Peruvian Spicy Creamed Chicken (Aji De Gallina)

Photo: Leah Rodrigues

Ingredients

Broth:

2 pounds chicken breast

1 celery, trimmed, washed and chopped

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped

1 tomato, chopped

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon peppercorns

2 bay leaves

Sauce:

4 slices white bread

1 cup milk

1/2 cup olive oil

2 onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon yellow Aji chile, Amarillo or Chile powder

cup finely chopped or ground walnuts

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 pounds small potatoes, boiled, peeled and halved

4 hard-boiled eggs, halve

Chopped parsley for garnish

3/4 cup black olives

this dish is served with white rice

Preparation

Place chicken in a large pot and fill with water to halfway up sides of bird. Add celery, onion, carrot, tomato, salt, peppercorns and bay leaves.

Cover, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes, or until chicken is done.

Remove chicken and place in a bowl until cool enough to remove the meat from the bones and shred into small pieces. Meanwhile, strain broth and reserve 4 cups.

If you do not want to make your own broth you can buy chicken broth but make sure it is low sodium.

Soak the bread in the milk.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin and saute for 1 more minute.

Add softened bread and aji or chile powder, and cook for about 1 minute, stirring. (For a creamier sauce, place onion-bread mixture in a blender, puree until smooth and return to skillet.)

Add 2 cups of the chicken stock and continue cooking until sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken and simmer for 5 to 8 more minutes, adding more stock if needed. Stir in the walnuts and Parmesan cheese, and simmer gently for another 5 minutes, or until thickened slightly.

To serve, spoon chicken and sauce onto a serving platter and surround with potatoes, eggs, and olives. Add chopped parsley. Serve with white rice.