Ají de gallina

Ingredients

• 600 g boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 l chicken broth
• 4 slices crustless white sandwich bread
• 250 ml evaporated milk
• 1 piece yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 60 g ají amarillo paste
• 50 g walnut halves
• 35 g grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• to taste fine salt
• to taste ground black pepper
• 600 g waxy potatoes
• 500 g cooked white rice
• 2 pieces hard-boiled eggs
• 8 pieces pitted black olives
• 0.25 bunches flat-leaf parsley

Method

1. Poach the chicken breasts in simmering broth until opaque throughout, tender, and easy to shred; keep the broth warm, then shred the chicken by hand or using two forks.
2. Soak the white sandwich bread in the evaporated milk until completely broken down under a spoon; blend with the walnuts until smooth and thick.
3. Saute the finely chopped onion in oil over medium heat until translucent and sweet, without letting it brown heavily.
4. Add the garlic, turmeric, cumin, and ají amarillo paste; stir until fragrant and the oil takes on a vibrant golden-orange hue.
5. Stir in the bread and walnut puree, then thin with cooking broth until you have a glossy, spoon-coating sauce that is creamy without being stiff.
6. Add the shredded chicken and simmer gently until the sauce coats every shred and turns lusciously creamy.
7. Off the heat, fold in the grated Parmesan, then season to taste with salt and black pepper; the sauce should be mellow, fruity, mildly spicy, and beautifully emulsified.
8. Serve over warm sliced potatoes with cooked white rice, then garnish with hard-boiled eggs, black olives, and chopped flat-leaf parsley.

Nutrition

Per serving

Energy

509.3 kcal

Protein

33.32 g

Carbohydrate

51.93 g

Fat

18.33 g

Fibre

5.02 g

Calcium

193.96 mg

Iron

2.23 mg

Magnesium

26.16 mg