Peruvian chicken is easily made with a flavor filled marinade, and a great green sauce. Don't miss this one!
(This is an updated post, but still with old pics, from 2014.)
Peruvian chicken seems to be the rage right now, or maybe it has been the rage and I'm just finding out. I'm always looking for a good, simple chicken recipe and one that requires the grill and no oven is so much the better.
Yes, I have got the perfect chicken. Loaded with flavor, it is easily dribbled with green sauce or simply leave it on its own. This grilled chicken is easy to prepare and could take the place of that roasted chicken from your store's rotisserie.
Make this into chicken salad or enchiladas or shred it for use in tacos, but my favorite way is with the Peruvian green sauce. With or without though, this is one flavorful chicken that is loaded with a bit of heat, some spice and some smoke.
I know summer is almost here because I've already had to fill the grill with gas. Or should I say, Manservant had to fill the grill with gas.
Yes, the first nice days of Spring found me grabbing the first chance I had and heading to the grill. Hopefully by now, warmer days have found you and your grill starting to see some action too.
This grilled chicken is made to serve with one of the most popular recipes on my blog, Peruvian Green Sauce. You are probably wondering what came first - the green sauce or the chicken.
Truth is, it doesn't matter. Both are great!
Yes, that green sauce rocks. Not too creamy and not too rich, this sauce has loads of flavor and can be put on just about everything. Better than ketchup, I say!
I believe it was designed especially for this chicken, but the fun thing is that it works with so many other foods.
Peruvian chicken begins with making your own chile rub. Though this isn't necessary, it does give so much flavor to the marinade.
From there it is a matter of mixing up the marinade with the chili rub and smearing it into and all over your chicken. Let this sit as long as you can bear it!
Indirect Grilling:
If you haven't ever smoked a chicken on a gas grill, this recipe is a great way to learn how. Indirect grilling is the way to go with this spatchcocked bird, which simply means that the entire grill is preheated, and then one side is turned off.
The foil packets of smoke chips are placed on the side that is still on and the chicken is placed on the side that is turned off. Towards the end of the cooking time the chicken is then placed on the "on side" to finish cooking.
Don't feel like smoking? Simply add a teaspoon or so, of liquid smoke to the marinade to simulate the smoking process. And if you don't like smoke, just skip this step!
We love this Peruvian grilled chicken and we especially love it with Peruvian green sauce made with jalapenos, lime, garlic and cilantro.
This grilled chicken recipe is a great one to add to your summer grilling series! Yes, they will be asking for seconds!
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Recipe
Grilled Peruvian Chicken
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Cook Time: 60 Minutes
- Total Time: 80 Minutes
- Yield: 4 - 6 Servings 1x
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: Peruvian/American
Description
Grilled Peruvian Chicken is simply made with a tasty marinade and a bit of grilling. You do like grilling, don't you?
Ingredients
1 whole chicken
Rubbing Mixture:
2 T white vinegar
2 T soy (This gives color and salt and no taste of soy.)
1 T olive oil
1 T lime juice
1 T chopped garlic
2 T spice mixture (below)
Hickory or Mesquite Chips for smoking
Instructions
- Begin by mixing together the chile rub. Now combine with rubbing mixture ingredients. If you have any chile rub left, it is great on everything!
- Begin with a whole chicken.
- Now if you are like me, you will have a pair of kitchen shears. If you aren’t like me, you need to get some. Trust me on this. They are one of my favorite tools in the kitchen. Once you get used to having them around, you will wonder why you had never owned them before.
- Now wash that bird and throw away the insides. Unless you want to keep the insides. Sometimes I do, but then I never end up using them! Dry the bird well.
- Now turn it over so the backbone is up. Take your shears and starting at either end, cut alongside the backbone to remove it. Now cut up the other side of the backbone. You should now have a spatchcocked chicken in front of you, which means your chicken can be laid flat. Press on the breast bone to flatten it more.
