We have another Peruvian dish for you today and it’s a good one. Aji Amarillo (yellow peppers) are super popular in Peru and are in a lot of the dishes we had in Cusco. Unfortunately I couldn’t bring any fresh peppers home but I was able to bring home some dried peppers as well as aji paste so look out. We’ll be making more dishes using this pepper.
When the peppers are fresh, they look like this:
Dried, they look like this:
Here is a picture of the aji paste that I bought in Peru. It’s delicious!
To make Aji de Gallina it’s pretty simple actually. If you have dried peppers, soak them over night in warm water. Look how much they puff up. The only thing I don’t like about using dried peppers, though, is that they aren’t the bright orange color that the fresh ones are.
Cut the peppers lengthwise and remove all the seeds.
Add the peppers and chicken broth in the blender and liquefy. Add the other ingredients and blend until smooth.
Add the aji mixture to your shredded chicken and heat through.
My measurements aren’t exact since when I learned how to make this in Peru, she didn’t measure anything. So add more or less of anything that you want.
To serve, slice potatoes and place a few on your plate. Cover with the chicken and pepper sauce. Top with a slice of hard boiled egg. Serve with rice on the side.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken breasts
- 1 cup chicken broth (from the chicken you cooked)
- 1 med. onion
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Peruvian yellow peppers (or 2 Tbsp. aji paste)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 slices of white bread, crusts cut off
- 4 - 6 oz. cream cheese (or queso fresco)
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 6 potatoes
- 4 eggs
- white rice
Instructions
- Add water, chicken breasts, onion and salt and pepper to a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Shred the chicken and add to a large saucepan. Set aside.
- Hard boil your eggs. Set aside.
- Peel and boil your potatoes until tender. Set aside.
- Cook the white rice (I use a rice cooker. Easy peasy!)
- Wash your yellow peppers and cut in half. Remove all of the seeds.
- Put the peppers (or aji paste) in a blender and add 1 cup of the chicken stock. Let sit for a few minutes and then liquify. Add the onions from the chicken stock and add to the blender. Liquify again.
- Add the cream cheese and evaporated milk and blend until smooth.
- Add the aji sauce to your shredded chicken and heat through.
- Place a few slices of potatoes on your plate. Cover with the chicken and aji sauce. Add a slice or two of hard boiled egg on the top.
- Serve with white rice on the side.
- Enjoy!
It’s hard to explain the taste because it’s so different. It’s not spicy but it has a little tang to it.
Es delicioso!
The reason we went to Peru was to do volunteer work in one of the many orphanages. I can’t even describle how amazing this experience was for me and my kids. The children at the orphanage were absolutely adorable and our work with them was both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Here are just a few pictures we took of the kids.
You can read more about our Peru adventure and why we decided to volunteer all summer HERE.
Want to find out what Chicha Morada is? You can HERE.
What a beautiful post and your recipe looks good too. I’m sure your kids made special memories to last a lifetime as well as learned through their experiences too. Bravo to you!
Aahh, those kids are beautiful. What a joy to work with them. Thanks for sharing this recipe, Erin. This dish is delicious and I hope you make it again soon. The peppers added a wonderful flavor to the chicken and I enjoyed that it is served over rice.
What a great post, these children are just adorable. I would love to try this chicken recipe, it looks like it would have great flavor. Thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and have a great week!
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen