Peru has become sort of a joke between my husband and I and his side of the family. Any time his mom (or anyone now) asks us to a family event or to go somewhere, my husband says we’ll be in Peru. We won’t — and never have been yet — but somehow this has become a thing. Thinking this thing may actually become a trip to Peru one day, I love cooking and learning about Peruvian food.

Baked chicken and sauces are other things I love, so this Peruvian lime chicken recipe with creamy cilantro sauce had to happen. This Peruvian chicken dinner is loaded with flavor and the sauce is fantastic. Start by blitzing olive oil, lime juice, garlic, salt, black pepper, paprika, cumin, dried oregano and a touch of sugar in a blender until smooth. Rub this mixture all over a whole chicken, including under the flesh, and marinate as long as you have time to. While the chicken bakes, put all the sauce ingredients into a blender and pulse until smooth. Serve this creamy green sauce with your carved chicken.

If you like this Peruvian chicken recipe, try these other dishes from Peru:

• Peruvian Grilled Street Corn
• Pollo a la Brasa
• Peruvian Lomo Saltado
• Peruvian Chicken With Creamy Verde Sauce
• Peruvian Vegetable and Chicken Soup

Serve this roasted chicken for dinner with your favorite side dishes.

Cuisine: Peruvian  
Prep Time: 10 minutes plus time to marinate
Cook Time: 1 hour and 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds)

Chicken Marinade

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 4 – 5 cloves  garlic
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon granulated  sugar

Creamy Cilantro Sauce

• 2 large jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed
• 1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Here’s how to make it:  

1. Put all the chicken marinade ingredients into a blender. Pulse until smooth. Put the chicken into a baking dish. Use your fingers to gently loosen the skin. Rub the marinade all over the chicken, including under the skin and inside the cavity. Over the chicken and marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
2. When ready to cook, put the chicken into a preheated 425-degree F oven. Cook the chicken for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and continue to cook for about 1 hour and 15 minutes more, or until chicken is cooked through. If it starts to get too brown, cover with aluminum foil. The cooking time will vary depending on your oven and size of chicken. Remove the chicken and let it rest 10 minutes before carving into pieces.
3. While the chicken bakes, put all the sauce ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate the sauce until ready to serve with the chicken.

Credit: 30Seconds