Aji de Gallina

One of our favorite meals is this simple Peruvian chicken dish, Aji de Gallina, which we first learned about from a cookbook my mom lent to us (and which we still have - sorry) filled with recipes contributed by UN diplomats. We've since had it, done a few different ways, at restaurants, and have found several recipes for it elsewhere. However, the way we make it is still quite similar (but not identical) to that first recipe we found in The Cookbook of the United Nations (Barbara Kraus, 1970).

This is a simple recipe with only a few ingredients, which yields a peculiarly textured bread sauce flavored by a particular Peruvian pepper called the aji amarillo, or simply in English, the yellow pepper. This pepper might be hard to find, depending on where you live - in Houston, jars of the pepper or a paste made from it are readily available at any Fiesta supermarket. Otherwise, you should try searching for a Latin supermarket, preferably catering to Central or South Americans. Gourmet markets might carry it, though I've personally never seen it at either Whole Foods or World Market. On the other hand, you could just skip all that torquing around town to find this stuff, and just try Amazon.

The aji amarillo is a splendid pepper, and its a shame that it isn't more readily available. It's got enough heat to make you sweat, but its mild enough that you can, in fact, eat it - like a jalapeno. Unlike a jalapeno, however, it's also got a bit of sweetness to it, like an ordinary bell, with a fruity flavor reminiscent of something like a hatch or a poblano. It really is an excellent all around pepper, and its flavor dominates this dish - in the best possible way. Furthermore, the aji amarillo has a rich yellow-orange color that suffuses the sauce, and gives a jolly color to the entire dish.

However, for all that I sing the praises specifically of this pepper, the aji amarillo, I will say that it is not, strictly speaking, necessary for aji de gallina. The simplicity of aji de gallina is its genius - the base of the sauce, the simply browned chicken, the rice all act as a rather neutral but warming stage on which to showcase the flavor of the pepper. The pepper is the star - but really, any pepper can be the star of aji de gallina. This is the perfect recipe to showcase and enjoy the essential flavors of any particular pepper you choose, and we have made this dish, with great success, with jalapeno, poblano, ancho, and even bell pepper. For each, the color and flavor of the sauce are completely different. If you can get it, try this dish first with a paste of aji amarillo to get the traditional Peruvian flavor, then try it again with your favorite pepper - it may take some experimentation to get the proportions correct for a different pepper, to balance color and heat, but its worth the trouble.

In this recipe, we also prepare some herb potato croutons to give a crunch element to the dish - in some recipes, potatoes are simply added to the sauce as it simmers, and in still others, there are no potatoes. The point is, the fried potatoes are quite optional, but also quite easy.

Aji de Gallina

Ingredients

• ~1 lb white bread (can be stale)
• 1-2 cups milk or 1/2 and 1/2
• 1 large onion
• 6-8 chicken thighs
• 2 whole aji amarillo
• 1-3 tbsp (to taste) aji amarillo paste
• salt and pepper
• canola or peanut oil
• 1/2 lb golden potatoes
• parsley or cilantro, minced or dried
• rice, steamed

Cooking Directions

1. Remove the crusts from the bread, and coarsely cut the bread into pieces or strips. Put these in a large bowl, and add the milk or 1/2 and 1/2. Add enough liquid to just cover the bread, and saturate it completely. Gently press down on the wet bread to squeeze out the air pockets and get it completely soaked. Let sit aside for at least fifteen minutes, up to an hour.
   
2. Add about a tablespoon of oil to a large pan and heat it on high. Chop the onion begin browning it in the very hot oil.
3. When the onion just begins to brown, move the onion pieces off to one side of the pan, and add the chicken thighs, two or three at a time, to brown them as well. Try to keep the pan very hot - don't add too many chicken pieces at once. About a minute or two on each side should be sufficient to brown the chicken - if it sticks to the pan a bit, don't worry, that's just flavor for the sauce. When each piece is browned on both sides, move them to a plate to rest and cool. Don't worry about cooking the chicken through - just brown them.
   
4. If necessary, finish browning the onion. If it has begun to caramelize, all the better. Add the bread and milk mixture to the pan, and reduce the heat to medium. Season with a bit of black pepper.
   
5. Split the aji amarillos and removed the seeds and membranes. Finely chop the flesh. Add them, along with the pepper paste, to the sauce mixture. NOTE: This step may vary considerably if you are using a different pepper. For any pepper, we would recommend (if possible) that you chop up some of it to add, and also make a paste or puree to add as well. For poblanos, this may equate to one poblano finely chopped, and one poblano pureed in a food processor, for instance. If using dried peppers, make sure to soak them thoroughly in water for at least an hour before attempting to either chop or puree them. If you only have a paste or puree available, just add more of it instead of the chopped pepper. This step is where you get to decide how it all tastes, so be aware that our amounts are very much to our taste - for yourself, get a spoon, taste often, and experiment.
   
6. Let the sauce simmer for a bit. It should be very thick and a bit lumpy, and as it cooks, it will become quite yellow. If you don't like the lumpy texture (we do - it's a sauce you can chew!) use an immersion blender to quickly smooth it out. Adjust the flavors of the sauce with additional pepper paste, salt, and black pepper, as desired.
   
7. After letting the sauce get hot on its own, add the chicken back to the pan to continue cooking in the sauce. Don't boil the chicken! Keep the heat at medium or medium-low for just the barest simmer and slowly cook the meat over a half hour or so. If your thighs have bones, this will take longer, so the sauce may reduce too much and get too thick - in this case, simply add a bit of milk or chicken stock to bring up the volume.
   
8. Optional: While the chicken cooks, peel and then chop the potatoes into ~1cm cubes and dry them between paper towels. Heat a bit more oil in a small pan over high heat, and add the potatoes to the pan in batches to just cover the bottom of the pan. While they fry on one side, sprinkle them with black pepper, salt, and the herb of your choice (preferably parsley or cilantro). After a minute or two, stir the potatoes to flip and scatter the pieces, to cook on other sides. Sprinkle additional salt, pepper and herbs. Continue cooking the potatoes for two to three minutes, or until they are well browned and crispy. Move them to a plate to cool.
9. Serve a piece of the chicken with a generous helping of the sauce alongside steamed rice, with the potatoes scattered on top.