3 3/4 cups cooked chicken (approx (see note 1 to cook from scratch))
2 slices bread (or 3, if small, crusts removed)
1/3 cup milk
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
3 tbsp walnuts
3 tbsp grated parmesan (or a little more, to taste)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp aji amarillo chili paste (or more to taste)
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup chicken stock ((or reserved poaching liquid))
Categories
Main Course
Cuisine
Peruvian
Steps
Poach the chicken (if making from scratch - see details in note 1 below) then once cool enough to handle, shred it up. Alternatively, shred leftover cooked chicken.
Soak the bread in the milk for a few minutes. Dice the onion in a small dice and finely dice the garlic.
Put the soaked bread, walnuts and parmesan in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Warm the oil in a medium pan and add the onion. Cook a few minutes until softened then add the garlic, aji amarillo and turmeric and cook a minute more.
Add the bread-walnut mixture, the chicken and around 1/2 cup (120ml) of cooking water from the chicken or stock. You can add a little more or less to taste - it should be moist but not runny. Mix well and simmer for around 10 minutes before serving.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 255 kcal
Carbohydrates: 25 g
Protein: 8 g
Fat: 14 g
Saturated Fat: 7 g
Cholesterol: 6 mg
Sodium: 275 mg
Sugar: 4 g
Reviews
jerry jaws on 2026-03-28 (4 stars): Just made this for the first time. The only reason that I didn't give it 5 stars is because it wasn't creamy enough. I had this dish in a Peruvian restaurant in Panama recently and they put coconut milk in it. I added coconut milk to the left overs and it was way way better (I like creamy). Otherwise this will be a go to recipe for sure
Chris Tarver on 2024-06-05 (5 stars): This came out just like I remember it when I lived in Peru. Great recipe!
Celeste on 2024-04-10 (5 stars): Tried this recipe out tonight for my family and it was a hit! Thank you so much. I’ve been craving Ají de Gallina for a while now, but in this economy it’s been difficult to treat my family of 5 out to a nice meal. I decided to give it a try at home (in hopes to satisfy my craving lol), and found your recipe. It was very simple, straightforward, and most importantly, delicious! Thanks again xoxo
Trixie on 2024-02-04 (5 stars): Sorry wanted to give it a 5 star.
Wendy L on 2023-10-12 (5 stars): I had this dish in Ecuador and was looking for a similar version. It is excellent! I left out the walnuts and added additional cheese (mozzarella) because that was the version I had. So, so good. BTW, Fresh Market carries aji amarillo chili paste.
Thanks much for a great recipe.
Diana on 2023-04-18 (5 stars): I made this because I already had aji amarillo paste sitting in my fridge from a different recipe and I wanted to try it a new way.
It was very delicious. I used 1 T of aji amarillo paste because I was concerned it might otherwise taste like chicken pot pie filling, as that one guy said. There is no way it would have tasted like that with even just 2 teaspoons, so I don't know what he was talking about.
my blender didn't want to blend the walnut/bread/parm mixture into a smooth blend, so I added the 1/2 cup of stock to the mix and it worked like a charm.
Easy to make. All the family raved over it. This a perfect use for that jar of paste I have in my fridge. Thank you so much.
