Special Chicken Rotisserie Sauce (Ají de Pollería)

A championship-level Peruvian green sauce made with rocoto and ají amarillo, blended with guacatay, mayonnaise, and fresh herbs — the essential companion to rotisserie chicken.

10m Prep

15m Cook

25m Total

4 Servings

sauce aji chicken rotisserie polleria guacatay rocoto aji-amarillo streetfood blended condiment negocio

Ingredients

blender

3 g fresh parsley leaves
5 g guacatay (Peruvian black mint) (leaves only)
5 g salt
6 g sugar
100 g cold filtered water
15 g white vinegar
5 g mustard
200 g mayonnaise

sofrito

50 g vegetable oil
10 g garlic (sliced thin crosswise (perpendicular to fiber))
60 g onion (diced)
60 g rocoto pepper (chopped, seeds and veins removed for medium heat)
120 g ají amarillo pepper (chopped, seeds and veins removed for medium heat)
0.25 tsp white pepper (freshly ground)
0.25 tsp cumin (freshly ground)

Steps

1

Heat the vegetable oil in a pan over the lowest possible heat. Add the thinly sliced garlic (10 g) and diced onion (60 g). Cook very slowly until the onion turns translucent — do not let them brown.

Consejo: The lower the heat, the more the onion softens without browning. This sofrito can be made in large batches and frozen.

~8 min
2

While the onion cooks, chop the rocoto (60 g) and ají amarillo (120 g), removing seeds and veins for medium heat. For very spicy, leave seeds and veins in.

Consejo: Handle chiles carefully — avoid touching your face. To remove capsaicin from hands, rub with vinegar or salt, then with oil, and finally wash with dish soap.

~5 min
3

Add the chopped rocoto and ají amarillo to the pan. Increase the heat slightly and sauté until the peppers are well cooked and softened, avoiding browning. Add the white pepper (1/4 tsp) and cumin (1/4 tsp). Turn off heat and allow to cool completely.

Consejo: The longer you sauté the peppers, the less spicy the sauce will be — capsaicin is heat-soluble.

~10 min
4

Once the sofrito is cool, add it to a blender along with parsley leaves (3 g), guacatay leaves (5 g), salt (5 g), sugar (6 g), cold filtered water (100 g), white vinegar (15 g), mustard (5 g), and mayonnaise (200 g). Blend until completely smooth.

Consejo: Look for a vortex/whirlpool while blending — this means the texture is correct. If there's no vortex, add a little more water.

~3 min
5

Check texture — the sauce should pour in a smooth, flowing ribbon. Adjust consistency with a small splash of water if needed. The sauce is ready to serve with pollo a la brasa.

~1 min

Cultural Context

Ají de pollería is the iconic green sauce served at Peruvian rotisserie chicken restaurants (pollerías) nationwide. Its distinctive flavor comes from guacatay, a native Peruvian black mint herb, combined with rocoto and ají amarillo peppers. No pollo a la brasa experience in Peru is complete without it.