Mr. BrookCook’s Mother’s Day Dinner: Aji de Gallina

On Mother’s Day, I was showered with flowers, poems, handmade jewelry, and love. 🙂 The weather was gorgeous and we were able to spend a wonderful day outside together as a family. My kids were so well behaved! It was PERFECT.

We were also able to enjoy our first outside dinner of the season. Mango Margarita‘s and Aji de Gallina- both meticulously prepared by my husband… Mr. BrookCook! 🙂 (I had to copy the “Mr.” from The Seasoned Traveler after seeing that Mr. Seasoned Traveler did a Mother’s Day post- the best title ever!) One of my absolute favorite dishes is Peruvian Aji de Gallina. It is a creamy and spicy chicken stew with many layers of flavor. The key ingredient is Aji Amarillo, which we were able to order through Amazon. Last year, this dish was my birthday dinner request… this year I didn’t want to wait until June! This recipe was adapted from PiscoTrail.com, via Foodista. Instead of poaching a chicken, my husband used rotisserie chicken meat. The stew was served over boiled potato slices and garnished with hard boiled egg slices. FABULOUS!! Happy Belated Mother’s Day to all of the mothers and grandmothers out there. 🙂 & Happy Fiesta Friday #16 at The Novice Gardener!

Yield: 8 servings

• 1 rotisserie chicken breast, shredded
• 1 whole rotisserie chicken leg, shredded
• 2 rotisserie chicken thighs, shredded
• 4 1/2 cups of chicken stock
• 2 slices of bread, crusts removed
• 5 tablespoons canola oil
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 yellow onion
• 3 teaspoons aji amarillo
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup ground walnuts
• 1/4 cup Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
• 1/4 cup 1% milk
• 4-6 Yukon gold potatoes or red potatoes, boiled until tender, cut into slices
• 2 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, and quartered
• parsley and black olives for garnish, if desired

1. Shred the chicken meat into long, thin strands.
2. Soak two slices of bread (minus the crust) in 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock and mash with a fork to make a purée.
3. Dice a yellow onion, mince the garlic, and chop the parsley.
4. Grind the walnuts using a (mini) food processor.
5. Prepare the sofrito by sautéing the onion and garlic with the canola oil in a pot over medium to high heat. Cook until onion is translucent.
6. Add the aji amarillo, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, and turmeric and continue to sauté until all the spices are mixed well.
7. Add the parsley and bread purée minus any extra soaking stock, mix well, reduce heat and cook until the mixture begins to simmer.
8. Add 3 cups of chicken stock, cook until it begins to simmer.  Then add the shredded chicken.
9. Stir occasionally and continue to simmer partially covered until stew thickens, about 45 minutes.
10. Remove from heat and stir in ground walnuts, parmesan, and milk.
11. Serve over slices of cooked potatoes and garnish with a hard-boiled egg, black olive, and sprig of parsley, as desired.

Note: The stew is done when it has reached a thick and creamy consistency, or when you can see the bottom of the pot when stirring the stew with a spoon.

One Year Ago:

• Mother’s Day Huevos Rancheros

About Josette@thebrookcook

I live in Stony Brook, New York on Long Island. I love garlic and baking. My hobby (and love) is to try new recipes. My favorite recipe resources include The New York Times, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Living. Enjoy!

View all posts by Josette@thebrookcook →