Best Pollo Al Vapor Braised Chicken Recipes

POLLO A LA BRASA (PERUVIAN GRILLED CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Place chicken thighs into a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag. Blend soy sauce, garlic, lime juice, vegetable oil, cumin, paprika, and oregano in a blender until smooth. Pour mixture over chicken, seal the bag, and refrigerate for 8 hours.
• Combine jalapeno peppers, cilantro, mayonnaise, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender; pulse until sauce is smooth. Transfer sauce to a covered bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove chicken thighs from the bag and place on the grill. Discard bag with excess marinade. Grill thighs for 7 minutes; flip and grill 7 additional minutes.
• Transfer thighs to a serving dish and drizzle reserved sauce over the chicken.

POLLO A LA BRASA (PERUVIAN ROAST CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Combine all the marinade ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.
• Loosen the skin on the chicken and rub some marinade under the skin. Place the chicken or chicken pieces in a large ziplock bag and pour the marinade over. Swish around to even coat the pieces. Marinate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
• If using a convection oven (that's what I use for crispier skin): Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F and roast the chicken for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F and roast the chicken for another 15-20 minutes or until the internal temp reads 165 degrees F.If using a conventional oven: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and roast the chicken pieces on the middle rack of the oven until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 160 degrees F, about an 45 minutes. If the skin begins to brown too much, move the roasting pan to the bottom rack. You can also reduce the oven temperature.Remove the chicken from the oven. It is recommended that you tent the chicken with foil for 10-15 minutes before serving. If using a whole chicken, cut the chicken into serving pieces.
• Serve the chicken with our homemade Aji Verde Sauce. Traditional sides include thickly cut French fries and a leafy green salad.

GRILLED POLLO A LA BRASA

Steps:

• Combine soy sauce, grapeseed oil, cumin, paprika, garlic, thyme, pepper, oregano, granulated onion, coriander, turmeric, mustard powder, and cinnamon in a large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours.
• Preheat an outdoor grill to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C) and lightly oil the grate.
• Add lime juice to the marinade mixture while the grill is heating up.
• Cook chicken on the preheated grill until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, turning once, 7 to 8 minutes total.

PERUVIAN ROAST CHICKEN (POLLO A LA BRASA)

Steps:

• Marinade: In a bowl, mix together ground bean paste and aji amarillo paste. Add chicken stock, cumin, and sunflower oil. Peel garlic cloves, then use a Microplane to grate the garlic into the marinade. Finely chop oregano and add it to the marinade. Stir to combine all of the ingredients.
• Marinate chicken: Place chicken on a rimmed baking sheet fitted with a rack. Spoon marinade onto chicken, liberally covering all surfaces of the bird, including the cavity. Carefully place a heaping tablespoon of the marinade under the skin of each breast. Marinate, covered or uncovered, in the refrigerator, at least overnight and up to 24 hours. (Note: You'll have enough marinade for 2 chickens. Store leftover marinade in a lidded container in the refrigerator up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.)
• Roast chicken, part 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, preferably convection. Meanwhile, remove chicken from the refrigerator and let rest at room temperature 20-30 minutes. Roast for 20-25 minutes. (Total roasting time will be 45-60 minutes, depending on oven and size of the bird.)
• Aji Verde, part 1: Roast poblano and jalapeño peppers by placing directly over the flame of a gas burner set to medium-high. Char on all sides. (Alternatively, peppers can be roasted on a grill or under a broiler in the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until charred.) Place charred peppers in a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rest, 20-30 minutes. Steam will continue to cook the peppers and soften the skin for easy removal.
• Roast chicken, part 2: After the first 20-25 minutes, rotate the chicken 180 degrees and continue roasting, another 20-35 minutes. Check temperature: A thermometer placed in the thickest part of the thigh, not touching the bone, should register 160 degrees F. (Temperature will continue to rise after removing chicken from oven.) If necessary, continue roasting and rotating the pan, 10 minutes at a time, until temperature reaches 160 F. Then remove from oven and let rest, 20 minutes.
• Aji Verde, part 2: After the peppers have rested, remove plastic wrap. Under running water, use your fingers to gently remove charred skin, stems and seeds. Dry peppers between layers of paper towels and set aside. Remove cilantro leaves and set aside, discarding the stems. Place peppers into a blender, followed by cilantro, vinegar, and egg yolk. Starting the blender at low speed, gradually raise it to medium-high to combine, 10 seconds. With motor on, slowly drizzle in half of the oil to begin emulsifying the sauce. Turn off blender, scrape down the sides, and salt to taste. Turn on blender and continue drizzling in the remaining oil. Pour into a serving bowl and set aside.
• Carve chicken: As you carve, try to keep the skin intact for maximum flavor distribution. First, cut away the thigh and leg in one piece; then separate the thigh from the leg. Repeat on other side. Cut down the center breastbone to remove the breast meat from the bone; cut the breasts in half crosswise. Remove the wings. Arrange chicken on a serving platter and serve with Aji Verde on the side.

POLLO AL VAPOR- BRAISED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Roughly chop the aromatics, Onion, Garlic, Pepper, and process in a food processor mince finely. Pour into bowl set aside
• Rinse the chicken pat dry and season with the Adobo and the Sazon, and Dried Oregano rub throughout the Chicken and the cavity.
• Bring your Dutch oven up to heat, add 3 tablespoons of Sunflower or Olive oil, add 2 tablespoons of the Sofrito add some salt to make it sweat. When it turns translucent add the tomato sauce and Olives. Add the Chicken broth stir and place Chicken breast down add the rest of the broth until it reaches halfway. Set to medium heat and cover.
• Cook for a 1/2 hour then turn, and correct seasoning if needed add broth as needed. The chicken should be tender and fall off the bone after 1 1/2 hours.
• You can serve this over fluffy hot rice, creamy mashed potatoes. The juices can be reduced and used as a delicious gravy. I truly hope you enjoy this dish.