- Spatchcocked chickens work really well on the grill. Tuck the wings of the chicken around to the back and now you have a very open chicken. Run skewers from the bottom to the top if you want extra stability.
- Smear the rub all over the chicken. Under the skin. Over the skin. Let it sit as long as you can to soak up all that spice. But no worries. The rub imparts a lot of spice so a long marinating period is not necessary, though it will give it more flavor.
- When you are ready to cook this bird, preheat both sides of your grill to high.
- While it is preheating, prepare a foil packet of smoke chips. I used hickory, but if I had had mesquite I would have used those. Take a double thickness of foil and put a large handful of chips on one side. Now fold the other side over and fold up all the edges twice to make a foil packet. Take a fork and poke some holes in the top. Of course, you could skip this step and not smoke this bird, but you are missing out on adding a bit of richness and flavor. Once you start grilling this way you will want to add a touch of smoke to everything!
- Once the grill is preheated, turn one side off. Leave the other side on high. Oil the grill grates on both sides and please make sure they are clean. Put your foil packet of chips on the side that will remain hot.
- Put the bird, meat side down and sideways on the grill with the dark meat towards the hot part of the grill. Keep the lid down. Let cook for about 35 minutes or until the white meat reaches 110 degrees. (Yes, the meat thermometer is also one of my favorite kitchen tools. It prevents a dried up bird or an overcooked piece of meat.)
- Now flip the bird over so the skin side is down and place it on the hot side of the grill, keeping the white meat to the cool side of the grill. Cook 10 to 15 minutes more and use your thermometer to check for doneness or until the bird reaches about 145 degrees. Don’t let it burn!
- Remove from grill when temperature is reached. Cover with foil and let rest about 10 minutes. Serve with green sauce or not.
lisaiscooking says
I love the color of the chicken from the rub! Perfect for summer grilling. And, the sauce sounds delicious.
mimi rippee says
This looks fabulous, both the chicken and the sauce. I've been trying to locate the ingredients for a sauce I had in Peru called Uchucuta, I think that's how it's spelled. It was fabulous - I put it on everything. It uses tamarillos or sachatomates, an herb called hucatay, which i found on amazon. Anyway, it was incredible. It also has green chiles and cilantro, but looks different from yours. I'm sure I've mentioned this to you before cause I'm obsessed with the idea of making it. I'll keep plugging along...
Healthy World Cuisine says
Abbe, this looks mouthwatering! We have the oddest grill ever and it naturally has cold spots and how spots so will have to give this recipe a try. with a couple of rock Cornish hens we have in the freezer. That green sauce sounds amazing. Could eat that just by the spoonful.
sherry says
this sounds so delicious abbe. great flavour combo. love garlic and lime together. that green sauce looks fabulous.
John / Kitchen Riffs says
Hard to believe but we have yet to fire u the grill this year. We should christen the season with this wonderful recipe. 🙂 Really nice -- thanks.
Timothy Schroeder says
What would be some good sides (with recipes please) to serve with this.
Abbe Odenwalder says
Any of the below would be great. If you need more ideas just look under my recipes heading at the top of the page. Enjoy!
Elote Corn in a Bowl:https://thisishowicook.com/elote-corn-in-bowl/
Corn and Grits Pudding:https://thisishowicook.com/corn-and-grits-pudding-with-green-chilies-and-cheese/
Grilled BBQ POtato Bundles:https://thisishowicook.com/grilled-bbq-potato-bundles-with-chorizo/
Roasted Potato Salad with Garlic Aioli:https://thisishowicook.com/roasted-potato-salad-with-garlic-aioli/
Hearts of Palm Salad, Avocado and Oranges:https://thisishowicook.com/hearts-of-palm-avocado-and-orange-salad/
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen Notes says
Peruvian food took center stage here a few years ago, and it's rocking now, just like this chicken! I love their green sauce, usually have it with pasta, but as a topping of spicy chicken is just perfect Abbe!
