My favorite roasted chicken in Los Angeles comes from El Pollo Inka, known for their Peruvian, fire-roasted rotisserie chicken. I don't live there anymore and needed to find a way to satisfy the craving. This copycat Peruvian roasted chicken recipe offers the same, delicious, herb-marinated chicken without the need for a rotisserie.
I'm serving it with my copycat aji verde sauce and baked sweet potato fries. This is a sauce you are going to want to put on everything. They're great for dipping the chicken and fries, but also with eggs, salads, avocado toast, roasted veggies, rice, beans, and so much more!
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Why this Recipe Works
Applying a 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.
I started with a recipe that was delicious, but not quite what I was looking for. This highly-rated recipe from Epicurious was the base for this recipe.
Ingredients & Substitutions
paprika - you can use sweet or smoked. I have used both and this recipe comes out great either way.
iceberg lettuce - do not substitute for other lettuce or the sauce will not come out right. I have tried many, and this is the only one with the right water content and consistency.
jalapeños - you can substitute with ~6 serrano peppers, but my preference is using the jalapeño.
lemon - the recipe also works with limes, but my preference is to use lemon because the acidity level and sweetness work out just right.
vegan mayo - you can substitute with regular mayo. I always have vegan mayo in the refrigerator and prefer to find plant-based options that work for me.
How to Make this Recipe
Mix together the 3 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon paprika or smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon freshly cracked pepper, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoon lemon juice in 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. Then, sprinkle the chicken with ½-1 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 with an instant-read thermometer 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.
Peruvian Roasted Chicken FAQs
First, pat the chicken dry with a paper towel to remove the moisture. This will help the rub stick to the chicken and will help the skin get extra crispy. Then, apply the rub all over the bird including under the skin. Let it sit for a minimum of 1 hour, but preferably overnight.
Pollo a la Braza is Peruvian rotisserie chicken that is marinated in herbs and roasted in a rotisserie oven. It is very popular in Peru and served with fries, salad, aji verde, and rice.
Aji verde is a Peruvian green sauce or salsa that is often served with Peruvian chicken. The ingredients vary from one home to another, but often contain lettuce, jalapeño, mayonnaise, and garlic.
Related Recipes
We have a few roasted chicken recipes that we always come back to and love to enjoy regularly and this Peruvian roasted chicken always delivers. You can check out all the poultry recipes on Proportional Plate here, or start with these tried and true favorites:
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Peruvian Style Roasted Chicken with Aji Verde
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon oil olive, avocado, canola, etc.
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon 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, ½ teaspoon salt, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoon 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 ½-1 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
Nutrition
This post was originally published in August of 2017 but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions, FAQs, a video, and tips in April of 2021.
Bailey
Delicious!! I have made this twice! My husband loves it too! The only thing I changed was that I used smoked paprika instead of the regular. I also recommend using a cast iron skillet. My husband wants to cook this in his smoker! I bet that would be awesome too!
Candice
That makes me so happy to hear, Bailey! I actually made it a few weeks ago with smoked paprika, too and was thinking about adding it as an option... thank you so much for sharing! I've never smoked it before... would love to hear how it goes!