, with some food historians tracing its origins to Spanish and Moorish influences on Peruvian cooking, and it remains one of the most beloved home-cooked dishes across the country today.
Yes, shredded rotisserie chicken works well; just use a good chicken stock in place of the poaching broth.
A mix of yellow bell pepper and a small amount of habanero approximates the flavor, though the color and heat level will differ.
Simmer it longer, uncovered, to reduce, or make sure enough bread and walnuts were included, since they're the primary thickeners.
Per serving (420g / 14.8 oz) · 4 servings total
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