SOUTH AMERICA - AJI DE GALLINA - Peruvian delicious spicy chicken food

Hello Loves,

It is Lovely,

herself,

and today I was in the mood to cook again.

Ají de gallina is one of these traditional dishes: Poached chicken slathered in a spicy and creamy nut-based sauce is served over white rice and boiled potatoes. Bright yellow—Amarillo—in color thanks to the famous ají Amarillo, and rich from the unusual sauce of ground walnuts, this dish is hearty, filling, and also really easy to make. Don't be intimidated by how complex it sounds, the recipe is fairly simple and just requires a little attention.

Heavily influenced by Asian immigration into the country, Peruvian cuisine nowadays is a melting pot of Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, African, Andean, and local techniques, flavors, and ingredients. Ají de gallina is no exception as it may find its origin in a sweeter Catalonian dish that later evolved into what we know now as a savory dish combining European, South American, and Asian ingredients.

Since finding ají Amarillo at your local supermarket might be hard, go straight to any Latin markets or Hispanic bodegas in your area: If they don't carry fresh ají, buy frozen or jarred paste. They both will yield a flavorful dish. If you can't find ají Amarillo in any form, replace it with Scotch bonnet or habanero; their fruity and spicy flavors will make fantastic substitutions.

Spicy chicken based on a recipe from the Peruvian restaurant


Version 1








PREPARATION

Cut out the chicken breasts and bring the rest to the boil in salted water with a little soup green and cook slowly. Then let it cool down and then pluck it into small strips. Save the broth.

Chop up the crackers and soak them in the milk, then stir until a paste is formed.

Fry the onions in oil until translucent. Add the garlic and the Pasta de Aji Amarillo or cut the yellow bell pepper into cubes and fry with a little chili. Then deglaze with a little chicken stock.

Add the oatmeal, the chicken, the grated Parmesan, and the chopped pecan nuts one after the other, adding a little chicken broth or milk now and then so that the consistency doesn't get too thick.

Yellow potatoes and rice are served with it. The dish is garnished with black olives and halved hard-boiled eggs.


Good Appetite!


Version 2





Gather the ingredients.




Cook the yellow potatoes in salted water until tender when pierced with a fork.




Let cool, peel, cut into quarters, and set aside.




Place the bread in a small bowl and pour the evaporated milk over it to soak. Set aside.




Place the chicken breasts in a pot with the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.




Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until chicken is just barely cooked through.




Set chicken aside to cool, reserving the stock.




Strain the stock and reserve 2 cups.




Shred the cooled chicken into bite-sized pieces.




Remove stems and seeds from the peppers.




In a blender, process the peppers with the vegetable oil. Blend until smooth.




Add to a medium saucepan the vegetable oil and ají mixture. Add the garlic and onion to the pan and then cook until the onion is soft.




Remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool.




Add the soaked bread, walnuts, and Parmesan cheese to the blender and process until smooth.




Add the cooked onion mixture into the blender and process briefly until well combined.




Place the yellow mixture into a pan and add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved chicken stock.




Bring the sauce to a low simmer. Add in the chicken and heat until warmed through, adding more chicken stock if the sauce is too thick.




One portion of chicken goes over 1/2 cup of cooked white rice, garnished with a few quarters of yellow potatoes, a couple of quartered hard-boiled eggs, and black olives.



Enjoy the food, Lovely <3