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1
Boil the Potatoes and Chuno
25 Mins
Boiling water, 100°C (212°F)
Put the peeled potatoes in one pot and the soaked chuno in another, cover both with salted water and boil until tender — about 25 minutes for the potatoes and 20 minutes for the chuno. Drain and keep warm. Start the rice in a third pot: 300g rinsed rice with 450ml water, bring to a boil, then cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes.
Boil the chuno separately — its dark cooking water would stain the potatoes.
Done when: A knife slides easily into the potato; the chuno is tender all the way through.
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2
Brown the Chicken
10 Mins
Medium-high heat, ~190°C (375°F) pan
Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken pieces in batches, skin-side down first, for about 4 minutes a side, until golden. Lift them out onto a plate — they will finish cooking in the sauce.
Do not crowd the pot: crowded chicken steams instead of browning, and the sauce loses its colour.
Done when: Golden skin on both sides; the meat is still pink inside.
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3
Cook the Aji Sauce Base
12 Mins
Medium heat, ~160°C (320°F)
Lower the heat to medium and add the aji amarillo paste to the same pot, scraping up the browned bits. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring, until it darkens and smells toasty. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until soft, then add the diced tomato and cumin and cook for 2 minutes more.
If the paste catches, add a spoonful of water — never let it scorch, or the whole sauce turns bitter.
Done when: The base is thick, dark orange and fragrant, with the onion completely soft.
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4
Simmer the Chicken in the Sauce
35 Mins
Gentle simmer, ~90°C (195°F); chicken to 74°C (165°F)
Return the chicken to the pot with any juices, pour in 500ml water and stir the sauce around the pieces. Cover and simmer gently for 25 minutes, then add the peas and simmer for 10 minutes more. Check the thickest piece with a thermometer — it must reach 74°C (165°F). Stir in the parsley and the remaining salt, and taste: the sauce should coat the chicken thickly.
Keep the simmer gentle — a hard boil toughens the chicken and splits the sauce.
Done when: Chicken reaches 74°C (165°F) and the meat pulls easily from the bone; the sauce coats a spoon.
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5
Make the Sarsa and Plate
10 Mins
Room temperature
While the chicken finishes, slice one extra onion thinly and mix it with a diced tomato and a pinch of salt for the fresh sarsa. Plate each serving with a piece of chicken and plenty of sauce, a boiled potato, chuno, a mound of rice and a spoonful of sarsa on top.
Serve the sarsa raw and cold — its crunch and sharpness are the contrast the rich sauce needs.
Done when: Every plate has chicken, sauce, potato, chuno, rice and sarsa.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the plates hot, with the sauce spooned over the chicken and the sarsa piled on top. Sajta is a knife-and-fork dish — the chicken is eaten off the bone, the potatoes and chuno are for mopping up the sauce, and the rice is there to catch every drop.
Bolivia
2h 25m
