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I don’t know about you but I just love the taste of Peruvian Chicken (Pollo a la Brasa). I did some research and crafted this recipe to make Peruvian Chicken on the Big Green Egg. In addition to the chicken recipe I will show you how to make the Green Sauce (Aji Verde)! I hope you enjoy making this as much as I did.
With any good recipe the trick is preparation. For this chicken to get that authentic flavor you should start the prep a day ahead letting the chicken marinate overnight as well as the flavors in the Green Sauce to come together.
First up is prepping the chicken. You need the following ingredients set out and ready for prep:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Lime juice from 2 limes
- 4 large garlic cloves chopped
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 4 pound whole chicken
Chop the garlic and add to olive oil in a small container you can use for a hand mixer. Or you can do all of this in a food processor. Whatever you have on hand to mix the ingredients well.
Slice the 2 limes and squeeze the juice in to the garlic and oil.
Add the sugar, salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and oregano. Mix together well until everything is emulsified.
Now you want to move the skin away from the chicken breasts and thighs using your hand (or a spoon). Be careful not to tear the skin as we want that crispy chicken skin flavor later when this baby comes off the Big Green Egg!
Put most of the sauce under the skin and on the chicken breast meat and thighs. Take the rest of the sauce and rub it all over the bird. Cover the chicken and put in the fridge overnight. I cannot wait to eat this!!!
Now let’s turn our focus to the Green Sauce (Aji Verde). This is that luscious and spicy green sauce served with the chicken at your favorite Peruvian Chicken restaurant. This is really easy to make and goes so well with the chicken.
For the Green Sauce you will need the following ingredients:
- 3 seeded and chopped jalapeño peppers (if you want more heat leave some or all of the seeds in)
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 chopped cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I substituted light mayo to go easy on the mid-section)
- 1/4 cup sour cream (again I used light sour cream to cut some of the fat)
- Juice from 1 fresh lime
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
I combined all of the ingredients (minus the olive oil) using my hand blender until smooth. With the hand blender still running I drizzled in olive oil. From there I put the sauce in a container and placed in the refrigerator overnight until it was ready to serve.
After 24 hours you are ready to start the Big Green Egg. You can cook this check many different ways on the Egg. This time I decided to go beer can style with indirect heat.
I set the Big Green Egg up with the Plate Setter for indirect cooking. The temp at the dome was measuring 425° by the time I put the chicken in. You can use some wood to get additional smokey flavor. For this cook I decided to let the marinade give me all the bold flavor!
I put the chicken in the Big green Egg over top a drip pan to catch all the fat as it rendered off the bird.
I let that bird roast a little over an hour until the Thermapen read 165° when measuring the breast. I pulled the chicken off the Big Green Egg and let it rest for 15 minutes while we prepared Cilantro Rice.
I served this beautiful chicken with a side of Cilantro Rice and the Aji Verde. So good!!! Enjoy…
Peruvian Chicken on the Big Green Egg
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup lime juice, from 2 limes
- 4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 4 pound whole chicken
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients except the chicken in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Clean the chicken and pat the chicken dry with paper towels; place the chicken in a bowl.
- Using your fingers pull the skin from the flesh over the breasts and legs, do not tear the skin as you want the marinade to stay inside the bird.
- Take most of the marinade and spread evenly underneath the skin, and spread the remaining marinade over the skin.
- Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Set the Big Green Egg up for indirect cooking. Heat to 425°.
- Place drip pan under the chicken and on top of the plate setter.
- Put the chicken on the rack and roast for 1 to 1.5 hours or until the bird measures 165° with a Thermapen in the breast meat.
- Carve the chicken and serve with green sauce.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was amazing! Unfortunatley I only marinated it for around 8 hours. It was still amazing, but next time I’ll go the full 24 hours!
Thanks Mike. I am glad you enjoyed the recipe! Did you make the green sauce?
A couple of years later and this is still our favorite way to cook chicken on the BGE! Yes, we make the green sauce also. Actually we’ll make the green sauce as a dip for tortilla chips.
how long does the green sauce last in the fridge
4 days…
This was hands down the best chicken I’ve ever made on the egg. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Thanks for the kind note!