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Let’s make the best Peruvian roasted chicken with aji verde sauce inspired by Pio Pio, my all-time favorite rotisserie chicken restaurant in NYC. This oven-roasted chicken recipe comes very close to the original with juicy marinated meat and crispy, golden skin, served with creamy, spicy homemade Peruvian green sauce.
Peruvian Roasted Chicken with Spicy Green Sauce
The best chicken spot in New York is Pio Pio. It’s a spot known for its amazing pollo a la brasa, or Peruvian rotisserie chicken, and for its spicy aji verde sauce. They are very secretive about their sauce recipe, but my Peruvian green sauce is the closest I’ve tasted in a homemade version.
Since I don’t have a rotisserie, I roasted a whole chicken in the oven and cut it in half to make sure all the skin gets crispy. Serve this with an avocado salad, air fryer tostones, or rice and beans. For best results, marinate the chicken overnight before roasting.
What Makes This Peruvian Chicken Recipe So Good
This recipe recreates Pio Pio’s charcoal rotisserie chicken without the rotisserie (or the charcoal!). If you love Latin American comfort food, I think you’re going to like making my favorite pollo guisado, pollo sabroso, and lomo saltado at home, too.
- An easy method for restaurant-style chicken. The secret lies in marinating the chicken overnight to infuse it with Peruvian-style flavor, followed by an hour roast in a hot oven to lock it in and crisp up the skin.
- Juicy and full of flavor. The simple but vibrant chicken marinade includes beer, tangy vinegar, lime juice, and warm spices. Paired with the creamy aji verde sauce, every bite is singing with Latin flavor.
- Make it gluten-free or dairy-free with easy ingredient swaps, like using gluten-free beer in the marinade and vegan sour cream in the sauce.
- Roast it on a Sunday for weekly meal prep. I love using leftover roasted chicken in sandwiches, salads, chicken wraps, and bowls throughout the week.
Reader Review
“This is such a delicious recipe. I love Pio Pio and this great recipe gives me all of the same flavors right at home. The aji verde sauce is terrific as well. I have been making both for some years now. Thank you, Gina!” – Jewel
Ingredients You’ll Need
These are the key ingredients you’ll need to make restaurant-style Peruvian roast chicken with homemade aji verde sauce. See the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Whole chicken: I use a whole chicken, cut into halves. One 5-pound chicken is usually enough to feed four. You could also make this with a spatchcock chicken or individual bone-in chicken pieces, like thighs, breasts, and quarters. Note that the roasting time will vary depending on the cut of chicken used.
- Beer is the base for the Peruvian chicken marinade. I use Corona Light, but Modelo or any crisp, light beer, like a lager or pilsner, will work in this recipe. You don’t really taste the beer in the final result, but it helps tenderize the chicken.
- White vinegar: You can substitute the white vinegar with white or red wine vinegar or cider vinegar if needed.
- Lime: You’ll want to use fresh juice from one whole lime.
- Spices: Cumin, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt, and paprika. You could also season your chicken with a blend, like sazon seasoning.
Aji Verde Sauce
- Jalapeño: Removing the seeds helps tame the heat. You can adjust the number of chilies to taste, depending on how hot you like your sauce.
- Fresh cilantro or fresh herbs are essential here. If you dislike cilantro, consider replacing it with parsley or mint. However, the flavor profile will be different.
- Olive oil or your choice of neutral-flavored oil. Avocado oil is another good option.
- Garlic: If needed, you can replace the fresh garlic clove with 1 tablespoon of pre-minced jarred garlic.
- White vinegar or use whichever vinegar you used in the chicken marinade.
- Cumin adds a hint of earthy flavor.
- Sour cream gives the sauce its creaminess. Greek yogurt is a good substitute. For a dairy-free sauce, use a non-dairy sour cream alternative.
How to Make Peruvian Roasted Chicken
What I love most about this delicious roasted chicken recipe is that most of the work is left to the oven. It takes just a few minutes of prep between the marinade before and the aji verde afterward for serving. Here are the steps.
- Marinate the chicken. Begin by rinsing the whole chicken under cold water and trimming away the fat. Next, add the chicken to a large bowl to season with the beer, vinegar, lime juice, and spices. Transfer the chicken and marinade to a freezer bag to refrigerate overnight.
