La Auténtica Pollada Peruana
La Pollada del Fin de Semana (The Weekend Gatherings)
Saturday afternoon in the backyard, the music is loud, and just like in the economic chaos of 1980s Lima, neighborhoods throw weekend polladas to crowdfund for families in need. You bought a ticket, you drank, you danced, and you ate fiercely marinated, pan-fried chicken alongside cold beer and fiery crema de rocoto. For diaspora kids in the States, reproducing this means scraping out a jar of aji panca and waiting until the chicken blisters on the hot grill grate. The secret is time: let the ají panca and dark beer work their magic overnight, then open a cold lager, get the pan smoking hot, and smell the marinated meat charring.
Before you start
Pierce the chicken aggressively.
Make 2 or 3 deep slashes into the meat right down to the bone, and use a fork to puncture the skin all over so the marinade can penetrate deeply.
Mix the aderezo.
In a large bowl, whisk together the ají panca, soy sauce, vinegar, dark beer, grated garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper, salt, and MSG until it forms a dark, fragrant liquid.
Administer the gift of time.
Submerge the chicken, massaging the marinade deep into the slashes and under the skin, then cover tightly and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, or ideally overnight.
Ingredients
- chicken leg quarters4 large
- aji panca paste1/4 cup
- soy sauce2 tbsp
- red wine vinegar2 tbsp
- dark beer1/4 cup
- garlic2 tbsp
- ground cumin1 tsp
- dried oregano1 tsp
- black pepper1/2 tsp
- salt1 tsp
- MSG1/2 tsp
- vegetable oil1/4 cup
- green cabbage1/4 med
- carrot1 large
- limes2 med
- olive oil1 tbsp
- salt1 pinch
- Yukon Gold potatoes4 med
- red rocoto peppers2 med
- garlic clove1 small
- red onion1/4 med
- vegetable oil2 tbsp
- evaporated milk1/4 cup
- saltine crackers4
- huacatay paste1 tsp
Method
- 01
Temper the chicken before cooking.
Remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator and let it sit for 15 minutes to take the chill off.
- 02
Tame the rocoto peppers.
Boil the cleaned, seeded peppers in a small pot of heavily salted water for 5 to 8 minutes, then drain. This grandma trick keeps the amazing floral flavor of the pepper while stripping its aggressive heat.
- 03
Blend the crema de rocoto.
Sauté the boiled rocoto, onion, and garlic in a splash of oil until softened, then transfer to a blender with the remaining vegetable oil, evaporated milk, huacatay, and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth, dropping in the crackers one by one until thickened to a creamy dressing consistency.
- 04
Fry the chicken to a dark mahogany crust.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the chicken skin-side down undisturbed for 6 to 8 minutes, then flip, lower heat to medium, cover, and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes until the juices run clear.
- 05
Toss the acidic salad.
While the chicken finishes, toss the shredded cabbage and grated carrots with the lime juice, olive oil, and salt to create a palate-cleansing contrast.
- 06
Plate the pollada.
Serve a massive piece of hot, juicy chicken alongside the sliced boiled potatoes and bright salad, drizzling everything generously with the crema de rocoto.
Notes
Embrace the MSG.
The optional MSG is what perfectly mimics the hyper-savory flavor of the legendary street polladas of Lima. Don't fear it.
Air-fry it on a weeknight.
Skip the splattering oil and place the marinated quarters skin-side up in an air fryer at 375F for 25 to 30 minutes. It's less traditional but the flavor remains spectacular.
Swap for jarred rocoto if needed.
If you can't find frozen whole rocoto peppers at the Latin market, substitute with 3 tablespoons of jarred rocoto paste and skip the boiling step entirely.
From Cook Peruvian in America.