"Ají de Gallina" Spicy Creamed Chicken- Recipe

Learn how to prepare one of the most emblematic and endearing dishes of Peruvian cuisine, "Ají de Gallina".

Ají de gallina is one of the most popular dishes in Peru. They say that its origin is in the Catalan “menjar blanc”, a salty version of the white delicacy that dates from medieval Spanish times, and that it was prepared with chicken, rice starch, almonds, and sugar.

Here we leave you a practical and delicious recipe to cook the traditional Ají de Gallina, with sliced bread, pecans, and Parmesan cheese, which adds consistency to the preparation.

INGREDIENTS

(Serves 4 people)

• 1 whole chicken breast

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 celery stalk, cut into pieces

• 1 carrot, cut into pieces

• 1 onion, cut into pieces

• 1 onion, diced

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 5 tablespoons of "Ají Amarillo Paste" (Yellow Chili Pepper Paste)

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 4 slices of sliced bread without crust

• Evaporated milk (as required)

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

• Salt and Pepper to taste

• Cumin to taste

• 50 grams of chopped pecans

• 50 grams of grated Parmesan cheese

To Serve:

• ½ kilo of cooked yellow potato

• 1 hard-boiled egg

• 4 botija olives

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a pot with enough water, cook the breast with two cloves of garlic, a stalk of celery, a carrot, chopped onion, and a pinch of salt. Reserve the broth and fray the breast.

2. Soak the bread in milk, broth, or water. Crumble it.

3. In a pot, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Brown the minced onion with 1 tablespoon of minced garlic. Cook until the onion is transparent. Season with salt, pepper to taste.

4. Add the chili pepper paste. Cook for a few minutes until the onion has absorbed the color and flavor of the peppers.

5. Add the previously drained bread and pour a splash of milk to loosen.

6. Blend the mixture with the pecans. Use a little milk to help it blend better.

7. Return the mixture to the pot. Add the shredded breast and grated Parmesan cheese. Pour a little broth to loosen more. Rectify the seasoning with salt.

8. Serve the ají de gallina over the cooked potatoes and garnish with a hard-boiled egg and botija olives.

We recommend accompanying this delicious creamed chicken meal with a side of white rice with corn.

We hope you enjoyed learning and cooking this traditional Peruvian dish, and now it's time to delight yourself, your family, and your friends with your new culinary skills!

If you like Peruvian cuisine, check out more recipes here.

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