Aji de Gallina is one of my favorite Peruvian dishes. It is rich, heavy, and delicious chicken stew which makes it perfect for those lazy days at home. In fact, this is not only a great ‘leftovers’ dish, but a perfect weeknight meal as it can be made with little effort.
Aji de Gallina is chicken in huancaina sauce. It is usually served atop boiled or fried potatoes with a side of rice as shown above, and sometimes boiled and sliced eggs. One thing I love about this recipe is that it is perfect if you need to use up some leftover chicken. After I make a standard Peruvian roasted chicken I tend to take the leftovers to make an aji de gallina.
Most people know Peruvian food as ceviche, but it is so much more than that. And when you get away from the coast, chicken takes charge. There are actually two schools of thought when it comes to this dish. One being this recipe which uses huancaina sauce, and the other which makes an aji-milk sauce from scratch. Since I consider this dish an easy leftovers comfort food, I tend to make the former.
What Is Huancaina Sauce?
Huancaina sauce is one of the most delicious sauces to come out of Peru that I’ve tried. It is traditionally served on boiled potatoes in papa a la huancaina. It is a cheese sauce made with aji amarillo peppers (or paste) and can be adulterated in so many different ways.
The sauce is super easy to make and can basically be done with just a bowl and a whisk or an immersion blender.
How To Make Aji de Gallina
While you can make this recipe from scratch I actually never have. I only make it when I have leftover roast chicken from the day before. But if you live near a grocery that sells whole roasted or rotisserie chickens, you can pick one up to make an aji de gallina in less than 15 minutes. Note that you will have plenty of extra leftover sauce so you can enjoy many dishes that use it. It holds well in the fridge for up to a week, but can be frozen for longer.
Ingredients
Aji de Gallina
- 250 grams Cooked Chicken – I suggest only making this recipe if you have leftovers, otherwise you’ll have to make an entire chicken before starting this recipe. Just take your chicken and slice it up and it is ready to go for this recipe.
- 50 ml Milk – Or more if needed
Huancaina Sauce
- 250 ml Evaporated Milk (1 cup) – You can substitute for heavy cream if you cannot find evaporated milk.
- 250 ml Queso Fresco – this fresh white cheese can be called different things in different countries. For example I used a Georgian cheese called adyghe which is basically the same as Mexican Oaxacan cheese. Funny how that works out sometimes. If you prefer to buy it online you can do so here.
- 150 grams Aji Amarillo Paste – This ingredient gives the signature color to huancaina sauce, as well as tons of flavor. However don’t think they final sauce will be TOO spicy. With all the dairy involved the fruitiness of the chili peppers really shines through. I recommend Inca’s Food Brand or Goya. I also always have a jar of this sauce in the fridge because I use it in my ceviche and tiradito recipes.
- 100 grams Stale White Bread – You can use fresh if you want, but stale is best. In Peru they often just throw in a few soda crackers instead of bread which you can also opt for.
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil – I used sunflower but any neutral oil will do.
- 1 tsp Salt – Or to taste
Instructions
Add all the huancaina sauce ingredients to a bowl and blitz it with an immersion blender. You can also do this in a standing blender, or by hand.
Place your chicken in a pan on medium heat and let it warm up. You don’t need oil but you can add a little if you want. Since we are just warming it up there should be no issue with sticking.
Add the milk and about a half cup (125 ml) of huancaina sauce and give everything a good stir. Let everything come to temperature.
When everything is nice and combined you can taste and adjust seasonings. I suggest adding some salt and freshly cracked black pepper. I also add a little turmeric to yellow the color, but that’s kind of cheating.
Spoon the stew from the pan on top of boiled or fried potatoes. Aji de gallina is also commonly served with boiled eggs and black olives, and a side of rice.
How Long Does This Last
This stew is best eaten right after it is made, but you can save it for up to three days. Simply pack it in a sealable container and put it in your fridge. You can reheat it in a pan for best results. You can also freeze it as is in which case it will last much longer.
Try All My Tasty Peruvian Recipes
Aji de Gallina (Peruvian Chicken Stew)
Equipment
- 1 Pan
Ingredients
- 250 grams Cooked Chicken Feel free to add more chicken if you want to serve more people. There is more than enough sauce to easily increase the chicken amount.
- 50 ml Milk Or more if needed
Huancaina Sauce
- 250 ml Evaporated Milk 1 cup – You can substitute for heavy cream if you cannot find evaporated milk.
- 250 ml Queso Fresco or similar cheese
- 150 grams Aji Amarillo Paste
- 100 grams Stale White Bread You can use fresh if you want but stale is best. In Peru they often just throw in a few soda crackers instead of bread which you can also opt for.
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil or other neutral oil
- 1 tsp Salt Or to taste
Instructions
- In a bowl add all the huancaina sauce ingredients and blend together with an immersion blender. Or you can do it all in an upright blender.
- Chop the cooked chicken and add it to a pan on medium heat. Add the milk and a half cup (125 ml) of huancaina sauce. Stir to combine and allow everything to heat up. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
- Spoon the aji de gallina over fried or boiled potatoes and garnish with boiled eggs, black olives, green onion, or whatever you want. Enjoy!
