Peruvian Chicken with Spicy Green Sauce

peruvian chicken with spicy green sauce

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 6 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon aji amarillo paste or another chili paste such as sriracha or sambal
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon aji panca paste or 1 teaspoon pasilla chile powder
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 chicken, free range
• Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed

For the Sauce

• 3 whole jalapeño chilies, roughly chopped 
• 1 tablespoon (15ml) ají amarillo pepper paste
• 1 cup fresh coriander leaves (28g)
• 2 medium cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup (120ml) mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup (60ml) sour cream
• 2 teaspoons (10ml) fresh juice from 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) distilled white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons (30ml) extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed

Preparation

1. For the sauce: combine jalapeños, ají amarillo (if using), coriander, garlic, mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, and vinegar in the jar of a blender. Blend on high speed, scraping down as necessary, until smooth. With blender running, slowly drizzle in olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sauce will be quite loose at this point, but will thicken as it sits. Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. For the marinade: In a large bowl, whisk together garlic, soy sauce, aji amarillo paste, lime juice, aji panca paste, mustard, cumin, pepper and salt.
3. While chicken is roasting, make the sauce. In a blender, blend cilantro, jalapeños, feta, garlic, lime juice, oregano, salt, mustard, aji amarillo paste, honey, and cumin until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in oil until mixture is emulsified. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt or lime juice or both.
4. Rub marinade all over chicken (or chicken halves) making sure to get it under the skin.
   
5. Mount on a rotisserie and cook over a decent heat, ideally over wood, for 90 minutes.
   
6. Alternatively, cut the chicken in half. To do so, use a sturdy pair of poultry scissors to cut lengthwise through the breastbone. Turn over and cut again, along the backbone. If desired, cut along the other side of the backbone and remove it. 
   
7. If cooking halves in the oven, heat it to 220 degrees. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Arrange skin-side up on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with oil.
8. Roast until skin is golden and chicken is cooked through, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit, loosely covered with foil, for 10 minutes before serving.
9. Carve the chicken and serve with the sauce and lime wedges on the side.