Peruvian Spicy Creamed Chicken (Aji De Gallina)
By: Leah Rodrigues
Published: Monday, May 16, 2011 - 6:12am

Ingredients




Broth:
2 pounds chicken breast
1 celery, trimmed, washed and chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon peppercorns
2 bay leaves
Sauce:
4 slices white bread
1 cup milk
1/2 cup olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon yellow Aji chile, Amarillo or Chile powder
 cup finely chopped or ground walnuts
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 pounds small potatoes, boiled, peeled and halved
4 hard-boiled eggs, halve
Chopped parsley for garnish
3/4 cup black olives
this dish is served with white rice

Preparation

1 Place chicken in a large pot and fill with water to halfway up sides of bird. Add celery, onion, carrot, tomato, salt, peppercorns and bay leaves. 2 Cover, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes, or until chicken is done. 3 Remove chicken and place in a bowl until cool enough to remove the meat from the bones and shred into small pieces. Meanwhile, strain broth and reserve 4 cups. 4 If you do not want to make your own broth you can buy chicken broth but make sure it is low sodium. 5 Soak the bread in the milk. 6 Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin and saute for 1 more minute. 7 Add softened bread and aji or chile powder, and cook for about 1 minute, stirring. (For a creamier sauce, place onion-bread mixture in a blender, puree until smooth and return to skillet.) 8 Add 2 cups of the chicken stock and continue cooking until sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. 9 Add the chicken and simmer for 5 to 8 more minutes, adding more stock if needed. Stir in the walnuts and Parmesan cheese, and simmer gently for another 5 minutes, or until thickened slightly. 10 To serve, spoon chicken and sauce onto a serving platter and surround with potatoes, eggs, and olives. Add chopped parsley.  Serve with white rice.

About


Recipe adapted from Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger