Peruvian Pollada (Peruvian Community Fried Chicken)

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Steps

1. 1
   Prepare a 10% brine by dissolving 100g of salt per 1 liter of water. Submerge the whole chicken in the brine and refrigerate for 5 hours. If using pre-cut chicken pieces instead of a whole bird, 45–60 minutes is sufficient.

   Tip: The brine does two things: it seasons the meat deeply all the way through, and it drives extra moisture into the muscle fibers — this is the foundation of a juicy pollada.

   ~300 min
2. 2
   Remove the brined chicken and cut it into 4 pieces: 2 leg-thigh quarters and 2 breast halves. Do not butterfly or open the pieces flat — keeping them thick preserves juiciness during frying.

   Tip: Giacomo references his arroz con pollo video for the cutting technique. The key departure from traditional pollada is NOT opening the chicken like a book — thickness = juiciness.

   ~10 min
3. 3
   Make the marinade: combine ají panca paste, garlic cloves, fresh lemon juice, malt vinegar (or sherry vinegar if outside Peru), dark cola, dark beer, ground cumin, fresh ginger juice, black pepper, and salt to taste. Blend everything until completely smooth.

   Tip: The dark cola and dark beer both contribute complex sugars that cause deeper, more intense caramelization (Maillard reaction) during frying. This is why the pollada comes out so beautifully red-brown. Reserve 2–3 tablespoons of the finished marinade for the blanching water.

   ~10 min
4. 4
   Reserve 2–3 tablespoons of the marinade. Apply the rest generously to the chicken pieces, rubbing and massaging the marinade into every surface. Cover and refrigerate for 12–24 hours (minimum 2 hours if time is short).

   Tip: The rubbing/massage mimics industrial tumblers that force marinade to penetrate deeper into the meat. More contact time = more flavor and color.

   ~720 min
5. 5
   Make the rocoto cream sauce (ají de rocoto): heat oil in a very hot pan. Sauté roughly chopped rocoto, onion, and garlic together. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a blender. Add evaporated milk and crustless white bread. Blend until smooth and creamy.

   Tip: WARNING: sautéing rocoto releases capsaicin into the air — it will make everyone in the kitchen cough and their eyes water. Open windows and keep children away. Leaving the seeds and veins in makes it very spicy; remove them for a milder sauce. Adding queso fresco gives a creamier, milder result.

   ~10 min
6. 6
   Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt, a few garlic cloves, and the reserved 2–3 tablespoons of marinade to the water — this creates a flavored court-bouillon. The goal is to saturate the water with the same flavors as the chicken so it loses no flavor during the blanch.

   Tip: This is the key pro technique: a court-bouillon flavored with the same marinade means the chicken won't leach flavor into plain water. Use this method for large-batch pollada production.

   ~10 min
7. 7
   Blanch the chicken pieces in the boiling flavored water. Start with the leg-thigh quarters (they need more time). After 4–6 minutes, add the breast pieces. Total blanching time: 4–6 minutes for legs, then add breasts for a further 4–6 minutes. Do not fully cook — this is a par-cook only. Remove pieces to a clean tray (not one that held raw chicken — avoid cross-contamination).

   Tip: The blanch reduces the time the chicken needs in the fryer, which preserves the oil longer and ensures the interior is cooked through before the exterior over-browns. Always start from hot (not cold) water to avoid flavor loss through expansion.

   ~12 min
8. 8
   While the chicken finishes blanching, brush the par-cooked pieces with additional marinade to reinforce the color and flavor layer before frying.

   Tip: This extra basting layer is what gives the pollada that intense, deeply colored crust in the fryer.

   ~3 min
9. 9
   Steam the potatoes until just tender. Cut into thick rounds. Fry the potato rounds in oil at 180°C until deeply golden and crispy on both sides. Remove and set aside.

   Tip: Pre-steaming the potatoes before frying means you only need to develop color and crunch — not cook them through — so they fry quickly and evenly.

   ~20 min
10. 10
    Heat frying oil to 180°C. Fry the breast pieces first (they are on top and par-cooked slightly less). Fry until deeply golden brown with caramelized, crispy skin. Then fry the leg-thigh pieces. Use a spider/strainer tool for safe handling. The goal is color, crunch, and caramelization of the marinade — the interior is already par-cooked.

    Tip: The dark sugars from the cola and dark beer in the marinade caramelize quickly at 180°C — watch carefully and don't leave unattended. The pre-cook means frying time is shorter than typical fried chicken, preserving oil quality for large batches.

    ~15 min
11. 11
    Cook white rice and stir in the green peas at the very end — just fold them into the hot rice off the heat so they warm through with residual steam, remaining vibrant green.

    Tip: Adding peas at the last second off the heat (not boiling them) keeps them fresh, sweet, and brilliantly green instead of dull and mushy.

    ~20 min
12. 12
    Plate: one large piece of fried chicken per serving, alongside fried potato rounds, a portion of rice with peas, and corn rounds if using. Spoon the rocoto cream sauce generously over the chicken and potatoes. Serve immediately.

    Tip: The rocoto cream is meant to be bold and spicy — it is the key condiment that ties the whole plate together. Do not be timid with it.

    ~5 min

Nutrition (per serving)

Giacomo Bocchio

TE ENSEÑO A PREPARAR POLLADA PERUANA ¦ GIACOMO BOCCHIO

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