- Get ready to roast. When you’re ready, take the chicken out of the bag. Cut it in half and arrange both halves in a baking dish, skin-side up. You can discard the leftover marinade.
- Bake. Give your chicken one last season with paprika, more garlic powder, and salt before transferring it to the oven, and roast at 425ºF for 50 minutes. Set a timer for halfway through, and use a baster or basting brush to cover the chicken with the pan juices. Afterward, allow the chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes before carving.
How to Tell When Your Chicken Is Done
The best (and easiest) way to test for doneness is to use a meat thermometer. Chicken is done when it reaches 165ºF at the thickest part. However, plan to remove your chicken from the oven when the internal temperature reads 160ºF. The chicken will continue to cook and come up to 165ºF as it rests.
Alternative Cooking Methods
So many of you have had success cooking this Peruvian chicken on the grill! It’s a great way to recreate those restaurant-style char-grilled flavors. Whenever I grill it, I divide the whole chicken into individual pieces (or I’ll buy them pre-cut) before marinating. This makes it easier for the chicken to cook through evenly on the grill.
- Grill the chicken 4-6 inches above the fire for 20-25 minutes, turning often. Close the cover in between. The chicken is done when it reaches 165ºF, or when the juices run clear.
- Use skewers. I also have my Peruvian grilled chicken skewers recipe created specifically for the grill.
- Cook this Peruvian chicken in the air fryer. In this case, I’d suggest following the cooking directions for my air fryer rotisserie chicken. Cook the whole chicken at 350ºF for about 50 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Homemade Aji Verde Sauce (Spicy Peruvian Green Sauce)
Last but not least, to make the green sauce for serving, simply combine all of the ingredients in your blender or food processor and purée.
This sauce is ready to use right away. Sometimes, I’ll make extra to store in the fridge for up to 1 week. Leftover aji verde sauce is great as a dip for fries, and you can drizzle it over grilled and roasted meats, veggies, tacos, beans, and bowls, like these sweet potato black bean bowls.
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Wash chicken and remove all fat.
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Place in a large bowl and season generously with beer, vinegar, lime juice, salt, garlic powder, cumin, and oregano.
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Place in a large bag and marinate overnight.
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Remove chicken from bag, cut chicken in half, and place both halves on a large oven-safe baking dish, skin side up.
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Discard marinade.
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Sprinkle chicken with paprika, a little more garlic powder, and salt, and bake at 425°F for about 50 minutes, basting with the pan juices halfway through.
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To test for doneness, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken; the thermometer should read about 160°F.
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The chicken needs to reach an internal temperature of 165°F, but after the chicken is taken out of the oven, it should rise to 165°F.
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Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before carving.
Aji Verde Sauce
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Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Serve over chicken, rice, beans, or plantains.
Last Step:
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- Points+ with Skin: drumstick 2 pts, wing 3 pts, thigh 4 pts, 4-ounce breast 5 pts
- Grilling Method: If you want to make this chicken on the grill, I would recommend cutting the chicken into individual pieces before you marinate. Position the grill rack 4-6 inches above the fire. Cook covered, turning often, about 20-25 minutes, until juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a knife.
Calories: 517 kcal, Carbohydrates: 6 g, Protein: 36 g, Fat: 37 g, Saturated Fat: 10 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 17 g, Trans Fat: 0.2 g, Cholesterol: 146 mg, Sodium: 265 mg, Potassium: 454 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 1 g, Vitamin A: 481 IU, Vitamin C: 9 mg, Calcium: 57 mg, Iron: 3 mg
Tips for Making Peruvian Roasted Chicken
- If you’d like to skip the bowl when marinating, seal everything right in the freezer bag, and massage the marinade into the chicken before refrigerating.
- Not a fan of chicken skin? I recommend following the recipe as written, and rather remove the skins when serving. Only because skinless chicken is more likely to dry out in the oven without the skin to lock in the moisture.
- To make the marinade without alcohol, you can substitute regular beer with non-alcoholic beer or use chicken stock instead. You can also make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free beer or stock.
- Marinate overnight. The chicken should marinate for at least a few hours, but overnight is best to really infuse it with flavor.
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerate leftover chicken. Store the cooled chicken in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. The sauce can be stored separately, in a sealed jar or container, for up to 1 week.
- Reheat. The best way to reheat this Peruvian-style chicken is in the oven or air fryer to crisp up the outside.
