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1
Brown the chicken
12 minutes
Medium-high heat (200°C / 400°F)
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken thighs for about 6 minutes per side without moving them, until deep golden. Lift them out onto a plate — they do not need to be cooked through yet.
Do not crowd the pot: brown in two batches if needed, or the chicken steams instead of browning.
Done when: Chicken is deep golden on both sides and the pot has browned bits on the bottom.
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2
Cook the aderezo
8 minutes
Medium heat (180°C / 350°F)
In the same pot, soften the diced onion for 4 minutes, then add the garlic, aji amarillo paste and cumin and cook for 2 minutes more, scraping up the browned bits. Pour in the beer and let it bubble for 1 minute.
The aji amarillo needs a minute in the hot oil to bloom — raw paste tastes sharp and one-note.
Done when: The base is fragrant, golden-orange, and the browned bits have lifted off the bottom.
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3
Blend in the green sauce
5 minutes
Medium heat (180°C / 350°F)
Stir the blended cilantro and spinach into the pot and cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until it turns a deeper, darker green and smells grassy rather than raw.
Cooking the cilantro puree first keeps the rice green instead of letting it fade to grey in the pot.
Done when: The sauce is dark green, thick and fragrant.
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4
Add the rice and chicken
5 minutes
Boiling (100°C / 212°F)
Stir in the rinsed rice, carrot and red pepper, then pour in the remaining broth and bring to a boil. Nestle the chicken thighs back into the rice, cover with a tight lid and turn the heat to low.
Check the liquid level: it should sit just above the rice. Too much liquid makes the rice sticky instead of loose and graneado.
Done when: The pot is at a gentle boil with the chicken nestled into the rice.
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5
Simmer, covered
25 minutes
Simmering (95°C / 203°F)
Simmer covered for 25 minutes without lifting the lid, until the rice is tender and the chicken reaches 74°C (165°F) at the thickest part. Turn off the heat and rest for 10 minutes, still covered.
Lifting the lid lets the steam out and the top layer of rice stays hard — trust the timer.
Done when: Rice is tender and loose, chicken is cooked through, and the pot smells of cilantro and aji.
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6
Fold in the peas and serve
5 minutes
Serving hot (above 60°C / 140°F)
Fluff the rice gently with a fork and fold in the frozen peas — the heat of the rice cooks them in 2 minutes. Toss the sliced onion with lime juice and a pinch of salt for the salsa criolla, and serve a mound of green rice with a thigh on top of each portion.
Fold, do not stir hard — vigorous stirring breaks the grains and turns the rice gummy.
Done when: Rice is loose and green with peas and carrots throughout; chicken is tender and the salsa is bright and sharp.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve generous mounds of the green rice with a chicken thigh on top of each portion, a spoonful of salsa criolla on the side, and lime wedges at the table — the sharp onion-lime relish is what makes the rich rice sing.
Peru
35m
