Peruvian Style Roasted Chicken with Aji Verde
This copycat recipe of my favorite roasted chicken offers the same, delicious, herb-marinated chicken without the need for a rotisserie. Plus, a surprisingly wonderful sauce.
Servings: 4
Calories: 667kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp oil olive, avocado, canola, etc.
- 1 tbsp paprika
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 lemons zested and quartered
- 4.5 lbs. whole chicken spatchcocked
Aji Verde:
- ½ head iceberg lettuce
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 jalapeños or 6 serrano peppers
- ⅓ cup vegan mayonnaise
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Mix together the garlic, cumin, olive oil, paprika, pepper, oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, lemon zest, and 2 tbsp lemon juice to a small bowl.
- Butterfly or spatchcock the chicken by cutting out the backbone with kitchen shears, and cracking the breastbone with your palms to flatten the chicken. Clean and pat dry.
- Rub the chicken with all the lemon quarters squeezing the juice on the chicken and rubbing the whole bird with the rinds. Take your spice mixture and rub it all over the chicken including under the skin. Be careful not to rip the skin.
- Sprinkle the chicken with 1/2-1 teaspoon of salt.
- Transfer the chicken, butterflied, skin side up, to a sheet pan. Let it sit for 1 hour (preferably overnight) before cooking.
- Preheat the oven to 400F with the oven rack in the center of the oven.
- Roast 20 minutes. Baste. Roast 20 minutes. Baste. Check the temperature and roast until cooked. Juices should run clear and/or internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh should read 165F. I usually take it out of the oven around 162F.
- While your chicken is in the oven, make your aji verde: Add all ingredients to a food processor and run until well combined. Yup, that's it!
- Let the chicken rest 15 minutes before cutting into it.
Video
Notes
Applying a dry rub like this herb marinade 1 hour before cooking (and preferably overnight) takes the flavoring of your chicken to another level. Getting the rub under the skin flavors the whole chicken, not just the skin.
Drying the chicken skin before applying the rub helps the herbs stick to the chicken and yields crispy skin.
Cooking the chicken spatchcocked cuts down the cooking time and makes it easier to get the herb marinade all over the chicken.
You will know the chicken is done cooking when the juices should run clear and/or internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh should read 165F. I usually take it out of the oven around 162F because it continues to cook while resting.
I started with a vase recipe that was delicious, but not quite what I was looking for. This highly-rated recipe from Epicurious was the base for this recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 667kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 163mg | Sodium: 863mg | Potassium: 696mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1618IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 4mg
