This roasted Peruvian chicken is packed with flavor & the BEST chicken dinner! Featuring tender chicken thighs marinated in a savory mix of garlic, cilantro, soy & spices then roasted to perfection & served with a creamy green sauce!
I’ll be honest, I still have no clue how this recipe “came to be” in our family’s repertoire of dinners.😂 It just kinda showed up one day and we’ve been making it ever since – but I’m so glad it did! Garlic and soy marinated chicken thighs are roasted and paired with a creamy zesty green sauce! It’s juicy, citrusy, full of bold flavors and incredibly easy to make! You’re going to love this Peruvian chicken dinner!
What is Peruvian Chicken?
Peruvian chicken, or Pollo a las Brasas, is a type of rotisserie chicken dinner originating in Peru. It’s traditionally made by roasting a whole chicken that’s been marinated in a variety of seasonings and is usually served with a spicy Peruvian green sauce called Aji Verde. The sauce is a mixture of cilantro, aji amarillo, huacatay and cheese that make it rich, creamy and the perfect compliment to your roasted chicken!
How is mine different? The biggest difference is this recipe doesn’t include amarillo paste or aji amarillo. (Aji amarillo is a type of Peruvian chili pepper.) Since it’s a little difficult to find these ingredients where we live, we’ve had to adjust the recipe slightly. Instead, we’ve replaced them with jalapeño and cilantro to mimick the the chili pepper flavor while still getting a little heat.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Chicken thighs: Use boneless skinless chicken thighs for fast and easy cooking. (Bone-in chicken thighs can be used instead but you’ll need to adjust your cooking time. See the “Let’s Talk Chicken” section below.)
Soy sauce: I recommend using low sodium soy sauce for this recipe. (It adds just the right amount of salt without being overly salty.)
Cilantro: Use the leaves and stems for maximum flavor! (The stems have all the flavor!😉)
Garlic: You’ll need 6 cloves of garlic for your chicken marinade!
White vinegar: 3 tablespoons of white vinegar go into the marinade to make it zippy, tangy and delicious!
Olive oil: You’ll need 1½ tablespoons of oil for your marinade.
Spices: Cumin, paprika, dried oregano and a touch of cayenne are needed to spice up your chicken!
How To Make Roasted Peruvian Chicken
1. Prepare the marinade. Add the soy sauce, chopped cilantro, garlic, white vinegar, olive oil, cumin, paprika, oregano and cayenne to a food processor and blend them together until smooth.
2. Marinate the chicken. Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl and pour your marinade over the top. Cover the bowl and let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes to overnight.
3. Make the Peruvian green sauce. While the chicken marinates, add the sour cream, jalapeño, garlic, chopped cilantro, lime juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, cotija cheese, salt and black pepper to a food processor and blend together until smooth. (Taste and adjust the salt and pepper, if needed.) Cover and store the sauce in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.
4. Bake. Once the chicken is done marinating, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and spray a large baking dish with cooking spray. Place the chicken thighs in the dish and pour your remaining marinade over the top. Bake the chicken for 20-22 minutes or until it reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
5. Serve! Serve the chicken thighs immediately with your green sauce and enjoy!
This Peruvian roasted chicken will become a family favorite meal in no time!
Let’s Talk Chicken!
This recipe isn’t just for boneless skinless chicken thighs! You can make it with a variety of chicken cuts too! (The only difference is in your baking time.)
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: Bake for 400 degrees for 20-22 minutes depending on the size.
- Bone-In Chicken Thighs: Bake at 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes depending on the size.
- Boneless Chicken Breasts: Bake at 400 degees for 20-22 minutes depending on the size.
- Chicken Drumsticks: Bake at 400 degrees for 35-45 minutes depending on the size.
FAQ’s
- What does Peruvian chicken taste like? One word: Delicious!😉 The chicken itself is heavy on soy and cumin flavors then balanced out with vinegar and freshness from the cilantro. When paired with your jalapeno cilantro green sauce, it becomes an explosion of flavors that are spicy, creamy, tangy and everything in between!
- Can I prep any ingredients in advance? Yes! The green sauce and marinade can both be made 1 day beforehand. Keep both mixtures stored in the refrigerator in separate containers until you’re ready to use them.
- How long should I marinate my Peruvian chicken for? I recommend marinating your chicken for at least 30 minutes to overnight. (The longer your chicken marinates, the more flavorful it will be!)
- How do I reheat my leftover chicken? The best way to reheat your Peruvian chicken is in the oven. Place your chicken thighs in an oven safe dish and pour in enough water to just cover the bottom of the pan. Then cover the pan with aluminum foil and place it in the oven at 350 degrees for 8-15 minutes or until the it reaches your desired temperature.
Why you’ll love this Peruvian chicken recipe!
- Bold flavors! Lots of garlic, citrus, cilantro & spices! This chicken dinner is perfect for those who love big bold spicy flavors!
