Peruvian Chicken is a mouthwatering dish marinated in lime, chilies, and fragrant spices. It’s incredibly easy to make and can be grilled or oven-roasted.
It has become one of my all-time favorite keto chicken recipes!
I am absolutely obsessed with this Peruvian Chicken recipe. Don’t be alarmed, it’s perfectly normal for me to become obsessed with certain foods. I think it’s par for the course for recipe creators!
But I fell in love with this one from the first bite. It’s succulent and juicy, and full of bold flavor. You can serve it with a creamy green sauce, but it’s also wonderful just by itself.
I’ve made it multiple times and I fall a little more in love each time. And I think you will too!
Why you will love this recipe
Accessible ingredients: Classic Peruvian Chicken takes some specialized ingredients, including aji panca paste and aji amarillo paste. But I wanted to make my keto version more convenient so I opted for standard grocery store ingredients. If you want a more authentic recipe, check out Chili Pepper Madness.
Easy to make: The marinade comes together in about 3 minutes, and then you allow the chicken to absorb the flavors for 1 to 4 hours.
Bold flavor: Between the lime, the chili pepper, and the spices, your tastebuds will be singing! And you can easily adjust the heat to your like by including or excluding the seeds of the chilies.
Low in carbohydrates: This easy keto dinner recipe comes in at 2.2 grams total carbs!
Optional cooking methods: Peruvian chicken is delicious grilled over an open flame or roasted in the oven. I’ve included instructions for both!
Ingredients you need
- Lime: Get fresh limes for this recipe, as you use both the zest and the juice. Bottled juice simply cannot compare!
- Olive oil: I used extra virgin olive oil. You can swap in another liquid oil, like avocado oil, if you prefer.
- Tamari: Tamari is my go-to for soy sauce, because it’s entirely gluten-free and has a deeper, more intense flavor. So you can use a little less of it and keep the carbs in check.
- Hot pepper: I swapped in a medium jalapeño for the Peruvian chili pastes, but I left the seeds in for more heat. You can adjust this by using a hotter pepper, such as thai chilies or habaneros. Or you can leave out the seeds from the jalapeños for less heat.
- Garlic: Chop the garlic cloves a bit so that they blend up better in the marinade.
- Spices: Paprika, cumin, coriander, and oregano give the marinade it’s unique flavor.
- Hot sauce: Once you’ve blended the marinade, give it a little taste. Use a dash of hot sauce like Cholula or Tapatio to increase the heat a bit, if you like.
- Chicken thighs: I like bone-in, skin-on thighs for this Peruvian chicken recipe, but drumsticks work as well. They do cook through a little faster so be mindful if you are grilling them.
- Salt and pepper
Most Peruvian Chicken recipes include a creamy green sauce for drizzling. I have made my cilantro sauce optional because the chicken is so flavorful on its own.
Step by Step Directions
1. Add the marinade ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until well combined. It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth but you don’t want large chunks of chili or garlic.
2. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a dish and pour the marinade over top. Turn the chicken to coat and then let it marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
3. Grill or bake the chicken. For the grill, you want indirect heat so that the chicken cooks through without burning the outside. For the oven, bake the chicken at 400ºF until cooked through, about 35 minutes.
4. Blend the ingredients for the cilantro sauce, if desired, and drizzle over the cooked chicken as you serve.
FAQ and Tips
Also known as pollo a la brasa, it is a popular grilled chicken dish with a fragrant combination of lime, spices, and chilies. It can also be oven-roasted, and is often served with a creamy cilantro sauce.
This recipe is keto friendly. Some recipes call for honey in the marinade but I use no sweeteners whatsoever and it’s absolutely delicious. And it has only 1.8g of net carbs per serving.
Store any leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Boneless, skinless chicken
You can also use boneless chicken for this recipe, if you prefer. Keep in mind that it will cook through a lot faster on both the grill and in the oven.
What to serve with Peruvian Chicken?
To make this a full keto meal, try one of these delicious sides:
- Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
- Coconut Cauliflower Rice
- Zucchini Fritters
- Caramelized Brussels Sprouts
- Twice Baked Spaghetti Squash
More obsession-worthy chicken recipes
Peruvian Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 tsp lime zest
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 1 medium hot chili pepper, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) pepper
- Dash hot sauce, optional
- 6 bone-in chicken thighs
Cilantro Sauce
- 1/2 cup (8 g) fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup (56 g) mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp water
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Chicken
- In a blender or food processor, combine the lime juice, olive oil, tamari, chili pepper, garlic, paprika, cuming, coriander, oregano, salt, and pepper. Blend to a coarse puree.
- Adjust seasonings to taste, and add a little hot sauce if desired.
- Place the chicken in a single layer in a large dish and pour the sauce overtop. Turn the chicken a few times to coat. Let marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
- Set up your grill for indirect heat on one side. Place the chicken thighs, skin-side down, directly over the heat first. Let cook, watching carefully for flares, until the skin is nicely browned and has grill marks, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Flip the thighs and grill over direct heat for another 4 to 5 minutes, then move to indirect heat until the thighs register at least 165ºF on an instant read thermometer.
Creamy Cilantro Sauce (optional)
- Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Drizzle over the chicken at the table.
Notes
Oven Roasting:
Preheat the oven to 400ºF and cook the chicken, skin side up, for 35 to 40 minutes. The internal temperature should reach 165ºF on an instant read thermometer.Storage Instructions:
Store any leftovers in the fridge in a covered container for up to 5 days.Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I tried this tonight on the grill with my pork kabob meat and it was DELICIOUS! I followed the recipe quantities but used lime juice concentrate and lemon zest. I had chopped and frozen some jalapeno so I used that for the chili ingredient. Definitely a go to recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Glad you liked it!
I have a question. I am going to be roasting this in the oven, do I leave it in the marinade, or transfer to a baking dish without as you would if grilling?
Thank you!
Transfer!
Sounds amazing. I don’t like dark meat. Have you tried it with breast meat? So looking forward to trying it.
You’re certainly welcome to try! Breast meat definitely dries out more easily… I might recommend brining it first.
Absolutely delicious!!!!!
Most delicious! I didn’t have time to marinate for an hour, and only had canned chilis on hand. No matter. I marinated for 1/2 hour, then threw into the oven. The chicken smelled so good while it was cooking! I served it with a side salad. This is a keeper! (So far, all your recipes are keepers.)
This has become a family favorite and has joined our regular dinner rotation. It is great for company too!
Do you put the chicken and the marinade to cook? or do you put the chicken in a new pan to cook?
I would probably put it into a new pan and make sure each piece has some space around it to cook properly.
I didn’t have thighs for this so I used thinly sliced breasts breaded with pork rinds and some permesan cheese. I added the rub spices to the breading and fried the chicken in olive oil. Used the sauce for dipping. It was delicious!
Leftover chicken, lettuce,, avocado, and sauce as a dressing made a great salad the next day for lunch.
Wow! This was an excellent chicken recipe and the sauce made it even better. My husband and kids (ages 4, 11, 14, and 16) all loved it, too! We put on some Peruvian Dinner music and enjoyed a fun dinner! Thanks for the recipe. It’s a keeper!
Absolutely love this dish! The sauce is a game changer.