Creamy golden shredded chicken sauce with peas, parsley, a halved boiled egg and a black olive beside white rice in a clay bowl. — Photo: ta@keshi kimi · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Latin American & Caribbean · Lunch · Dinner

Ají de Gallina (Peruvian Creamy Chili Chicken)

Name: Ají de Gallina (Peruvian Creamy Chili Chicken)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 70 min
Cuisine: Latin American & Caribbean
Ingredients: 600 g (about 3 breasts) Chicken breast, skinless and boneless; 6 cups Water, for poaching the chicken; 1 cup Brown rice, long-grain; 2 1/2 cups Water, for the rice; 4 small Yellow potatoes; 2 large Eggs; 6 cups, drained away Water, for boiling potatoes and eggs; 2 slices Whole-wheat bread; 1 cup Fat-free evaporated milk; 1/4 cup Walnuts; 1 tbsp Olive oil; 1 large Onion, finely chopped; 3 cloves Garlic, minced; 4 tbsp Ají amarillo paste; 1 tsp Ground cumin; 1/2 tsp Ground turmeric; 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated; 1/4 tsp Salt; 1/2 tsp Black pepper, ground; 8 olives Black olives (botija or kalamata)

Ají de gallina

By BerryFit Kitchen · Nutrition checked with USDA data · Updated Oct 20, 2026 · How we make recipes

Tender shredded chicken folded into a velvety golden sauce of ají amarillo, walnuts and milk-soaked bread, served Peruvian-style with potatoes, egg and olives. This lighter version uses lean breast meat, fat-free evaporated milk and brown rice without losing the gentle heat and comfort of the original.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 50 min
Total: 70 min
Serves: 4

Medium
High protein

34%

Per serving677kcal34% of a 2,000 kcal day

52gProtein

73gCarbs

19gFat

8gFiber

Calories come from: Carbs 44% · Fat 25% · Protein 31%

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Ingredients

For 4 servings

600 g (about 3 breasts)Chicken breast, skinless and boneless
6 cups1,500 gWater, for poaching the chicken
1 cup190 gBrown rice, long-grain
2 1/2 cups600 gWater, for the rice
4 small400 gYellow potatoes
2 large100 gEggs
6 cups, drained away1,500 gWater, for boiling potatoes and eggs (optional)
2 slices60 gWhole-wheat bread
1 cup255 gFat-free evaporated milk
1/4 cup30 gWalnuts
1 tbsp14 gOlive oil
1 large150 gOnion, finely chopped
3 cloves9 gGarlic, minced
4 tbsp60 gAjí amarillo paste
1 tspGround cumin
1/2 tspGround turmeric
1/4 cup20 gParmesan cheese, grated
1/4 tspSalt
1/2 tspBlack pepper, ground
8 olives32 gBlack olives (botija or kalamata) (optional)

Steps

1
Rinse the brown rice, put it in a saucepan with the 600 g of rice water and bring to a boil.
2
Cover, lower the heat and simmer the rice for 40–45 minutes until tender, then rest it off the heat, covered.
3
Place the chicken in a pot with the 1.5 litres of poaching water, bring to a gentle simmer and poach for 15–20 minutes until the thickest part reaches 74 °C / 165 °F.
4
Meanwhile, put the potatoes in a second pot with the 1.5 litres of boiling water and cook for about 20 minutes until tender.
5
Add the eggs to the potato pot for the last 10 minutes, then drain, cool the eggs under cold running water, peel and halve.
6
Lift out the cooked chicken, set aside 2 cups of the broth, and shred the meat with two forks.
7
Tear the bread into pieces and soak it in the evaporated milk for 5 minutes.
8
Blend the soaked bread, milk and walnuts until smooth.
9
Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and cook the onion for 6–8 minutes until soft and golden.
10
Stir in the garlic, ají amarillo paste, cumin and turmeric and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.
11
Pour in the bread mixture and 1 cup of the reserved broth and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often, adding more broth if the sauce gets too thick.
12
Fold in the shredded chicken, Parmesan, salt and pepper and heat through for 3 minutes; taste before adding any more salt, as the paste and cheese are already salty.
13
Slice the potatoes and serve them with the rice and chicken, topped with the egg halves and olives.

Swaps, storage and make-ahead

Swaps

Swap the walnuts for pecans or toasted almonds if that's what you have, or leave them out and add an extra half slice of bread for body.
Use 2% evaporated milk or regular whole milk instead of fat-free evaporated milk for a richer sauce.
Replace the whole-wheat bread with saltine crackers, a classic Peruvian thickener that is easy to find.
Use white long-grain rice instead of brown rice and simmer it for about 18–20 minutes rather than 40–45.

Storage

Refrigerate the chicken sauce, rice and potatoes in covered containers within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating the sauce gently with a splash of broth or milk until steaming hot. Keep boiled eggs whole or halved in the fridge and use within a few days, and avoid freezing the potatoes and eggs, which turn watery.

Make ahead

Poach and shred the chicken, cook the rice and boil the potatoes and eggs up to 2 days ahead and keep them refrigerated. The sauce can also be made a day ahead and reheated with a little reserved broth to loosen it before folding in the chicken.

Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.

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Allergens and nutrition

Contains: GlutenEggsMilkTree nuts

Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.

Full nutrition

	Per serving (999 g)	Per 100 g
Calories	677 kcal	68 kcal
Protein	52.1 g	5.2 g
Carbohydrates	73.4 g	7.3 g
of which sugars	11.3 g	1.1 g
Fiber	7.5 g	0.8 g
Fat	18.5 g	1.9 g
of which saturated	3.9 g	0.4 g
Sodium	787 mg	79 mg

Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.