Peruvian Grilled Chicken with Creamy Green Sauce is packed with flavor and the perfect way to add some international flair to your next barbecue.
Disclosure: This post was originally published in July 2016. It was updated in July 2018 to add new photographs and information. The recipe remains the same.
This is the year that I’ve finally embraced my knowledge and love for grilling. I’ve been cooking up these Lemon Chicken Skewers with Harissa Yogurt Sauce on the regular. This Mango Lime Grilled Chicken is a favorite in our house. And, let’s not forget the most amazing of cocktails – Grilled Pineapple Jalapeno Margaritas.
Today, I’m throwing a new recipe into the mix. My friend Angela told me about this amazing peruvian grilled chicken that she makes and it totally peaked my interest. The chicken has all the flavors going on – garlic, soy sauce, cumin, plus it’s served with an amazing creamy green sauce that’s got jalapeno, cilantro and fresh lime juice. Basically all of my favorite flavors.
To make things easy, I had my butcher quarter a whole chicken for me. Then, I just added it to a large ziploc bag, poured my marinade over it and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight to let all those amazing flavors soak in.
When you’re ready to get cooking, throw your chicken onto a preheated grill and let it cook for about 30 minutes, turning once. While it’s grilling away, now is the time to prepare that amazing creamy green sauce for your Peruvian grilled chicken. It may be the best part of this yummy dish…
Peruvian Grilled Chicken
This creamy green sauce is very similar to my beloved Mojo Sauce. But this version is creamy, with a bit of mayonnaise and greek yogurt added in. I will say that mayonnaise can freak some people out. You either love it or you hate it. Rick is a hater of mayonnaise, but he loves this sauce. I haven’t told him there’s mayonnaise in it yet… What he doesn’t know…
However, if you want to leave out the mayonnaise, you can just use more greek yogurt in its place. Or you can swap in some sour cream or mexican crema.
Regardless of how you make it, I promise you are going to be totally addicted to this sauce. It’s tangy, spicy, creamy and so delicious. I pretty much drown my chicken in it.
Rick said I should bottle this sauce and sell it.
I love this meal because it’s quick, casual, unexpected. Also, it’s perfect for entertaining because the majority of the work can be done ahead of time, it doesn’t need much babysitting and the kitchen stays clean.
Think warm summer nights, on the patio, with good music, and some refreshing wine…
The perfect wine to pair with Peruvian grilled chicken? I love Vinho Verde.
Vinho Verde, like this meal, is unexpected, refreshing, distinctive and light. Many Vinho Verde wines have a light fizz to them, which I really like. They also have a bright acidity with a bit of minerality that really makes them pair with light dishes like seafood or chicken.
As an added bonus, Vinho Verde wines are super affordable with the average bottle being in the $10 range. Totally justifies buying more than one bottle…
Wine Pairing for Peruvian Grilled Chicken:
- Vinho Verde is high in acidity, which makes it ideal for pairing with the rich and creamy green sauce served with this chicken.
Grilling Recipes:
- Grilled Eggplant Baba Ganoush
- Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Green Tahini Sauce
- Mango Lime Grilled Chicken
- Grilled Rack of Lamb with Pistachio Basil Pesto
If you loved this Peruvian Grilled Chicken I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.
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Peruvian Grilled Chicken Recipe
Peruvian Grilled Chicken with Creamy Green Sauce
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 1 whole chicken (quartered, about 3 1/2 pounds)
- 5 cloves garlic (peeled)
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Black pepper
Green Sauce:
- 3 jalapeños (seeded, ribs removed and roughly chopped)
- 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 cloves garlic (peeled)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Chicken:
- Puree garlic, soy sauce, lime juice, oil, cumin, paprika, oregano and a pinch of black pepper in a blender.
- Put chicken in a large ziploc bag and add marinade. Place in refrigerator and allow to marinate for 8 to 24 hours.
Green Sauce:
- Combine all ingredients except the olive oil in a blender process until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Grill chicken:
- Charcoal: Distribute lit coals along opposite sides of bottom rack, leaving an empty space, about the size of the quartered chicken, in the middle. Allow it to heat to high by fully opening the vents on the bottom and lid of grill. The grill will be ready when you can hold your hand 5-inches above the grill rack for about 3-4 seconds.
- Gas: Preheat all burners on high, then reduce to medium-high heat.
- Oil the grate of the grill and grill chicken over area with no coals (or over a turned-off burner), skin side down first, covered, turning over once, until fully cooked, 30-35 minutes (adding charcoal to maintain heat).
Note:
- If you prefer to cook indoors, the chicken can be roasted in the oven. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees and place the chicken pieces in a 13x9 inch roasting pan, along with 1 cup water. Roast uncovered for 30 minutes, then tent the pan with foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes, until browned and fully cooked.
Nutrition
I teamed up with Vinho Verde Wines to bring you this post. As always, all opinions are my own.
That sounds so delicious! The grilled, charred, spicy chicken combo sounds perfect for summer. We have a grill on the deck right next to our kitchen but we’re not supposed to use it since it’s charcoal, new HOA regulation, ugh… but we might bend the rules sometime and use it quickly! Glad you’ve been getting a lot of good grilling in this summer!
Your photos are always perfection!
It’s such a bummer when the grilling plans are thwarted! Thanks for the kind words 🙂
This chicken sounds amazing, and I bet it’s doubly delicious with an ice cold Heineken!
Everything is better with beer (or wine), right Marlynn?!
