Ají de Gallina (Peruvian Creamy Chicken)

Ají amarillo is a bright yellow-orange Peruvian chili with a fruity, almost tropical flavour and mild-to-medium heat — it's the defining ingredient of ají de gallina and much of Peruvian cooking. It's usually sold as a jarred paste in Latin markets or online. If you can't find it, there's no perfect swap, but a blend of a milder yellow chili or habanero (used sparingly) with a little yellow bell pepper for colour gets you closest. The flavour won't be identical, but the dish still works.

Milk-soaked white bread, blended smooth with walnuts, is the traditional thickener and it's what gives ají de gallina its signature velvety, slightly nutty body — quite different from a flour- or cream-only sauce. The bread also carries and softens the chili. Use plain white sandwich bread with the crusts removed for the smoothest result. If you need it gluten-free, a gluten-free white bread or a few soaked crackers can stand in, though the texture shifts slightly.

Yes, and it's naturally a mild dish. Ají amarillo has gentle heat to begin with, and the milk, bread, walnuts, and parmesan all soften it further. To make it milder still, start with half the paste and taste as you go, or scrape out any seeds if using fresh chilies. The creamy base means you can always add more paste for heat but can't easily take it away, so build up gradually.

Traditionally, gallina means hen — an older, tougher stewing bird with deeper flavour, which is what the dish was originally made with and where the name comes from. Ají de pollo uses ordinary young chicken (pollo), which is more tender and quicker to cook, and is what most home cooks and this recipe use today. The sauce and method are the same; only the bird differs. Chicken breast or thigh both work well.

The classic plate is ají de gallina spooned over white rice with slices of boiled yellow potato underneath or alongside, garnished with black olives and wedges of hard-boiled egg. The potato and rice both temper the richness and soak up the sauce. Some cooks add a little chopped parsley for colour. It's a hearty one-plate meal, and the sauce is even better the next day once the flavours have settled.