with Chef Robert Larios
Photography by Patricia M. Larios
Introducing Peru’s latest gift to the world: Peruvian roast chicken with a creamy salsa verde sauce. Imagine tender, succulent chicken, perfectly spiced to delight your taste buds. And let’s not forget the incredible sides: garlicky rice infused with tomatoes, scallions and a zesty splash of lime.
But the true superstar of this dish? The creamy sauce that will take your meal to the next level. Bursting with tangy lime and a spicy kick from pickled jalapeños, it’s the perfect drizzle for every mouthwatering bite.
¡Buen provecho!
Spicy Peruvian Chicken with Loaded Rice, Pickled Jalapeño, and Creamy Salsa Verde
Step 1:
Preparation
First, the ingredients: Fresh produce is always the best, so let’s wash and dry our vegetables. For the garlic, we need to peel, mince or grate it and separate a small amount for later. We’ll chop our scallions finely, separating the white parts from the green. For our jalapeño, let’s slice it thinly into rounds after removing the ribs and seeds to reduce the spiciness. Then we zest and quarter our lime. Lastly, we need to dice our tomato into half-inch pieces.
Step 2:
Cook the Rice
Now, let’s move on to our rice. In a small pot, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat and add the white parts of the scallion, the remaining garlic, and 1 teaspoon of fajita spice blend. We’ll cook these until they're softened and fragrant. Then we add our rice, stock concentrate, water, and a pinch of salt. When it boils, lower the heat, cover the pot, and let it simmer until the rice is tender. Keep it covered off the heat until ready to serve.
Step 3:
Pickle the Jalapeño
While the rice cooks, we can pickle our jalapeño. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the jalapeño slices, juice of half the lime, a bit of sugar, and a pinch of salt. Microwave this for 30 seconds and set aside to pickle, stirring occasionally.
Step 4:
Cook the Chicken
For the chicken, pat it dry with paper towels and season it with the remaining fajita spice blend, salt and pepper. Heat some oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, then add the chicken and cook until it’s browned and cooked through. Transfer it to a cutting board to rest.
Step 5:
Make Creamy Salsa Verde
Next, let’s make our creamy salsa verde. Remove the jalapeño from the pickling liquid but keep the liquid. We’ll mince the jalapeño, reserving a few rounds for garnishing. To the bowl with the reserved garlic, we’ll add mayonnaise, sour cream, a squeeze of lime juice, a big pinch of lime zest, and some minced jalapeño. If you prefer it spicy, add a splash of jalapeño pickling liquid. Add water slowly until the mixture reaches a drizzling consistency, and season with salt and pepper.
Step 6:
Finish and Serve
To finish, fluff the rice with a fork and stir in the tomato, half the scallion greens, remaining lime zest, a squeeze of limejuice, and as much remaining minced jalapeño as you prefer. Season it with salt and pepper. Slice the chicken thinly and divide the rice between bowls, topping each with the chicken slices. Squeeze juice from the remaining lime over the chicken, drizzle everything with the creamy salsa verde, and garnish with the remaining scallion greens and jalapeño rounds.
Remember, the chicken is fully cooked when its internal temperature reaches 165º F.
Ingredients
Directions
Step 1:
Preparation
First, the ingredients: Fresh produce is always the best, so let’s wash and dry our vegetables. For the garlic, we need to peel, mince or grate it and separate a small amount for later. We’ll chop our scallions finely, separating the white parts from the green. For our jalapeño, let’s slice it thinly into rounds after removing the ribs and seeds to reduce the spiciness. Then we zest and quarter our lime. Lastly, we need to dice our tomato into half-inch pieces.
Step 2:
Cook the Rice
Now, let’s move on to our rice. In a small pot, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat and add the white parts of the scallion, the remaining garlic, and 1 teaspoon of fajita spice blend. We’ll cook these until they're softened and fragrant. Then we add our rice, stock concentrate, water, and a pinch of salt. When it boils, lower the heat, cover the pot, and let it simmer until the rice is tender. Keep it covered off the heat until ready to serve.
Step 3:
Pickle the Jalapeño
While the rice cooks, we can pickle our jalapeño. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the jalapeño slices, juice of half the lime, a bit of sugar, and a pinch of salt. Microwave this for 30 seconds and set aside to pickle, stirring occasionally.
Step 4:
Cook the Chicken
For the chicken, pat it dry with paper towels and season it with the remaining fajita spice blend, salt and pepper. Heat some oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, then add the chicken and cook until it’s browned and cooked through. Transfer it to a cutting board to rest.
Step 5:
Make Creamy Salsa Verde
Next, let’s make our creamy salsa verde. Remove the jalapeño from the pickling liquid but keep the liquid. We’ll mince the jalapeño, reserving a few rounds for garnishing. To the bowl with the reserved garlic, we’ll add mayonnaise, sour cream, a squeeze of lime juice, a big pinch of lime zest, and some minced jalapeño. If you prefer it spicy, add a splash of jalapeño pickling liquid. Add water slowly until the mixture reaches a drizzling consistency, and season with salt and pepper.
Step 6:
Finish and Serve
To finish, fluff the rice with a fork and stir in the tomato, half the scallion greens, remaining lime zest, a squeeze of limejuice, and as much remaining minced jalapeño as you prefer. Season it with salt and pepper. Slice the chicken thinly and divide the rice between bowls, topping each with the chicken slices. Squeeze juice from the remaining lime over the chicken, drizzle everything with the creamy salsa verde, and garnish with the remaining scallion greens and jalapeño rounds.
Remember, the chicken is fully cooked when its internal temperature reaches 165º F.
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Food Lover’s Dictionary
Bibliography: Copyright Barron’s Educational Services, Inc. 2009, adapted from The New Food Lover’s Companion, 2007, by Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst. Recipe: hhttps://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/spicy-peruvian-chicken-and-loaded-rice-61a783ead3afc75ab13b975d. Accessed August 1, 2023. |
Jalapeño [hah-lah-PEH-nyoh]: Named after Jalapa, the capital of Veracruz, Mexico, these smooth, dark green (scarlet red when ripe) chiles range from hot to very hot. They have a rounded tip and are about two inches long and three-quarters to one inch in diameter. Besides their flavor, jalapeños are quite popular because they are so easily seeded. They’re available fresh and canned and are used in a variety of sauces, sometimes stuffed with cheese, fish or meat, and then a multitude of dishes. In their dried form jalapeños are known as chipotles.Cooking Tidbit: Boost your cooking speed by swapping in store-bought pickled jalapeños. No need to worry about making them from scratch. And don’t feel obligated to stick with the fajita spice blend. Get creative with a lemon pepper or any other seasoning blend that tickles your taste buds for your chicken dish.
Food Quote: “What you’re eating now is the traditional food.”
– Anthony Bourdain