That looks so good!!!! Yum! I’m hungry again!
Thanks Raz!
We love Peruvian chicken with green sauce here! I’ve never grilled it but now I think I must! We just finished a renovation and getting a grill that was accessible to the house was a priority! We are lucky enough to grill year round here in NC. Can’t wait to try this.
You definitely ARE lucky to be able to grill year-round Erin – I’m a bit jealous of that!!!
So I am in the marinating stage of this recipe. I separated the thighs from the legs to make them more manageable (but I think they are prettier whole). I also made the sauce the night before, because sauce is always better with time. My son is in the “no cilantro camp” so I made a double batch, one with, one without. We like things bold and spicy, so I kept the ribs and seeds of the three (giant) Jalapeños, added more garlic and two Serranos to boot, for each batch. I also transposed the yogurt and Mayo measurements (more yogurt than mayo). Surprisingly, I can’t decide which version of sauce I like better! It is somewhat annoying when someone rates a recipe, but totally changes it, but I have done it to make the point that you can totally make this even if you don’t dig cilantro.
What would be a good veggie side? I’ll be grilling this up soon!
Hi Patrick – I think this would be amazing with some grilled corn or grilled peppers. Enjoy!
If you are ever in nyc, there is a place in Queens that serves a chicken dish very similar to this. If i remember correctly, the name of the restaurant was Pio Pio. The green sauce is amazing. Thank you for posting the recipe. Can’t wait to try it!!!
Ramon
What type of wine would you pair this dish with?
Hi David – If you’re looking for a white wine, go with something with a bit of body to it – A Chardonnay or Rhone-style white blend would work well. As far as red wine goes, a juicy Tempranillo or Malbec would be amazing. Enjoy!
I’m not sure what you mean by “1 pounds whole chicken quartered, about 3 1/2” … does that mean
“1 whole chicken quartered, about 3 1/2” (with the word ‘pound’ removed)?
Hi Lola – It should be 1 whole chicken, quartered (about 3 1/2 pounds). Hope this helps!
Made this last night and it was excellent. My only suggestion would be a little less Cilantro. Otherwise.. outstanding!!! 24 hr marinade is a must. I grilled over lump charcoal. Skin was fantastic.
I’m glad you liked it Benjamin!
Hi,
I need help! I’m making this for dinner tomorrow. I don’t have a grill so I need to make this in the oven. Do I cook the chicken in the roasting pan, on the roasting rack…or just in the pan with a cup of water?!?!
Hi Talina – I use a roasting rack, but if you don’t have one, it will be OK too. Hope this helps!
Hi Erin,
Just to clarify — the water is in the roasting rack together with the chicken?
Or the chicken on the rack, but a cup of water in another container in the oven?
Thanks! I’m a newbie cook so might come across a bit dense.
I recently got back from Peru, where the food is AMAZING. I didn’t eat a lot of meat there so missed the Peruvian chicken, but I bet this is delicious!
It’s amazing – And, even if you don’t care for meat, the creamy green sauce is delicious on grilled veggies as well!
I’d love to see more recipes like this, please!
I’ll keep em coming!
Love these flavors! Need to figure a way to do this without grilling since that is not one of my culinary skills – plus it is too dang hot out. But have to get these flavors in my mouth somehow.
You can also cook this indoors Jade – See the notes section in recipe!
This chicken looks incredible and so does the green sauce! I’m not really into doing anything with the grill, but maybe when the heat wave is over!
Agreed Pech – I haven’t made it onto our hot patio for much grilling lately either 🙁
Yum!! That sauce sounds so good! And I’m always looking for new white wines to try, I can’t wait to try this one. Where do you find it usually? Would Fred Meyer or Safeway have it?
Yep – You should be able to find Vinho Verde anywhere. Trader Joe’s has some good ones!
This is the perfect summer recipe! I love a good green sauce with tons of cilantro 🙂
Me too Hillary! Besides the green sauce in this recipe, my mojo sauce is another one of my favorites!
That sauce looks incredible. I am sooo into that. And Vinho Verde is the best. Course I love anything with a few bubbles, but it’s so perfect for summer. I feel like people don’t drink it enough.
Agreed on the Vinho Verde Maritha – I just opened up another bottle of it last night. It’s so refreshing and affordable too!
Hi Erin,
I’m a bit confused. When roasting in the oven, do you pour the water into the roasting rack together with the chicken?
Or does the water sit in a different container in the oven, while the chicken roasts on a rack?
Thanks!
Hi Vivienne – The chicken will be on a rack in a larger pan. The rack will raise the chicken out of the liquid. Does that make sense?
Wow! Just made this for my family tonight and everyone loved it, even my picky daughter. Only problem thing i would do different is marinade it longer. I only marinaded it for 7 hours, next time ill start it the night before. I also used chicken breasts which worked out well. Thanks
I’m so happy to hear that you and the family enjoyed it Grant! I definitely prefer the longer marinade time myself.
This is my first time eating Peruvian chicken. My son and I loved this recipe. Im doing this recipe again.
I’m so glad you both enjoyed it Gavin!
Is there another way to prepare the grilled chicken without it marinating? Also, what type of beverage do you think will go good with this?
Hi Shaniqua – You can marinate this for as little as 30 minutes, though the flavor won’t be as intense. I’d pair it with a zippy, tangy white wine like a Vinho Verde or Pinot Gris.
Hi! Excited to make this! How long does the green sauce last if I wanted to make in advance?
Hi Barbara – It should be good in the fridge for at least a few days.
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