Ají de Gallina

Today I want to share with you a lovely recipe.

I first heard about it when I started dating my half Peruvian boyfriend. This dish is a creamy / slightly spicy (Aji Amarillo) / chicken dish usually served with white rice, potatoes, hard cooked eggs and olives. I KNOW, SEEMS LIKE A LOOOT OF WORK, but IT ISN'T!!

I went online a tried to find a good recipe or an idea of how to go about making this dish. I get a bit nervous when I’m making something that my boyfriend loves because I want him to like it as much as the one his grandmother in Peru makes (believe me, NOT AN EASY TASK, he is a bit picky :P ). Ohhhhh and don’t let me forget about the other problem with this dish, EVERYONE MAKES IT DIFFERENTLY! THERE IS NO “ONE” RECIPE TO MAKE AJI DE GALLINA. Some people make the sauce by using crackers, others use bread; some people cook the chicken, others buy a cooked chicken. I made it different ways until I found a way I liked.

You guys should have seen me freaking out, it was very funny!

BUT BEFORE YOU FREAK OUT WITH ME, I HAVE THE RECIPE THAT WORKED (AND WAS APPROVED BY THE BOYFRIEND! HE HAD IT FOR BREAKFAST (just add a fried egg on top :P ), LUNCH AND DINNER FOR AN ENTIRE WEEKEND)

Here we go, 

RECIPE:

AJI DE GALLINA

-      2 Pounds of boneless, skinless Chicken (you can buy a simple cooked chicken or just cook it by covering it with water and simmering it with onions, tomatoes and garlic over medium heat for about 30 minutes)

-      1 Loaf of white bread cut into small cubes, remove the crusts

-      12 oz of evaporated milk (one can)

-      ½ C to 1 C of chicken stock

-      1 to 2 (Peruvian yellow peppers) Aji Amarillo, remove the seeds. You can find them at any authentic Latin market. They are not the same yellow peppers we use commonly in the USA (Picture)

-      Salt and Pepper

To Garnish:

-      Cooked White rice

-      Yellow potatoes

-      4 Hard cooked eggs cut into slices

-      4 Black olives

Between you and me: the garnish is optional, except the rice and potatoes (but if you make this for someone from Peru -- > the garnish is verrrry important)

Steps:

1- Shred the chicken into long little strips and set aside.

2- Soak the bread in the evaporated milk and ½ C of chicken stock. Transfer the mixture into a blender and work it until smooth and creamy. It should be a bit thick but creamy (not a brick, so if necessary add the rest of the stock slowly)

3- Add the peppers to the milk/bread mixture and blend until homogeneous.

My sauce in the blender

4- Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5- In a sauce pan over low to medium heat add the shredded chicken, add the bread sauce on top and just wait until it warms up, stirring constantly, being careful not to let it get too thick.

To assemble

For single servings:

Cut the potatoes into medium slices and arrange two or three slices on the plate and right on top place a portion of the saucy chicken. Over the chicken place the slices of hard cooked egg. Top that with an olive.

On the side of the chicken, a generous portion of rice!

That’s it!!

Long but not hard!!

I really hope you try this recipe. It's amazing and you won't regret it. Let me know if you have anyyyy questions! I’ll be happy to help!

***By the way: sorry for the quality of the pictures, i wasn't expecting to have a blog when i made this) i promise ill do better next time!!!***


EAT AWAY!!!