- So easy to make! Just blend, marinate & bake! Because the mariande and sauce can easily be made beforehand, whipping up this chicken dinner takes no time at all!
- Not your average baked chicken recipe! No boring chicken dinner over here! This recipe goes hard on flavor with a creamy dipping sauce that’s fun & zesty!
[Made one of my recipes? Make sure to tag my Instagram @kalefornia_kravings & leave a review in the comments. I love seeing what you create!]
More chicken recipes you might like:
- Apple & Brie Stuffed Chicken Breast
- Lemon Oregano Chicken with Avocado Greek Salsa
- Grilled Hot Honey Chicken with Fresh Peach Salsa
- Easy Bruschetta Chicken (Grilled, Baked & Stove Top)
Roasted Peruvian Chicken with Green Sauce
Ingredients
For the Peruvian chicken:
- 1½-2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¾ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- 6 garlic cloves
- 3 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1½ Tbsp olive oil
- 1½ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¾ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
For the green sauce:
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 jalapeño, deseeded & roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped & packed
- 2 Tbsp crumbled cotija cheese (or paramesan)
- 1 Tbsp lime juice (about 1 lime)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- Salt, to taste
- Cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the marinade. Add the soy sauce, cilantro, garlic, white vinegar, oil, cumin, paprika, oregano and cayenne to a food processor and blend until smooth. Set it aside once done.
- Marinate the chicken. Clean the chicken thighs and place them in a large bowl with the marinade. Cover and let them marinate for 30 minutes – overnight.
- Make the green sauce. While the chicken marinates, blend all the sauce ingredients together in a food processor until smooth. (Taste and adjust the salt and pepper, if needed.) Cover and keep the sauce stored in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve.
- Bake. Once the chicken is done marinating, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a large baking dish with cooking spray. Place the chicken thighs in the dish and pour the leftover marinade over the top. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
- Serve. Serve immediately with your green sauce and enjoy!
It was sooo hood! My husband and I just absolutely loved this recipe. Will defined become a staple for us. Perfect balance of flavors. Thank you so much!
Hi there! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! That makes me so happy! 🙂
Just made this dish & it’s delicious. My Caucasian sista cooks with seasoning & this is bursting with flavor. Best of all it was easy to make. This will be a staple at my home. Excellent!!
Oh yayy! That makes me SO HAPPY!😊 I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I’m actually currently making this right now! First time. Recipe was easy to follow and the kitchen smells very good. I can’t wait to taste it. Thank you for the recipe! I found you from Pinterest 🥰
Hi Michelle! Yayy that makes me so happy! Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
How is this without cilantro potentially? I’m one of those people where it usually tastes like soap so I’m always nervous when recipes call for it. Is it needed for balance or am I fine to leave it out?
Hi Julianna! I totally get it, we have a few family friends who aren’t the biggest cilantro fans too. I would personally suggest leaving it in the sauce for freshness and balance BUT you could always replace it with parsley OR do half cilantro + half parsely instead. I hope this helps!
I just made this for dinner tonight after I marinaded the chicken thighs overnight. I did not have cayenne pepper I just keep forgetting to grab some when I am out. It was very good but I am wondering why mine looked more like balsamic vinegar and not like your photos. Was it just the cayenne that made it red in color? My son said it tasted like chipotle so win for me! I am not used to using thighs I prefer breasts so maybe I will use them next time. Everything else I followed exactly and it was very good!
Hi Abby! The paprika also gives it it’s red color. Did you happen to leave that out too? And this would definitely work with chicken breasts! I’m glad you still enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
I have made this dish twice now and wow, it’s absolutely amazing! It’s like eating in a really good restaurant, cannot get enough of it! Thank you so much for sharingl the recipe 🤗
Yayyy that makes me so happy! I’m so glad you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Hi Caitlin! This looks delicious. I am wondering what type of side dishes you recommend serving alongside the chicken. Thank you!
Hi Sophia! Thank you so much! We ususally serve some type of veggie (like broccoli or asparagus) with roasted potatoes or corn. It’s so good with so many things! I hope this helps! 🙂
the flavor of both the chicken and the sauce is spectacular—if i had the talent for it, i would write a song.
Omg Jess – thank you so much! That’s so sweet of you!😊 I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Just for clarification, are you pouring the marinade the chicken has been sitting in over the raw chicken to bake? Or, are you reserving some of the marinade to pour over the chicken before baking?
Hi there! You’ll be pouring the marinade the chicken was sitting in over the raw chicken when you put it in the pan. Thanks for checking! I’ll see if I can reword that a little bit better in the recipe. I hope this helps! 🙂
I’m making this right now! Chicken has been marinating for an hour and a half and I’m about to pop it in the oven! Can’t wait! I’ll update once it’s done 😋
Hi Stephanie! Yayy, I hope you love it! 🙂
I can’t wait to try these!!
