Peruvian Roasted Chicken With Spicy Cilantro Sauce Recipe (2024)

If you measure oil in the half teaspoon first, then the honey, the honey will slide right out of the teaspoon.

I made this for four chickens for a pot luck tonight. I separated each into breast/thigh/drum/wing before marinating cooking. Wasn't too fastidious either about patting off the marinade and also had a few less jalapenos than called for and subbed dry basil for fresh. Results were spectacular. Absolutely spectacular. And did I mention spectacular?

My substitute for cilantro is parsley AND some other flavorful herb (my choices are mint, basil, or lemon thyme, depending on the dish) chopped together. Parsley alone is not enough (dull flavor), but chopping parsley in equal portions with a bright herb does the trick for me.For those who insist (with a superior air) that if I just kept eating cilantro i will learn to love it, I gladly will do so when you commit to eating a bar of soap until you "learn to love" it.

Didn't marinate for 12 hours because my boyfriend and I don't live together. I was cooking this at his place and wasn't going to show up in the morning to set up. We've been dating for almost three years, so we have talked about moving in together, but he wants to live in Brooklyn Heights and that's too far from work for me. Say what you want, but I also enjoy having my own space. Subbed honey with agave nectar because I'm a Millennial. Will be making again!

CFXK is correct. By some genetic mischance, a few people experience the taste of cilantro as soapy. Sometimes intensely soapy. Don't goad cilantro haters to "learn to love it" unless you are prepared to reprogram their DNA. As to Theabroma's (did you mean Theobroma as in Theobroma cacao?) condescending observation that parsley is no substitute for cilantro, know that there is no herb with substantial similarity to the flavor of cilantro. Just pick one that you like.

Used sriracha and chilli powder to replace the aji Amarion paste and aji panca paste. Other than that, followed the recipe as it is. The chicken tasted fantastic, Very moist and well seasoned. Made the sauce Saturday night and thought it tasted mediocre. Sunday night took the sauce out, a miracle must have occurred overnight, it tasted brilliant- super creamy and full of flavor. But will cut the ingredients in half to make the sauce. The recipe yields about 4 cups sauce, too much for a 3.5 bird

For those of us who can't eat cilantro, what would you suggest as a substitute ingredient or sauce?

I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! I'm such a late bloomer. I'm 72 and just discovered cilantro 2 years ago when a clerk in the Asian Market told me it was Chinese Parsley. Trust me, it ain't parsley. It is unique. It is one of a kind. I now put it in everything. Even salads, any beans I do, and my son told me to try it on ice cream, I might like it.

I live in Argentina and once met a Peruvian lady that told me that for the marinade she used Coca Cola as part of the ingredients.

When I make Peruvian chicken, I make Ají de Huacatay for dipping.Ají de Huacatay (Peruvian green spicy sauce)1 hot chile pepper (Peruvian aji amarillo)1 rocoto pepper1/4 cup plain peanuts1 cup of Huacatay leaves (fresh or frozen. If you use paste, adjust salt and vinegar to taste) neutral oil (canola, corn, sunflower, etc.)1/2 cup evaporated milk1/2 cup mexican cheese or mild feta 2 or 3 crackers (saltines or oyster crackers)splash vinegarsalt and pepper to taste

I had this dish at many restaurants while living in Peru. Never once had “heat” in the sauce. If aji was used, it must have been very subtle. Cheese used was called “fresh cheese,” something akin to farmers cheese or Mexican queso fresco. We often saw the sauce atop gorgeous filets of sea bass as well. Heavenly!

Absolutely do NOT wipe the marinade off before putting the chicken in the oven. If fact, I drizzle any marinade still in the bowl over the chicken so as not to lose any of that wonderful flavor. And I marinade the chicken for at least 24 hours. Why go to the trouble of making this delicious dish and do something to REDUCE the flavor? We make this at least twice a month - our favorite.

