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Meat, Americas

Ají de gallina with rice

Ají de gallina is a Peruvian dish of shredded chicken coated in a creamy yellow sauce made from bread, walnuts and Parmesan, served over rice with hard boiled eggs and black olives. It serves 4, takes 55 minutes, and is easy to make for about €3.00 per serving. The key is blending the sauce until smooth and never letting it boil.

Tonight, we're taking a trip to Peru with ají de gallina, shredded chicken in a silky yellow sauce.

Ají de gallina with rice
Total time
55 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€3.00
Calories per person
620 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Fall, Winter
The kids
They generally like it

Ají de gallina catches people off guard the first time, that pale yellow sauce that isn't spicy at all, just gently creamy thanks to bread soaked in milk and walnuts blended with Parmesan. The shredded chicken soaks up this velvety texture, almost like a savory custard, while black olives add a welcome salty bite in every forkful with the rice.

It's a dish that breaks up the usual routine without being complicated, perfect for a weeknight when you want something different without spending hours in the kitchen. Kids tend to like it because the sauce is mild and creamy, not spicy at all despite the name. A quiet Sunday dinner or a meal meant to impress without the stress, ají de gallina fits both.

The ingredients

4 people

Butcher

  • Chicken breasts 3

Bakery

  • Sandwich bread 4 slices

Dairy

  • Milk 25 cl
  • Grated Parmesan 40 g
  • Eggs 4

Fruits and vegetables

  • Yellow bell peppers 2
  • Onion 1
  • Garlic 2 cloves

Pantry

  • Sweet paprikaoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Turmericoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Walnutsoften in the pantry 30 g
  • Black olivesoften in the pantry 12
  • Riceoften in the pantry 250 g
  • Oiloften in the pantry 3 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Allergens Gluten, Lactose, Eggs, Tree nuts

The step by step recipe

  1. Poach the chicken breasts in salted water, then shred them and set aside 10 cl of the broth. 15 min

    Swap the hard to find Peruvian yellow chili for a yellow bell pepper, turmeric and a pinch of mild chili powder.

  2. Soak the sandwich bread in the milk, and hard boil the eggs in boiling water. 10 min

    Plunge the eggs into cold water afterward, they'll peel in one go.

  3. Saute the onion, garlic and sliced peppers in the oil with the paprika and turmeric, then blend them with the bread, walnuts, Parmesan and broth. 12 min

    Blend for a good while, the sauce should turn smooth and a beautiful yellow.

  4. Pour the sauce over the shredded chicken and warm it through over low heat, stirring. 8 min

    Don't let it boil, the sauce thickens and sticks to the pan.

  5. Cook the rice, then plate the chicken over the rice with the hard boiled eggs cut into wedges and the black olives. 11 min

    Add the eggs and olives last, they give the dish its pretty color.

Our tips to get it right

  • Drain the bread a bit before blending if your sauce looks too thin, you can always add more broth afterward.
  • Keep the strained chicken broth on hand, it loosens the sauce without watering down the flavor.
  • Blend the sauce in a strong blender rather than with an immersion blender if you want it truly smooth with no walnut bits.

The variations

  • Swap the chicken for shredded turkey breast, the texture and flavor stay very close.
  • For a vegetarian version, replace the chicken with chickpeas or shredded cauliflower and use vegetable broth instead.
  • To save time, use leftover cooked rotisserie chicken, that cuts about 15 minutes off the recipe.

What to serve it with

  • Plain white rice as a classic base
  • Steamed potatoes instead of rice
  • A cold purple corn drink

Storage

Keep ají de gallina in the fridge in a sealed container for 2 to 3 days. The sauce freezes well, just leave out the hard boiled eggs before freezing. Reheat gently over low heat, stirring, so the sauce doesn't stick or separate.

Questions about this dish

Can you substitute the sandwich bread in the sauce?

Yes, stale white bread or blended crackers work fine. The point is for the soaked bread to add body to the sauce without using flour or cream.

Do you need real chili for authentic ají de gallina?

The traditional Peruvian recipe uses ají amarillo, a mild yellow chili. Here, yellow bell pepper and turmeric recreate the color and gentle flavor without any heat.

Can you make the sauce ahead of time?

Yes, make the sauce a day ahead and store it in the fridge. Reheat it gently with the shredded chicken just before serving.

Do kids usually like this dish?

Most do, since the sauce is creamy and mild, with no heat at all despite the chili sounding name. You can cut back on the olives if your kids aren't fans of their salty bite.

How long does it take to make an ají de gallina with rice?

Count 55 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in an ají de gallina with rice?

About 620 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does an ají de gallina with rice cost?

About €3.00 per serving, or €12.00 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, lactose, eggs, tree nuts. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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