Picante de Pollo

Lizet Bowen’s picante de pollo uses dried ají panca to make the sauce for seared chicken pieces. Her version brings chopped red onion, garlic and parsley together with cumin and pepper, with rice and optional cooked peas and potatoes on the plate.

The dried ají panca is washed, soaked in hot water and drained. The softened peppers are blended with a separate cup of water to make the sauce. Vegetable oil heats in a saucepan, where the chicken pieces are seared and set aside.

In the same saucepan, without washing it, the red onion, garlic and parsley sauté until the onion becomes translucent. The ají sauce, ground pepper, cumin, salt and seared chicken are added together.

The chicken cooks over low heat for fifteen minutes. The sauce is tasted, more salt may be added if desired, and cooking continues for five more minutes.

Rice accompanies the finished chicken. Bowen allows the cooked potato and peas to be omitted; her serving method places peas over the chicken when used. Chuño and tomato-and-onion salad are also listed as accompaniments for this version.