Peruvian-Style Roast Chicken Recipe (With Video)

Prep Time:

25 mins

Total Time:

2 hrs 10 mins

Servings:

This Peruvian-style roast chicken is sure to become your new favorite roast chicken recipe. It starts with a fragrant spice rub of cumin, oregano, and sweet paprika. It's quick to cook—the chicken is spatchcocked, so it roasts faster. Our recipe also produces the crispiest roast potatoes ever, along with a creamy, piquant green sauce made with cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, lime juice, and mayonnaise. It's so good, you'll be tempted to spoon it over just about anything.

The final result, chicken, potatoes, and all, is just as irresistible: This company-worthy winner roast chicken dinner is a dish you'll want to make again and again.

peruvian roast chicken — Credit:
Marcus Nilsson

Directions

Make spice rub, prep chicken, and apply rub:

Combine cumin, paprika, oregano, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. With kitchen shears, cut chicken along its backbone along one side; open like a book. Place on a rimmed baking sheet, breast-side up; press down flat. Rub all over with 2 tablespoons oil and grated garlic. Sprinkle with spice mixture. Let stand 1 hour (or refrigerate, covered, overnight).
Preheat oven and cook potatoes:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a saucepan, cover potatoes with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil; add a generous amount of salt. Boil until just tender, 11 to 13 minutes. Drain and immediately return to pan; toss with remaining 3 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. (Potatoes will break apart slightly.)
Add potatoes to chicken and roast:

Scatter potatoes around chicken. Roast until chicken is golden and a thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 160 degrees, 45 to 50 minutes.
Remove chicken and finish cooking potatoes:

Transfer chicken to a plate. Flip potatoes and continue to roast until golden and crisp, 5 to 10 minutes more.
Make green sauce:

Meanwhile, purée cilantro, jalapeño, chopped garlic, mayonnaise, lime juice, and 1 tablespoon water in a blender until smooth. (If sauce is too thick, add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time.) Season with salt.
Carve chicken and serve:

Carve chicken and arrange on platter with potatoes. Sprinkle with cilantro leaves and serve with cilantro sauce and lime wedges on the side.

Spatchcocking

We employ the technique known as spatchcocking in this recipe. It is when the backbone is removed from a whole chicken so it lays flat. This results in extra-crispy skin and a bird that cooks much faster—in well under an hour. If you're not familiar with spatchcocking start, follow our guide on How to Spatchcock a Chicken.