Big hit at my house. I did heed some suggestions from previous notes. I didn’t have access to the more exotic powders but did use shiracha and ancho chili powder as substitutes. Also, I heeded suggestion to make sauce without the feta, oregano, honey, but did add a bit of yogurt. I baked with 3 lbs thighs and added sweet potato rounds while cooking (I allowed them a dunk In the marinade after placing chicken in pan). This is a do-again, and again

How on earth do you get 4 cups of sauce from that list of ingredients?

Nope, same botanical family, but parsely is emphatically not a substitute for cilantro. Period.

@Susan. Try Culantro (Eryngium foetidum) and see if it works for you. It is similar to cilantro, but they are not the same plant. It has long, serrated leaves and looks like long-leafed lettuce. Culantro has a stronger flavor than cilantro and can be added during cooking rather than afterward. It is common in Asia and all over Latin America. In Cuba it is called recao or chandon beni and used in sofritos.

I have made this many times for small and large groups or just dinner for two. It's a winner EVERY time! The sauce and the marinade pair perfectly. Make a double batch of the sauce and use it on eggs, steak, whatever!

Fabulous. Make it in a cast iron skillet if you can. Heat it in the oven while preheating. If you don’t like cilantro use something else. Parsley is not enough but add mint, oregano, whatever is green.

This is now at the top of the list of my chicken recipes. Used guajuchang for the chile paste and maple syrup instead of honey and they worked just fine.

Fantastic recipe. I brined my chicken overnight then marinated the next day before cooking for dinner. Being Australian, the chili elements were not easily available so subbed in rose harissa and smoky gochuang. This is a recipe that can handle a few substitutions depending on what you have on hand.

I've made this so many times, everyone loves it! I half the cumin in the marinade and the sauce. I also prefer the sauce without oregano. The sauce is the bomb!

The jalapenos were quite large so I just used two. The dish was delicious.

We made this for dinner this week and WOW...it was so good! I got some of the jarred sauces on Amazon since we live rurally and our grocery stores don't stock them. I can see using them on tons of things in the future. I used all drumsticks for the chicken and they turned out perfect. The garlic had a hard time staying on so next time, will try paste maybe. Also, the sauce was epic, using it on some chops tonight - bright, herbal but the feta adds a new level of YUM.

This was a big winner. I used leg and thigh quarters. The chicken roasted up tender and packed with flavor. The sauce, which is incredible, went as well with the roasted fingerlings as it did with the chicken. Order the spices online if you can't find. I had Mexican queso on hand so used that instead of feta. BIG WINNER, one of my favorite recipes on NYTimes Food.

I made this recipient with chicken and it was very good. Then I made it with pork ribs on my pellet smoker and it was transcendent. I used a bit of honey to finish the ribs and served with the green sauce.

Made exactly as the recipe called for. We LOVE Peruvian food, so we have a base line to compare this to. Kept my chicken in the marinade for 24 hours. I also listen to other reviewers and did not wipe the marinade off. Chicken came out perfect. It was a huge hit. As far as the green sauce, I agree with the other reviewers. This was good, but it was too muddied with some of the other ingredients. I think I will omit the Cumin, feta and oregano. Will try adding avocado to make it creamier.

A minor aside. Enjoyed this recipe. Had a lot of extra sauce, so added olive oil, walnuts and some more peppers in the Cuisinart and made the remainder into a pesto-like sauce for pasta. Very tasty.

I made this with tofu standing in for chicken and loved it! Used slices of extra firm tofu and marinated for about 30 minutes before roasting at 425 for 30-ish minutes, flipping a few times during cooking and basting with leftover marinade. Served with white rice and a red cabbage rice vinegar slaw.

Fantastic. My 17 year old said: Make more of this!

Amazing! I made this for my family (including kids ages 10 & 12) with differing tolerance for spicy. With that in mind, I omitted all the jalapeños from the sauce. It was rather mild - but still delicious. I think next time I could add one in and it would still work for my kiddos.