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) says
Abbe this looks wonderful. Perhaps I'll make this Sunday ....... oh, that's right it supposed to SNOW!!! 🙂 At some point I need to jump on that Peruvian chicken band wagon, and also buy a pair of shears.
Daniela Grimburg says
Oh boy, I just stored my grill cause autumn has started here in Peru!
Anyhow, this chicken is the first thing I'll prepare when our grill season starts again.
Had this often in restaurants here but never prepared it myself and I bet it' s far better home made.
Your grilled chicken rocks, Abbe!
fromthebartolinikitchens.com says
Like you until recently, I've never heard of Peruvian chicken. It really does sound good, though, and with that green sauce, it must be fantastic! I need to give both a try. My grill has been in use for much of the Winter, Abbe -- except when the polar vortex hit and then my grill was an extension of my freezer. It's empty now, though. 🙂
Liz Berg says
Oh, yeah, this could become a new summer favorite! Now if I could just convince the hubby that I need a gas grill...grrrrr....I love the taste of charcoal, but don't like having to wait to grill!
technology capitalists says
Actually I didn't do it... I delegated to my boy servant.
Sugar et al says
Both the chicken and the green sauce sound delicious.I can eat this all year round but your post certainly makes me crave summer and the barbecue.
Nazneen Hamilton says
Wow! That looks great!! Our grill is out of gas too, from last year though so I need to send out my hubby to get some. We have a charcoal grill too which I love so I am waiting to go to town on both! This is going on my summer to do list, looks SO good!
mimi rippee says
Oh, this looks so good. And with the green sauce it's absolutely spectacular!!!
Barb | Creative Culinary says
Did you know a chicken prepared like this to lay flat is called a spatchcock chicken. I share this because I giggle every single time I see that word. 🙂
I have a dish for Mexican rice that uses cilantro and serrano peppers for seasoning and I can 'almost' taste this Abbie. Time to get the grill going for sure!
Sharon D says
Wow...am totally drooling. This is some serious grilling. I wish I could join the fun but apartment grilling is banned here 😛 I'm missing out a lot, aren't I?
Angie Schneider says
My my my...Abbe, you make me want to rush to the supermarket and get a chicken to try this recipe. The green sauce pairs so perfect with the grilled chicken. Thumbs up for you, Abbe.
Have a beautiful day!
Angie
Kitchen Riffs says
I agree with you on kitchen shears -- impossible to live without! I've yet to get on the Peruvian chicken bandwagon, but I should -- this looks terrific! Gotta get more propane for my grill, though -- it's empty. Although I have plenty of charcoal on hand for the kettle grill. This looks like such a great dish -- thanks.
tammy says
Abbe, can this be done in an oven. What temperature would you use for the oven? Thank you.
Abbe Odenwalder says
Most definitely, Tammy! Instead of butterflying the chicken, leave it whole and truss it. Place it on a rack, breast side up in a preheated 425 degree oven. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the chicken is crisp and reaches 165 degrees internally. If it starts to turn golden before it is finished, cover it with foil. If you want you can add a few drops of liquid smoke to the spices when you rub it on. Or add some smoked paprika. let me know how it turns out. Oh-this is for about a 4lb chicken!
Holly @ abakershouse.com says
I need to clean up my grill and get it ready for the grilling season! I think I have to replace the starter but otherwise it should be good to go. I was lacking creativity planning meals this week and bought chicken already seasoned from Whole Foods yesterday. It is in the oven right now. I wish I had taken your lead and made this beautifully spiced chicken and on the grill no less!
Abbe Odenwalder says
That's so nice, Holly! Frankly, I need to clean my grill, on the outside and the deck! Just make the sauce. It will make your chicken extra good!
Karen Harris says
boy if this doesn't get you in the mood for summer nothing will. Grilled chicken is one of may favorite meals and this is ust what I need to spice up the old chicken dinner. Love the green sauce too.
Abbe Odenwalder says
It is a good chicken as all grilled chicken is! The sauce is heavenly! If you like cilantro and jalapenos!