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Peruvian Grilled Chicken with Creamy Green Sauce (Pollo Asado)

Peruvian grilled chicken with deeply spiced, burnished skin gets grilled until charred and juicy, then served with a vivid Peruvian green sauce. This pollo asado style recipe uses a jalapeño-herb aji verde sauce and a lime-garlic marinade for bold, recognizable flavor.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
marinating 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Peruvian
Calories: 640
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

chicken
  • 1 whole chicken or 4 bone-in chicken pieces
marinade
  • 0.25 cup olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
green sauce (aji verde)
  • 0.5 cup mayonnaise
  • 0.5 cup sour cream
  • 2 jalapeños
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • salt to taste

Equipment

  • 1 grill

Method
 

Marinate the chicken
  1. Blend olive oil, garlic cloves, soy sauce, lime juice, cumin, smoked paprika, dried oregano, black pepper, and cinnamon until smooth. Coat the chicken thoroughly, then marinate for 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
Make the creamy green sauce (aji verde)
  1. Blend mayonnaise, sour cream, jalapeños, fresh cilantro, garlic cloves, lime juice, olive oil, and salt until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until ready to serve so it thickens slightly.
Grill or roast
  1. Preheat the grill to medium heat. Place the chicken bone-side down and grill, then turn every 10 minutes.
  2. Continue grilling until the skin is deeply charred with mahogany-red burnished color and the internal temperature reaches 165F, about 35-40 minutes total. If the skin darkens too fast, move the chicken to a slightly cooler zone while keeping the grill at medium heat.
  3. Alternatively, preheat the oven to 425F. Roast the chicken for 35-45 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165F and the exterior is deeply browned and charred in spots.
Finish and serve
  1. Rest the chicken for 10 minutes before serving so the juices redistribute. Serve with the creamy green sauce poured beside or over the chicken.

Notes

For the best pollo asado-style char and moisture, pat the chicken lightly to remove excess marinade before grilling, then keep the grill at medium heat while turning every 10 minutes. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 3-4 days; the green sauce keeps 3 days. Freeze cooked chicken up to 2 months (freeze sauce separately if you want the same creamy texture later). For a lighter option, use plain Greek yogurt in place of some of the mayonnaise (keep sour cream) to reduce richness while maintaining the vivid green sauce flavor.