Do you guys have Alpaca where you live? They have the best Peruvian chicken and we love eating there. I also love making any variant of the dish at home. The Aji Verde (green sauce) is really the star, but the chicken is amazing too.
This recipe turns the dish into a salad with the green sauce as the dressing. Yum! This is a simple salad but the marinated, grilled chicken has tons of flavor and this sauce is amazing.
I marinated the chicken overnight in a mixture of garlic, lime, soy, honey, cumin, oregano, paprika, annatto, and a touch of cayenne then grilled it. The salad is a mix of romaine, chopped bell pepper, tomato, cucumber, olives and red onion.
To make the dressing, blend some mayo or sour cream, cilantro, jalapeno, lime, garlic, cojita or parm, and salt to taste until you have a bright green, delicious sauce or dressing. When using it for dressing like this, I add a little white vinegar to up the acidity a little bit.
I love the bright flavor, crunchy healthy veggies, and juicy flavorful chicken in this salad!
Peruvian Chicken Salad with Aji Verde
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp annato
- black pepper to taste
For the dressing:
- 1/2 cup mayo or sour cream
- 2 bunches cilantro leaves
- 2 medium jalapenos
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup cojita or parm
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
For the salad:
- 6 cups romaine
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 cucumber diced
- 2 tomatoes diced
- 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup olives
Instructions
For the chicken:
- Combine marinade ingredients and add the chicken and marinate overnight.
- Heat grill to medium high and cook the chicken, getting a good char on it. Move to lower heat to finish the cooking. Let rest and slice.
For the dressing:
- Combine ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt and acid to your tastes.
For the salad:
- Layer the veggies on plates and top with the sliced chicken. Drizzle with sauce and serve more on the side.