Authentic home cooking from Peru, with US measurements.

Originally published on Cookpad Peru as Ají de Gallina

Ají de Gallina

Name: Ají de Gallina
Total time: 3600 s
Yield: Serves 6 to 8 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 (cooked and shredded) chicken breast or hen breast; 1 stalk celery; 1 (chopped) red onion; 1 small piece fresh turmeric; 4 (seeded and deveined) green chili peppers (ají verde or substitute with yellow chili if available); 4 cloves garlic; 1 can (about 1 2/3 cups or 400 ml) evaporated milk; 1 cup (250 ml) chicken broth; 2 (French rolls or sandwich bread, unsweetened); 4 walnuts; 8 pecans; Salt, black pepper, and cumin to taste; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 2 hard-boiled eggs; 8 olives; 2 tablespoons chopped parsley; 2 servings white rice; 2 (sliced) boiled potatoes

Betto Gómez Ballon @bettogomezballon

Lima

This classic Peruvian dish 🇵🇪 has European origins. Originally, 'manjar blanco' (or 'menjar blanc' in Catalan) was a dish made with chicken, flour, rice, and almonds, served either sweet or savory. When it arrived in Peru, local and mestizo cuisine replaced European ingredients with local ones: almonds were swapped for pecans and walnuts, and the unique Peruvian yellow chili pepper (ají amarillo) was added, giving the dish its signature color and flavor. The dish is said to have become popular in Lima around 1839, reflecting the creativity of colonial cooking and the bold flavors of Peru! Today, it's one of the most popular dishes in Peru and definitely worth trying ❤️🇵🇪

Betto Gómez Ballon @bettogomezballon

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Ingredients

1 hour

Serves 6 to 8 servings

1(cooked and shredded) chicken breast or hen breast
1 stalkcelery
1(chopped) red onion
1small piece fresh turmeric
4(seeded and deveined) green chili peppers (ají verde or substitute with yellow chili if available)
4 clovesgarlic
1 can(about 1 2/3 cups or 400 ml) evaporated milk
1 cup (250 ml)chicken broth
2(French rolls or sandwich bread, unsweetened)
4walnuts
8pecans
Salt, black pepper, and cumin to taste
2 tablespoonsvegetable oil
2hard-boiled eggs
8olives
2 tablespoonschopped parsley
2servings white rice
2(sliced) boiled potatoes

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Steps

1 hour

1

Boil the chicken breast with celery and a piece of onion. Let cool, then shred the meat.
2

Cut and remove the seeds and veins from the chili peppers. Sauté the chili peppers, onion, and garlic in oil over medium heat until cooked.
3

Blend the sautéed chili pepper, onion, garlic, and turmeric with salt. Set aside.
4

Soak the bread in the chicken broth, then blend with the walnuts and pecans, leaving some small pieces for texture in the sauce.
5

In a pot, sauté the blended chili paste until most of the liquid evaporates.
6

Add the shredded chicken and cook for 3 minutes, stirring.
7

Add the blended bread, broth, and nuts mixture. Cook for another 3 minutes, until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
8

Stir in the evaporated milk, salt, pepper, and cumin to taste.
9

Serve over sliced boiled potatoes and white rice. Garnish with hard-boiled eggs, olives, and chopped parsley.

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Cooksnaps

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Betto Gómez Ballon @bettogomezballon

Published in the US on April 14, 2026 14:03

Lima

Trabaje en cocina más de 14 años ahora es mi hobby y me encanta poder enseñar, soy arequipeño pero vivo en Lima y gran parte de las recetas que comparto son recetas de mi casa ! ✨aprendidas de mamá y mi novio perfeccionadas con las técnicas que aprendí a lo largo de mi carrera de cocinero . 🥰🇵🇪

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