Photo: User:MiguelAlanCS · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Roasted chicken leg quarter on a white plate with rice, lettuce and tomato salad, and fries drizzled with yellow and white sauces. — Photo: User:MiguelAlanCS · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Latin American & Caribbean · Lunch · Dinner

Pollo a la Brasa (Peruvian Roast Chicken)

Name: Pollo a la Brasa (Peruvian Roast Chicken)
Prep time: 85 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 140 min
Cuisine: Latin American & Caribbean
Ingredients: 1 medium (about 1.6 kg as bought; about 1.1 kg edible meat and skin) whole chicken; 7 cloves garlic; 2 tbsp ají panca paste; 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce; 4 tbsp (about 2 limes) lime juice; 1 tsp olive oil; 2 tsp ground cumin; 2 tsp paprika; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp ground black pepper; 1 tsp salt; 1 packed cup fresh cilantro; 1 medium jalapeño, seeded; 2 tbsp reduced-fat mayonnaise; 3 tbsp water; 1 head romaine lettuce; 2 medium tomatoes; 1 medium cucumber; 1/2 small red onion; 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Pollo a la brasa

By BerryFit Kitchen · Nutrition checked with USDA data · Updated Oct 11, 2026 · How we make recipes

Juicy spatchcocked chicken rubbed with garlic, cumin, ají panca, lime and soy, then roasted until bronzed and smoky. It comes with a zippy cilantro-jalapeño ají verde and a crisp, fresh salad.

Prep: 85 min
Cook: 55 min
Total: 140 min
Serves: 6

Medium
Dairy Free
High protein
Low Carb

23%

Per serving466kcal23% of a 2,000 kcal day

37gProtein

10gCarbs

31gFat

3gFiber

Calories come from: Carbs 9% · Fat 60% · Protein 31%

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Ingredients

For 6 servings

1 medium (about 1.6 kg as bought; about 1.1 kg edible meat and skin)whole chicken
7 cloves21 ggarlic
2 tbsp30 gají panca paste
2 tbsp32 glow-sodium soy sauce
4 tbsp (about 2 limes)60 glime juice
1 tsp5 golive oil
2 tspground cumin
2 tsp5 gpaprika
1 tspdried oregano
1 tspground black pepper
1 tsp6 gsalt
1 packed cup30 gfresh cilantro
1 medium14 gjalapeño, seeded
2 tbsp30 greduced-fat mayonnaise
3 tbsp45 gwater
1 head300 gromaine lettuce
2 medium240 gtomatoes
1 medium200 gcucumber
1/2 small50 gred onion
1 tbsp15 gred wine vinegar

Steps

1
Pull off any loose fat from the cavity and neck of the chicken and discard it.
2
Place the chicken breast-side down and cut out the backbone with kitchen shears, then flip it and press firmly on the breastbone to flatten it.
3
Crush 6 garlic cloves and mix them with the ají panca paste, soy sauce, 3 tbsp lime juice, olive oil, cumin, paprika, oregano, black pepper and 3/4 tsp salt.
4
Loosen the skin over the breast and thighs and rub the marinade under the skin and all over the chicken.
5
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight for deeper flavour.
6
Heat the oven to 220 °C (425 °F) and set a rack over a lined baking tray.
7
Lay the chicken skin-side up on the rack and roast for 45–50 minutes, until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 74 °C (165 °F) and the juices run clear.
8
Rest the chicken for 10 minutes before carving.
9
While it roasts, blend the cilantro, jalapeño, remaining garlic clove, mayonnaise, 1 tbsp lime juice, water and a pinch of salt until smooth to make the ají verde.
10
Chop the romaine, tomatoes and cucumber, thinly slice the red onion, and toss with the vinegar and the last of the salt.
11
Carve the chicken into pieces and serve with the salad and ají verde on the side.

Swaps, storage and make-ahead

Swaps

Use chipotle paste or a mix of mild chilli paste and smoked paprika if you can't find ají panca paste.
Swap the soy sauce for low-sodium tamari for a gluten-free version, and choose an ají panca paste labelled gluten-free.
Use an egg-free vegan mayonnaise in the ají verde if you avoid eggs.
Use bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks instead of a whole chicken to skip spatchcocking, checking that they reach 74 °C (165 °F).

Storage

Refrigerate carved chicken in a covered container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot; keep the ají verde chilled and use within 2 to 3 days. The dressed salad is best eaten fresh and none of the sauce or salad should be frozen.

Make ahead

Marinate the spatchcocked chicken in the fridge up to a day ahead. You can also blend the ají verde and chop the salad vegetables a few hours early, keeping them chilled and dressing the salad just before serving.

Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.

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Allergens and nutrition

Contains: GlutenSoyEggsMustardSulphites

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

Full nutrition

	Per serving (365 g)	Per 100 g
Calories	466 kcal	128 kcal
Protein	36.6 g	10 g
Carbohydrates	10.3 g	2.8 g
of which sugars	3.2 g	0.9 g
Fiber	2.9 g	0.8 g
Fat	30.8 g	8.4 g
of which saturated	8.3 g	2.3 g
Sodium	790 mg	216 mg

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