Pollo a la Brasa

5 from 3 votes

My favorite Peruvian chicken: pollo a la brasa married with the style of famous Zuni Cafe's famous chicken served with a bread salad.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Marinating Time4

Total Time5 30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Peruvian

Diet: Low Calorie

Servings:

Cost: $12

To a blender, add the soy sauce, red wine vinegar, huacatauy (or minced mint), pepper, fresh ginger, garlic cloves, cumin, paprika, kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper. Blend until mostly smooth.
To a large bowl or large plastic resealable bag, add the chicken, along with the sauce. Mix until combined and cover; transfer to the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours, but ideally 24 hours.

Remove the chicken from the fridge. Holding the chicken over the trash, tilt the chicken and allow the marinade to run off in the trash. Place the chicken back on a wire rack or cutting board and using clean kitchen towels or paper towels, dry the chicken on both sides.
Place a 12-inch cast iron skillet or shallow baking dish in the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Meanwhile, allow the chicken to come to room temperature while the oven preheats.
Open the oven and slide the rack out. Breast-side up, place the chicken in the pan; it will sizzle a lot when it hits the pan—that’s great! Roast the chicken until you see the chicken breasts start to blister and brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove the chicken from the oven and flip the chicken over. I found that using a pair of tongs and clean kitchen towels were super helpful.
Return the chicken back to the oven to cook for an additional 25 minutes, until the opposite side is super golden brown. I took a peak at the chicken periodically to make sure it wasn’t getting too browned. Insert a meat thermometer into the deepest part of the chicken (where the leg meets the thigh) and you’ll know it’s ready when the thermometer hits 165 degrees F.

Get a small bowl ready. Remove the chicken from the oven and tilt the chicken so all the drippings fall into a large bowl. Transfer the chicken to a cooling rack to rest. If any drippings have fallen while the chicken is resting, add those to the large bowl too.

Bring the oven temperature down to 400 degrees F.
To a baking sheet, add the bread cubes and walnuts. Drizzle them with olive oil and a few pinches of salt; toss until evenly coated.
Transfer the bread cubes and walnuts to a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake until evenly browned for about 10 minutes. Remove and allow to come to room temperature slightly, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in the bowl with the drippings, add the red wine vinegar, a few pinches of kosher salt, lots of rounds of black pepper; give it a taste and adjust the salt to your liking.
Add the kale and raddichio and toss until evenly combined. Next, add the warm walnuts and bread cubes from the oven; toss until combined one last time. Transfer back to the pan (to serve) or a platter. Place the rested chicken on top and serve.
You’re also welcome to carve up the chicken and serve that on top of the salad.

Tips and Tricks:

Huacatay is black mint. It's an herb indigenious to Peru and is pretty hard to find in the United States. They sell it in paste form at most Latin super markets and online. Feel free to skip it if you can't find it!
Aji amarillos are spicy yellow peppers that are also indigenious to Peru. I like to buy them frozen in at the Latin supermaker. You can also buy it in paste form.

To Grill the Chicken:

Preheat your grill to 375F-400F. Chicken breast side up, place the chicken on the part where the indirect heat is. Cover the lid.
15-20 minutes per pound. That's the general rule. So for a 3-pound chicken, you'll want to grill it for about 45 minutes or until an internal temperature reads 165F.
Rest chicken. Let it rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before slicing it.