Yayy! Let me know if you do! 🙂
I would really like to make these on the grill. Do you have any suggestions for that? Should I hate with the marinade since I can’t cook the chicken in it? Thanks!!
Hi there! Great question! I would suggest boiling the marinade on high for 5 minutes to make a “basting sauce”. Then you can brush the sauce over your chicken every few minutes while it cooks. I hope this helps! 🙂
My husband has declared this one of his top 3 favorite meals I’ve made! Amazing!!
Aww yayy that makes me so happy!😊😊 I’m SO GLAD you enjoyed it!
Can I marinade the chicken overnight and while I’m at work to make for dinner when I get home?
Hi Nancy! Yes asbolutely! We’ve done that before and it was delicious! 🙂
This recipe was a breeze to make. Used tamari in lieu of soy sauce for the marinade. Holy smokes! What an amazing dinner. Will be putting this one in the regular rotation. Husband declared this the best chicken he has ever had. Can’t wait to have the left over sauce with egg scramble tomorrow.
Thank you so much for making cooking & eating fun and delicious!
Aww Rachel! You just made my day! I’m so happy it was a hit! 🙂 (BTW I love your idea to use the sauce on scrambled eggs, that sounds so good!)
Have you ever cooked them in the airfryer? Does it work? Or is the marinade too wet?
Hi there! I personally haven’t tried cooking them in the air fryer yet but I imagine it would still work. I would suggest shaking off any excess marinade before placing them in the air fryer basket. I hope this helps!
I loved this!! I followed the exact recipe and it was fantastic. It’s been awhile since I found a new recipe to be excited about!
Hi Rebecca! Oh yayy, that makes me so happy! 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I’ve been saving this recipe with plans to make it for quite a while, and tonight was the night! The flavor profiles marry so well together. We had it with grilled veggies on the side. Everyone raved about it! Kudos to you! Definitely a repeat meal for our house.
Aww Erica, you’re so sweet, thank you so much! (This is one of my favorite recipes too.😉) I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
This recipe has quickly become a staple in my meal prep menu! Even my husband who “doesn’t like chicken thighs” raves about the flavor. It’s absolutely delicious (and so easy!) with or without the sauce. Highly recommend!
Aww, thank you so much for sharing Jacqueline. That just made my day!🥰 I’m so happy it’s a hit!
Made this for meal prep this past Sunday and WOW. So good! Will be making again very soon. I doubled the green sauce because I knew my family wouldn’t do with just a drizzle. hahaha
Hi Cynthia, I’m so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂 (We always make extra sauce too, it’s the BEST!)
Delicious recipe. I’m making around 8lbs of chicken at work. Would you just multiply the ingredients by 4x?
Hi Anthony! Yews, that’s exactly what I’d recommend. 🙂
If you’re scrolling through the reviews to see if it’s worthy to do this recipe, STOP RIGHT THERE! This was a great and delicious meal. I did the green sauce too, and it all works together. It was delicious, and perfect! I’m so happy. I even sent it to my mom so she can try it. That’s how happy I am; I want people to experience what I did.
This chicken with the accompanying Aji Verdi sauce is phenomenal. The internet is clogged with beautiful “looking” but “blah” material from so-called recipe developers – this dish is a remarkable example of an easy to make and delicious meal that is absolutely suitable for company. I have to confess that while following the ingredients exactly, I’ve always charcoal grilled the chicken instead of roasting it. The recipe makes enough extra sauce for several days of putting it on practically everything, and believe me you’ll want to as it’s so tasty.
This recipe was amazing! The hardest part is waiting for the magic of marinating to happen! But the wait is oh so worth it! From a Peruvian family, this recipe was enjoyed very much **chef kiss**
Hi Lorena – yayyy you have no idea how happy that makes me!! So glad you all enjoyed it! 🙂
After years of making this recipe, I’ve never actually left a review! This is such a good meal that I love to prep and marinade overnight to make for easy dinner the next day! It’s a family favorite, and anytime I make it for friends it’s a hit as well. Give it a try 🙂
Tried the recipe one time it was a hit making it tonight again, but I totally forgot that soy sauce is salt so I added more salt to my chicken because I’m so used to adding salt to my chicken. Now, hopefully it’s not too salty as I had to wash down my chicken after marinating it.:(
Use low sodium soy sauce. That way you can brine the chicken for enhanced tenderness but the final dish won’t be too salty. This dish continues to impress everyone we’ve ever served it to.
Great tip! So happy you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
I absolutely love this recipe. I’ve been using it for a few years now & it’s always greeted with love,love,love by those sharing the meal.
The ease of it too with just throwing the chicken in the oven, not needing to pre grill.
Omg Ruth, I’m so happy you’ve been enjoying the recipe! (This is one of my family’s favorite chicken recipes too.🥰) Thanks so much for sharing!