Aji de Gallina is a traditional Peruvian dish made with shredded chicken breasts in a cheesy, nutty sauce. Pureed bread cubes help thicken the sauce and the aji amarillo chile paste gives the dish its heat and lovely yellow color. It makes quite a striking dish when served with rice, potatoes, and a hard-boiled egg and olive garnish.
Aji de Gallina Recipe Ingredients
Ingredients for Cooking Chicken
- 2 pounds skinless, bone-in chicken breasts or 1 3/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 2 ribs celery, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 chicken bouillon cubes (optional)
- enough water to cover chicken
Ingredients for Making Stew
- 2 1/2 cups cubed white bread, crusts removed
- 1 12 ounce can of evaporated milk
- 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans*
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 teaspoons aji amarillo chile paste**
- 2 teaspoons ground tumeric
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 hard-boiled eggs
- kalamata or black olives, pitted, for garnish
Equipment
Serving Suggestions for Aji de Gallina
Traditionally, Aji de Gallina is served over rice with boil potatoes on the side. The dish is then garnished with slices of hard boiled eggs and olives.
Notes
*The walnuts are a signature of this dish. Because of tree nut allergies, we omitted the nuts, and the stew was still very tasty.
**Not all aji amarillo chile paste is the same. Start with a small amount and add more until you reach your family’s preference for hotness. We used 5 tablespoons of our paste before our family was satisfied with the level of spiciness.
Directions
To boil eggs, place eggs in a pot. Add water to cover eggs plus an inch. Place pan on high heat and bring to a rolling boil. Immediately remove pan from heat and cover. Let the eggs remain in the water with the lid on for 15 – 18 minutes. Drain the eggs and fill the pan with ice water. If possible, allow to sit in water for an hour to help peel. Note: Older eggs peel easier than fresh eggs!
To make the soup, place chicken in a large pot and add just enough water to cover to the chicken.
Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Skim the foam off the top of the water.
Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic and bouillon cubes (optional). Cover, reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.
Remove chicken from broth. Strain the broth and save.
Cut off the crusts of the bread and cube.
In a blender, mix evaporated milk and 1/2 cup of served chicken broth. Add cubed bread crumbs and puree until smooth. Add the walnuts and Parmesan cheese and continue pureeing until mixture is smooth.
If using bone-in chicken, remove and discard bones. Shred chicken.
Add oil to heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking until onions are translucent.
Stir in shredded chicken and aji amarillo chile paste.
Add cheese sauce and tumeric. If sauce is too thick, add more broth. Add salt and pepper to taste and if desired, add more aji amarillo chile paste.
Serve over rice with boiled potatoes on the side. Garnish with sliced boiled eggs and olives.
