Pollo a la Brasa (Peruvian Roast Chicken)
Peru's beloved rotisserie-style chicken: marinated overnight in garlic, cumin, lime, ají panca and soy, roasted until the skin is dark and crisp. Served with fries, salad and a creamy green ají sauce.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Make the marinade
In a bowl, mix the garlic, paste, soy sauce, lime juice, oil, cumin, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper into a smooth, thick paste.
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsp paste
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 limes, juiced lime juice
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
✅ Done when: the mixture is a smooth, thick paste
Marinate the chicken
Loosen the skin over the breast and thighs with your fingers, then rub the marinade all over the chicken, under the skin and inside the cavity. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.
- 1 whole chicken chicken
- all of it marinade from step 1
✅ Done when: chicken is fully coated, including under the skin and inside the cavity
Roast
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Make the green sauce
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Rest and serve
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Make the marinade
In a bowl, mix the garlic, paste, soy sauce, lime juice, oil, cumin, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper into a smooth, thick paste.
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsp paste
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 limes, juiced lime juice
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
✅ Done when: the mixture is a smooth, thick paste
Marinate the chicken
Loosen the skin over the breast and thighs with your fingers, then rub the marinade all over the chicken, under the skin and inside the cavity. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.
- 1 whole chicken chicken
- all of it marinade from step 1
✅ Done when: chicken is fully coated, including under the skin and inside the cavity
Roast
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Make the green sauce
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Rest and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Pollo a la brasa was invented in the 1950s by two Swiss immigrants, Roger Schuler and Franz Ulrich, at their restaurant in Chaclacayo, near Lima. They designed a charcoal rotisserie that turned many chickens at once and seasoned them with a simple Peruvian marinade.
It became a national obsession: today Peruvians eat it so often that the country celebrates an official Día del Pollo a la Brasa every July.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Crisp, smoky, deeply seasoned chicken with fries and creamy sauces is Peru's ultimate weekend treat.
💡 Fun Fact
In Peruvian pollerías you order by fractions: un cuarto (a quarter), medio pollo (half) or un pollo entero (a whole one).
Chaclacayo, near Lima
-11.97°S, -76.77°W
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