Ají de Gallina: Discover Peru's Creamy, Spicy Chicken Stew

Creamy chicken in a rich, walnut sauce with aji peppers, perfect for cold nights and new culinary adventures

By
Marian Blazes
Marian Blazes
Marian Blazes is a freelance writer and recipe developer with a passion for South American food. She wrote a cookbook focusing on the cuisine of Brazil.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 10/23/25
Tested by
Carrie Parente
Carrie Parente
Tested by Carrie Parente
Carrie is a food stylist and culinary producer who loves having a table full of guests.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 60 mins
Servings: 4 to 6 servings
  • Shredded chicken and potatoes simmer in a silky, savory sauce that’s hearty and comforting.
  • Each serving gets vibrant garnishes like black olives, hard-boiled eggs, and fluffy white rice.
  • You can swap in Scotch bonnet or habanero if you can’t find traditional ají amarillo peppers.

Peruvian cuisine is gaining recognition, thanks to a new generation of chefs who are exploring their culinary roots and reintroducing classic dishes to a global audience of adventurous eaters. Many of these chefs are part of the first generation in the United States and have learned firsthand the traditional recipes from their moms and abuelas (grandmothers).

Spicy creamed chicken with boiled potatoes, rice, hard-boiled egg, and sliced black olives

The Spruce Eats

Ají de gallina is one of these traditional dishes: poached chicken coated in a spicy and creamy nut-based sauce, served over white rice and boiled potatoes. Bright yellow—amarillo—in color, thanks to the famous ají amarillo, and rich from the ground walnut sauce, this dish is hearty, filling, and delicious. Don't be intimidated by its complexity; the recipe is broken down into manageable parts and is well worth the effort.

Heavily influenced by Asian immigration, Peruvian cuisine today is a melting pot of Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, African, Andean, and local techniques, flavors, and ingredients, Ají de gallina is no exception, potentially originating from a sweeter Catalonian dish that evolved into the savory version we know today, combining European, South American, and Asian ingredients.

Finding ají amarillo at your local supermarket might be challenging, so head to any Latin markets or Hispanic bodegas in your area. If they don't carry fresh ají, opt for frozen or jarred pasteâ€they both will yield a flavorful dish. If ají amarillo is unavailable, Scotch bonnet or habanero can be excellent substitutes, offering fruity and spicy flavors.

What You'll Need to Make This Ají de Gallina Recipe
Vitamix Professional Series 750 Blender
A Zippy Blender
Hestan ProBond Stainless Steel Stockpot, 8 Quart
A Good Stock Pot
Lodge Cast Iron Skillet
A Heavy Skillet

Never Lose a Recipe Again!

Love a Spruce Eats recipe? With MyRecipes, your personal home for recipes, easily save and organize your favorites, plus thousands more, in one convenient place.

"It's a mild, creamy chicken dish that was delicious over rice and definitely soul-warming, especially on a cold night. I had never worked with aji amarillo peppers and didn't want too spicy of a dish for my family, so I only used 3 peppers, but next time I think I'll add more." —Carrie Parente

Ají de gallina: Peruvian spicy creamed chicken tester image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester
Keep Screen Awake

Ingredients

  • 4 yellow potatoes

  • 4 slices white bread

  • 3/4 cup evaporated milk, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons more if needed

  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast

  • 4 cups chicken stock

  • 3 to 4 yellow ají peppers

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 large onion, finely chopped

  • 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped walnuts

  • 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 

  • 3 cups cooked white rice 

  • 2 large hard-boiled eggs, quartered

  • 10 black olives, pitted and halved

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for Peruvian spicy creamed chicken recipe gathered

    The Spruce Eats

  2. Cook 4 yellow potatoes in salted water until tender when pierced with a fork.

    Unpeeled whole potatoes boiling in water in a pot

    The Spruce Eats

  3. Let cool, peel, cut into quarters, and set aside.

    Peeled cooked potatoes cut into quarters on a plate

    The Spruce Eats

  4. Place 4 slices white bread in a small bowl and pour the 3/4 cup of evaporated milk over it to soak. Set aside.

    Sliced white bread soaking in milk

    The Spruce Eats

  5. Place 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts in a pot with the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

    Boneless skinless chicken breasts in chicken stock in a pot

    The Spruce Eats

  6. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until chicken is just barely cooked through.

    Chicken breasts boiling with white froth forming on top

    The Spruce Eats

  7. Set chicken aside to cool, reserving the stock.

    Cooked chicken breasts on a plate and chicken stock in a bowl

    The Spruce Eats

  8. Strain the stock and reserve 2 cups.

    Bowl of strained chicken stock with solids in a wire mesh strainer

    The Spruce Eats

  9. Shred the cooled chicken into bite-sized pieces.

    Coarsely shredded chicken breast on a plate

    The Spruce Eats

  10. Remove stems and seeds from 3 to 4 aji peppers.

    Yellow peppers cored, seeded, and cut into long narrow strips

    The Spruce Eats

  11. In a blender, process the peppers with 1/2 cup vegetable oil. Blend until smooth.

    Peppers and vegetable oil blended smooth in a blender

    The Spruce Eats

  12. Add to a medium saucepan the vegetable oil and ají mixture. Add 2 cloves garlic (minced) and 1 large onion (finely chopped) to the pan and then cook until the onion is soft.

    Blended peppers, onions, and garlic frying and being stirred with a wooden spoon

    The Spruce Eats

  13. Remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool.

    Pepper and onion mixture on a plate

    The Spruce Eats

  14. Add the soaked bread, 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped walnuts, and 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese to the blender and process until smooth. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons evaporated milk, or even some of the strained chicken stock, if the mixture is not smooth.

    Bread mixture processed to a thick paste in a blender

    The Spruce Eats

  15. Add the cooked onion mixture into the blender and process briefly until well combined.

    Pepper and onions added to bread mixture and blended smooth

    The Spruce Eats

  16. Place the yellow mixture into a pan and add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved chicken stock. Stir together until combined.

    Bread and yellow pepper mixture and stock being stirred with a wooden spoon in a pan

    The Spruce Eats

  17. Bring the sauce to a low simmer. Add in the chicken and heat until warmed through, adding more chicken stock if the sauce is too thick.

    Shredded chicken stirred into thick creamy pepper sauce in the saucepan

    The Spruce Eats

  18. One portion of chicken goes over 1/2 cup of cooked white rice, garnished with a few quarters of yellow potatoes, a couple of quartered hard-boiled eggs, and black olives. Enjoy.

    Spicy creamed chicken with rice served with a hard-boiled egg, boiled potato quarters, and black olives over plain white rice

    The Spruce Eats
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
843 Calories
34g Fat
81g Carbs
54g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 843
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 34g 43%
Saturated Fat 7g 37%
Cholesterol 175mg 58%
Sodium 583mg 25%
Total Carbohydrate 81g 30%
Dietary Fiber 6g 21%
Total Sugars 12g
Protein 54g
Vitamin C 136mg 679%
Calcium 218mg 17%
Iron 6mg 33%
Potassium 1623mg 35%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)