If you want to eat juicy and flavorful chicken, then a Pollo A La Brasa is for you! It is a simple recipe great for a weeknight dinner!
Pollo a la Brasa is one of Peru’s most popular dishes. This rotisserie-style chicken is typically sold in pollerias where the chicken is usually cooked over charcoal.
What makes this recipe different from roasted garlic butter chicken or any rotisserie chicken is the “dressing” or marinade which makes a super delicious chicken.
You’ll find that the favorite side of this Peruvian chicken is french fries, a green simple salad, and a couple of dressings.
My family and I love this pollo peruano with yellow fried plantains and yellow Puerto Rican rice!
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
- It is a meal that is very simple to make even on a busy day!
- It is made with ingredients that you can find at almost any supermarket.
Recipe Ingredients
- Soda- I used soda but you can also use beer.
- Soy sauce and vinegar- I have used dark and light soy sauce so whichever you have is fine. I always used white vinegar.
- Garlic paste- I use a garlic paste instead of the whole cloves to measure how much garlic I add.
- Msg- This is monosodium glutamate that comes in different brands like Ajinomoto, Accent, or Badia. If you’ve made fried rice before you probably have some already.
- Seasonings include chicken bouillon, black pepper, sage, thyme, cumin, and crushed oregano. But the most important ones are the salt and Msg.
- Chicken- I used a 4-pound chicken.
Substitutions & Variations
- Meat- While this is traditionally made with a whole chicken, you can use this recipe to make different chicken parts.
- Herbs- I used ground herbs but you can use fresh ones you just need to blend them.
- Salt- I used kosher salt but you can use table salt.
- Cooking- While pollo a la brasa is traditionally done in a rotisserie style, it can be roasted. But to obtain the same texture you must baste chicken every 20 minutes.
How to Make Pollo A La Brasa
- Photo 1: First, remove any large amounts of fat hanging from the bird. You don’t need to remove it all because it will melt off.
- Photo 2: Pat dry your chicken so the seasonings can adhere better.
- Photo 3: Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. You can also use your blender to mix.
- Photo 4: Put your chicken in a big bowl and season even on the inside. Cover and marinate.
- Photo 5: Truss your chicken. I tie it up simply by the wings and the drumsticks.
- Photo 6: Cook your chicken for 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Useful Tips
- When marinating the chicken I like to leave it with the breast down so it will be covered in seasoning. This is to add more flavor to this part.
- If you like your rotisserie to be darker, cook for 10 more minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Many countries in Latin America and around the world make this dish. But the original is said that it was born in Peru.
There are 4 key ingredients that a Peruvian chicken has. It is salt, black pepper, cumin, and msg. But keep in mind that there are many variations of this.
Delicious Sides for Peruvian Chicken
💬 If you enjoyed this Pollo a la Brasa recipe, give it a 5-star rating and leave a comment, or question below.
If you rather watch how to make a recipe you can follow us on YouTube and our Facebook Page. Or keep up with us on Instagram and Pinterest.
Peruvian Pollo a la Brasa
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus get delicious recipes sent every week!
Ingredients
- 1 oz dark soda
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon sage
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon chicken boullion
- 1 tablespoon msg
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 4 pound whole chicken
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- In a small bowl mix the soda, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic paste and all the seasonings.
- Remove any of the giblets that your chicken may have on the inside. Pat dry the chicken to remove any excess moisture. Put the chicken in a big bowl pour some of the marinade inside the chicken and then pour the rest on top. Rub all the marinade thru all the chicken. Cover the bowl and let the chicken marinate for at least 1 hour.
- Take a 12-inch piece of cooking twine and tie the chicken in the breast area to secure the wings. Take a 6-inch piece of twine and tie the drumsticks by crossing them. Insert the rotisserie spit rod through the chicken and secure it on both ends.
- Cook for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes and serve.
Recipe Notes
- Salt- I used 3 tablespoons of kosher salt. You can substitute it for 2 tablespoons of regular table salt.
- Cook chicken- for 25 minutes more for each extra pound of chicken.
- This chicken was done in a rotisserie style. It can be baked, but you must baste (pour the chicken’s juices over it) every 20 minutes to obtain a similar texture.
- soda- ½ tablespoon
- soy sauce- ¼ teaspoon
- vinegar- ¼ teaspoon
- pepper- ⅛ teaspoon
- cumin- ⅛ teaspoon
- oregano- ¼ teaspoon
- sage- ⅛ teaspoon
- thyme- ⅛ teaspoon
- msg- ¾ teaspoon
- chicken bouillon- ¼ teaspoon
- garlic paste- ¾ teaspoon
- kosher salt- 2 ¼ teaspoons or (1 ½ teaspoon regular salt)
Leave a Comment