Aji de gallina is shredded poached chicken in a cream sauce of yellow aji amarillo, walnuts, queso fresco and bread soaked in milk, served over white rice with potato and olive.

A Spanish-colonial criolla dish descended from manjar blanco, the medieval Spanish almond-thickened poultry. Walnut and queso fresco replaced the almonds in viceregal Lima kitchens; aji amarillo gave the sauce its yellow colour and gentle heat. Now the canonical Sunday lunch criolla dish across Lima homes. El Bolivariano in Pueblo Libre, Isolina in Barranco and Astrid y Gaston all keep defensible versions on the menu year-round.

Where to eat Aji de Gallina in Lima

4 editor picks for Aji de Gallina in Lima, ranked by editorial score. All Lima signature dishes · Aji de Gallina across every city.

  • Astrid y Gaston

    Order The tasting menu, anchored by the cuy pekines (Peking-style guinea pig).

    Astrid y Gaston at Casa Moreyra in San Isidro is Gaston Acurio and Astrid Gutsche's 1994 flagship, in a 17th-century San Isidro hacienda from 2014.

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  • Isolina

    Order The tacu tacu with steak and a portion of the carretillero ceviche.

    Isolina at Av San Martin 101 in Barranco is Jose del Castillo's 2015 criolla taberna, a tribute to his mother Isolina Vargas and her Lima home cooking.

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  • Cosme

    Order The chef's tasting plates, anchored by the modern aji de gallina and beef tartare.

    Cosme at Calle Tudela y Varela 162 in San Isidro is chef James Berckemeyer's comfort-Peruvian room, opened 2015 after training under Gaston Acurio.

    DetailsReserveDirections

  • El Bolivariano

    Order The aji de gallina and the lomo saltado; finish with a suspiro limena.

    El Bolivariano in Pueblo Libre Lima is the criolla institution housed in a republican casona, tracing tradition to the 1780s with the canonical carta.

    DetailsReserveDirections

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Make it at home

Serves Serves 460 minIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 500g chicken breast, poached and shredded
  • 4 tbsp aji amarillo paste
  • 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 60g walnuts, ground
  • 120g queso fresco, crumbled
  • 4 slices white bread, crusts off, soaked in 200ml whole milk
  • 200ml chicken stock
  • 60ml vegetable oil
  • Cooked white rice to serve
  • 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
  • Black olives and boiled potato slices to garnish

Method

  1. Sweat the onion and garlic in oil over medium heat 5 minutes until soft.
  2. Add aji amarillo paste. Cook 3 minutes, stirring.
  3. Add the milk-soaked bread, breaking it up. Stir to combine.
  4. Add chicken stock and ground walnuts. Simmer 8 minutes until thick.
  5. Blend the sauce in a food processor until smooth.
  6. Return to the pan with the shredded chicken and queso fresco. Warm through 5 minutes.
  7. Plate over rice. Top with hard-boiled egg, olives and potato.

Editor tip. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon; if thin, simmer longer; if thick, thin with chicken stock.

Common allergens: Dairy, Gluten, Tree nuts.