Chicken Chaufa — Plate-Service (Carta) Version

A generous restaurant-style chicken chaufa with marinated chicken breast, scrambled egg folded into the rice, and garnished with fried wonton and tamarind sauce. Victor Heredia presents precise weights and timing for the full plate (carta) portion of 300g rice and 150g chicken.

15m Prep

15m Cook

30m Total

1 Servings

chaufa chifa chicken fried-rice peruvian-chinese wok wonton arroz-chaufa street-food carta restaurant negocio pollo

Ingredients

Chicken

150 g Chicken breast (Cut into bite-sized pieces perpendicular to the fiber at a slight angle; marinated)

Chicken Marinade

White sugar (for chicken marinade)
1.5 g Salt (for chicken marinade)
2 g Light soy sauce / sillao claro (for chicken marinade)
Sesame oil (for chicken marinade)
White pepper (for chicken marinade) (Freshly ground)

Finish

Sesame oil (finishing) (A few drops off the heat)
2 stalks Chinese spring onion (cebollita china) (Thinly sliced — the larger, thicker green stalks)

Garnish

Wonton wrappers (hán) — for garnish (Folded into boat or triangle shapes and deep-fried until golden) opcional
Tamarind sauce triangle (Piped or placed as sauce triangle on the plate) opcional

Main

300 g Chaufa rice base (pre-marinated parboiled rice) (Two 150g ladles from the prepared chaufa rice base)

Wok

60 ml Vegetable oil (for wok)
Pachic sauce (Added by count — time your pour to calibrate without measuring)
2 units Eggs (Cracked into the wok directly)
Five-spice powder or Chinese cinnamon
Chicken stock (fondo de pollo) (A small addition if the rice looks dry; keep covered) opcional

Steps

1

Prepare the mise en place: thinly slice 2 stalks of Chinese spring onion. Fold wonton wrappers into boat or triangle shapes. Deep-fry the wonton shapes in hot oil until golden and drain well.

Consejo: For wonton boats: fold in half diagonally, press a finger underneath, wet the edges, and press firmly to seal. For thin strips: cut into rectangles and poke holes in the center before frying.

~5 min
2

Cut chicken breast into bite-sized pieces perpendicular to the fiber with a slight diagonal angle. Marinate with a pinch of white sugar, 1.5g salt, 2g light soy sauce, 10-12 drops sesame oil, and a pinch of white pepper. Mix well. For business use, marinate a full batch in advance — marinated chicken keeps 3 days refrigerated.

Consejo: The sugar in the marinade accelerates browning (Maillard reaction) and adds a subtle caramel note. For a menu portion, use 50g chicken; for a full carta plate, use 150g.

~5 min
3

Heat the wok to near-smoking. Add 60ml vegetable oil. Add pachic sauce and immediately add the marinated chicken. Place the chicken in and leave it to sear — do not stir immediately. Let it brown on one side, then flip.

Consejo: Do not throw the chicken from height — hold the piece close to the wok and release gently to avoid oil splashing. For business-scale, work with industrial burners for proper wok hei.

~3 min
4

While the chicken sears, crack 2 eggs directly into the wok beside the chicken. Let the egg white partially set — do not scramble immediately. Once the egg white is half-cooked, begin moving everything together. Scrape the bottom constantly.

Consejo: The key technique: let the egg set partially first, then scramble. This creates larger pieces of egg that stay visible in the final dish rather than disappearing into the rice.

~2 min
5

Reduce heat slightly and add 300g of chaufa rice base. Stir-fry vigorously, scraping any stuck portions from the wok. Add a pinch of five-spice powder. If the rice looks dry, add a small splash of chicken stock. Stir-fry until the rice is well fried and heated through.

Consejo: If rice sticks and you see burned bits, lower the heat briefly to scrape them — those residues are flavor, not waste.

~4 min
6

Turn off the heat. Add a few drops of sesame oil and the sliced Chinese spring onion. Toss briefly. Plate by pressing rice into a mold to form a dome in the center. Place protein pieces around the edges. Insert 2 fried wonton boats on the sides. Pipe or place a tamarind sauce triangle and add a pinch of spring onion on top.

~2 min

Nutrition (por porción)

480

Calorías

38g

Proteína

52g

Carbohidratos

12g

Grasa

Fibra

Cultural Context

Arroz chaufa de pollo is arguably the most iconic dish of chifa cuisine — the Peruvian-Chinese fusion culinary tradition that developed from the waves of Chinese immigrants who arrived in Peru beginning in the mid-19th century. In Lima, no neighborhood is without a chifa restaurant, and chaufa has crossed over into everyday Peruvian cooking at home. The dish reflects the philosophy of Peruvian-Chinese fusion: bold wok heat, umami layering, and the cultural preference for bite-sized ingredients eaten without a knife.