Peruvian Chicken Green Sauce (Print-Friendly Version)

Tender chicken, sunshine-colored rice, and fresh herby sauce all come together for a cozy Peruvian standout.

# Ingredients List:

→ Chicken Marinade

01 - 1.75 pounds chicken thighs or boneless breasts (bone-in's cool too)
02 - 2 garlic cloves, minced up
03 - 2 tablespoons lime juice or swap with white vinegar
04 - 2 tablespoons oil (something light and flavorless)
05 - 1 tablespoon ground cumin
06 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
07 - 1 teaspoon kosher salt
08 - 0.5 teaspoon black pepper, freshly cracked

→ Green Sauce

09 - 1 cup cilantro—press it in so it's packed
10 - 0.5 cup mayo
11 - 0.25 cup sour cream
12 - 2 jalapeños, chopped rough (use more or less if you want)
13 - 2 garlic cloves
14 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
15 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice or lime juice, whatever's in the fridge
16 - Kosher salt to your liking
17 - Fresh black pepper—keep shaking it in till it tastes right

→ Peruvian Yellow Rice

18 - 1 cup jasmine rice
19 - 1 tablespoon butter or just use oil
20 - 0.25 cup onion, diced up
21 - 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
22 - 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
23 - 0.25 teaspoon ground cumin
24 - 0.25 teaspoon onion powder
25 - 0.25 teaspoon kosher salt
26 - 0.25 teaspoon black pepper
27 - 2 cups chicken broth
28 - 1 cup frozen peas (no need to thaw)

# Detailed Cooking Steps:

01 - Grab a spoon and fluff the yellow rice up, then pile it onto your plates. Plop the chicken on the side (or scatter on top if you like mixing things). Hit everything with a load of that green sauce or park it on the side for dipping.
02 - Shove all the cilantro, both jalapeños, garlic, mayo, sour cream, olive oil, plus your lemon or lime juice right into your blender. Crank it up for about 30 seconds until it's all creamy and crazy green. Taste, then add as much salt and pepper as you like.
03 - First off, rinse that rice in cold water until it runs clear, then let it sit in water 10 minutes and strain it. Heat butter or oil in your pan and toss in onions and garlic for a couple minutes till they're soft and smell awesome. Stir in rice, turmeric, cumin, onion powder, salt, pepper. After a quick stir, pour in the broth and bring it to a light boil, drop the heat low, toss a lid on. Let it steam 15 minutes. Add the peas, put that lid back but turn off the heat. Hang out 5 to 10 minutes, then fluff it up gently with a fork.
04 - Pull the chicken out of its marinade. If you're throwing it on the grill, cook about 7 minutes then flip, brushing on extra marinade, and give it another 5 or so until juicy and done inside (165°F if you're thermometer-happy). For oven folks, line a baking pan with foil, lay chicken out, bake hot for around 30 minutes, basting once in the middle with the marinade you saved. That's it.
05 - Fire up your oven to 450°F (232°C) or heat your grill to medium-high.
06 - In a good-sized bowl, combine all your dry spices, salt, and pepper. Dump in garlic, lime juice or vinegar, and oil. Before you add the chicken, scoop out a quarter of this mixture—keep that aside for brushing later. Drop the chicken in, roll it all around to get it good and coated. Stick it in the fridge for at least an hour, but overnight is even better so it soaks up more flavor.

# Helpful Hints:

01 - Letting your chicken chill overnight in that marinade makes a world of difference—max flavor.
02 - Dial back the jalapeño heat by pulling out the seeds… or crank it up and add more if that's your thing.
03 - Fluff your rice with a fork at the end so it stays light and doesn't get all stuck together.

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