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Peruvian

Ají de gallina

Non-vegetarian

Shredded chicken in a velvety, golden sauce of Peruvian yellow chilli, onion, milk-soaked bread, walnuts and cheese, served over potatoes and rice.

Ají de gallina is a Peruvian main course, ready in about 1 hour 5 minutes and made with chicken breast, evaporated milk and ají amarillo paste. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Ají de gallina creamy yellow chicken sauce with boiled eggs and olive
Photo: Feralbt / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-3.0
Prep
20 min
Cook
45 min
Total
1 h 5 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
553

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Simmer the chicken gently in the stock until just cooked, 15–20 minutes. Cool in the liquid, then shred finely. Reserve the stock.

    Food safety: Chicken should reach 74 °C in the thickest part.

  2. Step 2

    Soak the bread in the evaporated milk (opens in a new tab) for 5 minutes, then blend until smooth.

  3. Step 3

    Heat the oil in a wide pan and cook the onion (opens in a new tab) slowly until very soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic (opens in a new tab), ají amarillo, cumin (opens in a new tab) and turmeric (opens in a new tab) and fry 2 minutes more.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the bread purée and about 250 ml of the reserved stock and simmer, stirring, until thick and creamy. Add the chicken, walnuts (opens in a new tab) and cheese and heat through, loosening with more stock if needed. Season with salt and pepper (opens in a new tab).

    • 8 min
    • low heat

  5. Step 5

    Serve over the potato (opens in a new tab) halves with rice, eggs (opens in a new tab) and olives (opens in a new tab).

    • 2 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Lima, Peru · Well documentedMore food from Peru
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses · Stews & braises
Cooking method
Poached, Simmered, Blended
Taste
creamy, spicy (chilli heat), nutty, savoury
Diet
High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
Without the optional extras: Egg-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Chicken breast · Evaporated milk · Ají amarillo paste · Chicken stock · White bread · Onion
Techniques
Simmering · Poaching · Wet grinding · Emulsification

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom white bread, evaporated milk, parmesan
  • Contains, can be adapted: Eggsfrom white bread, egg
  • Contains: Tree nutsfrom walnuts
  • Contains: Wheatfrom white bread
  • Contains: Glutenfrom white bread
  • May contain: Soyfrom white bread
  • May contain: Sesamefrom white bread
  • May contain: Celeryfrom chicken stock

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

553 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 492 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 30%
  • Carbohydrate 33%
  • Fat 37%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy553 kcal112 kcal
Protein41 g8.3 g
Carbohydrate46.2 g9.4 g
Net carbohydrate41.8 g8.5 g
Sugars10.2 g2.1 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre4.4 g0.9 g
Fat22.7 g4.6 g
Saturated fat5.3 g1.1 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol106 mg22 mg
Sodium847 mg172 mg
Salt equivalent2.1 g0.4 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1360 mg
Calcium
267 mg
Iron
3.1 mg
Magnesium
105 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
60 µg
Vitamin C
44 mg
Vitamin D
0.9 µg
Vitamin B12
0.4 µg
Folate (DFE)
87 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: turmeric, long-grain white rice, egg, black olives.
  • Ají amarillo paste: Raw hot chilli peppers (FDC 170106) used as a stand-in for puréed Peruvian yellow chilli; jarred pastes may add a little oil and salt.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Cook the onion base slowly — its sweetness balances the chilli.

Common mistakes

  • Letting the sauce boil hard once the cheese is in can make it grainy.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 3 days.

Reheating

  • Warm gently with a splash of stock or milk.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 4, 5

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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