Dish of Chicken Aji
(click to enlarge)

Chicken Aji


Peru   -   Aji de Gallina
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 4 main
***
12 hrs
Yes		 An unusual dish of Potatoes, with a delicious sauce of Chicken and Pecans. It's substantial enough for a main dish, and not chili hot despite "Aji" in the name.

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12
3
1
2
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1-1/2
4
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2-1/2
1
6
2
1/2
1/2
3
1
1/2
1
1/2
1/3
1/3
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4
ar
1/4
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oz
c


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#
lrg
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oz
c
oz
cl
c
c
T
T
t
c
c
t
t
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c
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-- Do Ahead
Chicken Meat (1)
Water
Bay Leaf
Parsley sprig
---
Potatoes (2)
Eggs
-- Sauce
Bread, white
Broth
Onions red
Garlic
Pecans (3)
Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil
Aji Amarillo paste (4)  
Oregano dry
Broth (more)
Evaporated Milk (5)
Salt
Pepper
-- Garnishes
The Boiled Eggs
Olives, Black (6)
Parsley, flat
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The three Garnishes are always part of this dish, do not leave them out! The steps here are designed for table service - but see Serving for buffet service.

Do Ahead   -   (45 - 15 min work)
  1. Place CHICKEN in 3 cups Water with Bay Leaf and Parsley. Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer for 30 minutes. See also Note-7.
  2. Remove Chicken from the broth and set aside to cool. Shred Chicken when cool.
  3. Strain the broth, discarding solids. Defat using your gravy separator. You will need 2 cups.
  4. Boil POTATOES until just done through.
  5. Hard cook EGGS. See our recipe Boiling Eggs for best method.
Prep   -   (25 min)
  1. Slice BREAD and place in a bowl. Pour in 1 cup of the Broth. Let soak about 10 minutes, then run in a blender or food processor until smooth.
  2. Chop ONIONS fine.
  3. Crush GARLIC and chop fine.
  4. Chop PECANS fine. Measure is after chopping.
  5. Grate PARMESAN. Measure is after grating.
  6. Chop PARSLEY small for Garnish.
Run   -   (30 min)
  1. Heat Olive Oil and fry Onion until Onions are translucent. Stir in Garlic and fry stirring until it threatens to color. Stir in Aji Amarillo Paste and dried Oregano. Cook stirring 3 minutes more.
  2. Stir in Bread mix and 1 c Broth. Bring to a boil stirring, then turn to a simmer and stir until it starts to thicken.
  3. Stir in Chicken, Pecans and Cheese. Season with Salt and Pepper.
  4. Stir in Evaporated Milk. If it seems too thick, thin with some more Broth. Take off the heat.
Serving   -   (20 min)
  1. Slice Potatoes about 1/4 inch thick.
  2. Arrange Potato Slices and Pour Sauce over them. Sprinkle with Parsley.
  3. Cut Eggs into wedges. Garnish with the Eggs and Olives.
  4. Serve hot with plenty of steamed long grain rice.
NOTES:

  1. Chicken Meat:

      Weight is skinless, boneless meat. The pattern recipe calls for breast, but I always use Thigh / Leg meat for better flavor and texture than the cardboard breast meat we get around here.

  2. Potatoes:

      This is one place where Yukon Gold type potatoes will work well, as they slice well after cooking (just don't overcook them). If using White Rose or similar, select smaller ones, as larger ones tend to split when sliced. For details see our Potatoes page.

  3. Pecans:

      Measure is after chopping. Walnuts could also be used.

  4. Evaporated Milk

      Don't confuse this with Condensed Milk, which is liquid candy. I use a brand with no added oil.

  5. Aji Amarillo Paste:

      Fresh Aji Amarillos (Peruvian Yellow Chilis) are very difficult to find in North America, but many markets serving a South American community will have the paste. For details see our Aji Amarillo page.

  6. Olives:

      Three or four per serving. These could be large purple Alphonso olives which are grown in Peru, or large Kalamatas. For details see our Olives page.

  7. Chicken Stock / Broth:

      I usually make chicken stock / broth in larger quantity than given here. The chicken meat can be cooked in the amount of stock needed here, or, if you have already cooked chicken, you will need about 6-1/2 ounces for this recipe.

  8. Serving:

      The photo shows a table serving. For buffet service I cube the potatoes about 3/4 inch and cook them separately. I pit the Olives and cut them in half. When ready to put out (I use a slow cooker on "keep warm") I mix the Sauce with the Potatoes and Olives. I usually just sprinkle a good amount of parley on the top, and serve the Eggs on a separate plate.
  9. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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