Spatchcock Peruvian chicken

Spatchcock Peruvian style chicken is tender and full of delicious spices. It’s served with a simple cilantro lime rice and a zesty cilantro dipping sauce.

In 2013 I travelled to Peru where I discovered Peruvian roast chicken. You can find Peruvian roast chicken all over Lima and Cuzco. The chicken is roasted and served with two delicious sauces and fries. It’s an inexpensive, filling and tasty meal, making it a favorite of both locals and tourists. In Peru, the chicken is often cooked on a rotissare and blackened from the marinade. 

I got a whole chicken in one of my recent Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative boxes. I decided to make my a spatchcock Peruvian chicken. Traditional Peruvian roast chicken has huacatay and aji panca paste in the marinade. You can buy both of these sauces online, or omit one or both if you can’t find them. The chicken will still taste great! 

The marinade ingredients are important, but so is the quality of chicken you use. Grass Roots Farmers Coop sells 100% pasture-raised chicken that are hormone free and feed with non GMO feed. They are raised on small family farms where they enjoy fresh air, sunshine, and fresh green grass every day. All of this makes the chicken more flavorful than conventionally raised chickens. 

I used the spatchcock method for the this recipe. It’s optional, but it does help the chicken cook faster which keeps the breast more moist. It also makes a unique presentation. You can of course just roast the chicken whole. 

Equipment

• Sheet pan
• High-powered blender
• Cutting board
• Chef’s knife

Peruvian style chicken

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• Author: cocoa & salt

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Description

Spatchcocked Peruvian style chicken sounds fancy, but it’s quick and easy to make!

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Ingredients

Chicken
1 whole chicken (3-4 pounds)
4 tablespoons room temperature butter 
1 tablespoon huacatay 
1 tablespoon aji panca
1 lime, zested 
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika 
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt 
½ teaspoon pepper

Cilantro lime rice 
1 cup brown or white rice
2 cups chicken stock
1 serrano, diced 
¼ cup finely diced cilantro 
salt and pepper 

Cilantro sauce 
1 cup cilantro thick stems removed
2 jalapeños, seeded 
2 green onions
1 clove of garlic 
juice of 1 lime 
⅛ cup olive oil 
salt and papper 

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Instructions

1. Remove chicken from package and rinse off under cold water. To spatchcock the chicken, place breast side down, on a plastic cutting board. Starting at the thigh-end of the bird, cut along both sides of backbone with sharp kitchen shears. Remove backbone. Flip over chicken and ope like a book. Push down on each side of breast with your hands to flatten. Transfer a baking sheet.
2. Combine butter, huacatay, aji panca, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, garlic powder and lime zest in a small bowl. Run your fingers under chicken skin and rub 2 tablespoons lime butter under skin. Reb remaining 2 tablespoons of lime butter on outside of chicken. Cover and place chicken in fridge for 2-12 hours.
3. After chicken has marinated, preheat oven to 425 degrees.
4. Roast until skin is crisp and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast reads 165 degrees F, about 35-45 minutes.
5. While chicken is cooking, prepare the rice according to package directions. When rice is cooked, add cilantro, serrano, and salt and pepper.
6. Next, prepare the cilantro sauce. Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and blend on high about 2 minutes.
7. Loosely cover with foil and let stand 10 minutes before cutting each chicken into 8 pieces. Serve chicken with rice and cilantro sauce. Enjoy! 

Notes

Tip: Save the backbone for stock. Place in a freezer back and freeze for up 2-3 months until ready to use. 

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This post is part of a partnership with Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative, but all opinions are my own. Right now you can get $50 off your first box with code FarmBox50.