Aji de Gallina

Aji de gallina is a classic Peruvian comfort food that translates to chicken chili. The “gallina” or hen is poached, shredded off the bone, and then added to an aji amarillo sauce blended with aromatics like onion, garlic, oregano, and cumin and thickened with milk and stale bread. It’s a creamy chili that’s both nourishing and super-comforting.

Every home has their own secrets to making this Peruvian classic (and a special way of serving it too!). Some will use rotisserie chicken because it’s more flavorful than poached chicken (plus it cuts back on cooking time), while others might use soft milk bread for a smoother consistency, or perhaps they blend the nuts with the aji paste instead of incorporating them chopped. However you might choose to make this, it’s always delicious. 

• This is a very creamy, comforting chicken dish. According to our cross-tester, the sauce is  super silky. 
• It relies on a key ingredient that’s essential to Peruvian cooking. Aji de gallina gets its bright yellow hue and signature flavor from aji amarillo paste. 

• Chicken: You’ll need a whole chicken, which is broken down and added to a pot to make a flavorful stock to use in the sauce. 
• Aji amarillo paste: The aji’s flavor is brought out by the salt, onions, and garlic. Yet its heat is tamed and mellowed out with the addition of milk-soaked bread in this dish. 
• Bread: Adds body to the sauce, while also making it super silky. 

Aji amarillo peppers can be rather difficult to find fresh in the United States, but you may find them in the frozen section of your local Latin supermarket. You may also find them in paste form; I would recommend taste testing these pastes prior to using them, as they may vary in spice level. 

To make your own paste from frozen peppers, bring a pot of water with the frozen peppers to a boil, discard water, and carefully peel off the skins and remove the seeds. Once softened, you can decide to blend it with a little salt and reserve for cooking or store in an ice cube tray in the freezer for another recipe. If you don’t want the full heat of the aji amarillo, remove the seeds and veins before bringing to a boil. You can also gently simmer the aji amarillos in fresh water two to three times, discarding the water each time to remove the capsaicin.  

1. Make the chicken stock. Add the ingredients to a large stockpot and simmer until the chicken is cooked through. Once cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size pieces. 
2. Make the sauce. Soak the bread in evaporated milk. Meanwhile, cook the onion, garlic, aji amarillo paste, dried oregano, and ground cumin until the paste caramelizes, then add a bit of stock. Scrape into a blender with the milk-soaked bread and more chicken stock and blend until smooth, then transfer to a pot and simmer until slightly reduced. 
3. Finish the aji de gallina. Add the shredded chicken, Parmesan, and pecans, and stir to combine, and simmer until it coats the back of a spoon. Serve with cooked white rice, boiled potatoes, olives, and hard-boiled eggs. 

• You can sub in shredded rotisserie or another cooked chicken for the poached chicken, as well as store-bought low-sodium chicken broth can be substituted for the chicken stock. 
• If you don’t have milk bread, you can use country white sandwich bread. 

• The chicken stock can be made ahead up to 2 days ahead. Refrigerate the stock and shredded chicken in separate airtight containers. 
• Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Do not freeze, as the dairy will separate and turn into a grainy texture.

Traditionally, you’ll find this dish served with a bed of white rice, yellow Peruvian potatoes, alfonso olives, and hard-boiled eggs.