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Pot Chicken (Pollo a la Olla)
A classic Peruvian comfort dish — whole chicken marinated in aji panca, garlic, pisco, cumin, and soy sauce, then seared and braised in a pot until tender and glazed with a rich pan sauce. Born from Peruvian ingenuity for those without an oven, it delivers all the flavour of roast chicken on the stovetop.
Ingredients
Brine
- 1 litre Water (for brine) (dissolve salt to make a 10% brine)
- 100 g Salt (for brine) (dissolved in water to make 10% brine)
Chicken
- 1 whole chicken (~1.5 kg) Whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (cut into 8 pieces (2 breast halves, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, 2 wings optional); brine before marinating)
Cooking
- 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 250 ml Chicken stock (fondo claro de ave) (use to deglaze the pan and braise the chicken)
- 1 leaf Bay leaf
Marinade
- 2 tbsp Aji panca paste
- 1 tbsp Garlic puree (raw garlic blended with a little water) (blend raw garlic cloves with just enough water for the blender to work)
- 1 tsp Oregano (dried)
- 2 tbsp Pisco (or cognac / brandy)
- 1 tbsp Vinegar (good quality)
- 1 tsp Yellow mustard (American mustard)
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce (sillao)
- 0.5 tsp Cumin (ground)
- 60 ml Dark beer or malt beer
- Salt (use sparingly — chicken is already brined)
- Black pepper (freshly ground) (freshly ground)
Russian Salad (Ensalada Rusa)
- 2 medium White potato (for Russian salad) (peeled, diced and boiled in salted water) optional
- 1 medium Beetroot (steamed or baked whole, then peeled and diced) optional
- 100 g Green beans (vainitas) (blanched in boiling salted water (a la inglesa), cut into small pieces) optional
- 1 medium Carrot (cooked and diced) optional
- 50 g Peas (alverjitas) (cooked) optional
- 3 tbsp Mayonnaise (thick-style mayonnaise preferred) optional
- 1 tbsp Olive oil (for Russian salad) optional
Sauce
- 1.5 tbsp Cornstarch (for sauce) (dissolve in a small amount of cold chicken stock before adding to hot sauce)
To Serve
- White rice (cooked)
Steps
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1Prepare the brine: dissolve 100 g of salt in 1 litre of water to make a 10% brine. Submerge the chicken thighs and drumsticks for 25 minutes and the breast pieces for 40 minutes. Remove, pat dry and do not add extra salt to the marinade beyond a pinch.Tip: Brining deeply seasons the meat and keeps it juicy throughout cooking. A marinade penetrates roughly 1 cm per 24 hours, so if you can marinate overnight after brining, even better.~40 min
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2Cut the whole chicken into 8 pieces. Remove the wishbone from the breast, then split the breast in two along the sternum (keel bone), cutting closer to the thicker side to keep portions roughly equal. French the drumstick bones by scoring around the bone at the base and scraping it clean — the muscle will retract during cooking to expose the bone and create a cleaner presentation.Tip: One chicken yields 8 pieces: 2 breast halves, 2 thighs, 2 drumsticks, 2 wings. A good portion per diner is one breast piece plus one drumstick or thigh.~10 min
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3Make the marinade: in a bowl, combine the aji panca paste, garlic puree, oregano, pisco, vinegar, yellow mustard, soy sauce, cumin, dark beer, a pinch of salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk together and taste — it should be bold and aromatic.Tip: If aji panca is unavailable, substitute gochujang (Korean chili paste) — it has a similar deep red colour and a mild fermented sweetness. Use less garlic than you would for oven-roasted chicken, as it will remain in the sauce without volatilising.~5 min
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4Add the brined, dried chicken pieces to the marinade and massage thoroughly so every surface is coated. Marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or preferably 8–12 hours in the refrigerator.Tip: The longer you marinate, the deeper the flavour. Overnight is ideal.~30 min
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5While the chicken marinates, prepare the Russian salad: boil the diced white potato in salted water until tender; steam or bake the beetroot whole then peel and dice; blanch the green beans in boiling salted water, then shock in cold water and slice; cook the carrot and peas. Combine all vegetables, season with salt and black pepper, fold in the mayonnaise and a drizzle of olive oil. Refrigerate until serving.Tip: Use waxy white potatoes — they hold their shape. Floury or yellow potatoes will fall apart. Cook beet by steaming or roasting to concentrate its sweetness.~20 min
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6Heat vegetable oil and olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade (reserving the marinade) and sear skin-side down first in batches — do not crowd the pot. Cook until deeply golden and caramelised, then turn and sear the other side. Remove and reserve all the seared chicken pieces.Tip: The dark residue in the pot is not burnt — it is caramelised aji panca and concentrated flavour. Do not wash the pot. This fond is the base of your sauce.~10 min
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7Remove excess fat from the pot, leaving about 1 tablespoon. Pour in the reserved marinade and chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the pot vigorously with a spatula to lift all the caramelised fond (deglazing). Add the bay leaf. Taste and adjust salt.Tip: Using chicken stock instead of water adds depth and umami to the braising liquid.~3 min
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8Return the seared chicken pieces to the pot, skin-side up. Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat for 20 to 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and very juicy.Tip: The brine ensures the chicken stays moist and evenly seasoned to the bone throughout this braising step.~25 min
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9Remove the cooked chicken pieces and set aside. In a small bowl, dissolve 1.5 tablespoons of cornstarch in a little cold chicken stock until completely smooth. Bring the braising liquid back to a simmer over medium heat, then pour the cornstarch slurry in a thin stream while whisking constantly. Cook until the sauce thickens to a glossy, coating consistency.Tip: Always dissolve cornstarch in cold liquid first — adding dry starch directly to hot liquid creates lumps. A whisk (not a spatula) prevents lumps.~5 min
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10To plate: spoon a mound of white rice to one side. Place one or two pieces of chicken alongside. Ladle the glossy sauce generously over the chicken. Add a portion of Russian salad. Serve immediately.Tip: A complete Peruvian serving is one piece of breast plus one drumstick or thigh per person.~2 min
Nutrition (per serving)
420
Calories
35g
Protein
28g
Carbs
18g
Fat
4g
Fiber
Cultural Context
Pollo a la Olla is a beloved Peruvian home-cooking staple born from practical ingenuity: not every Peruvian household has an oven, so cooks recreated the flavour of classic roast chicken entirely on the stovetop. The marinade — anchored by aji panca, sillao, pisco, and cumin — reflects the layered Creole and Asian influences that define cocina criolla. The dish is traditionally served with white rice and ensalada rusa (Russian salad), the quintessential Peruvian trio that turns a simple weeknight meal into a full comfort plate.