Chicharron de Pollo

Peruvian Fried Chicken with Rocoto Aioli & Salsa Criolla

My kids, by far the toughest restaurant critics, went through a phase when they refused to eat anything at my restaurants other than my fried chicken, an adaptation of the American dish (we batter and fry more seafood than poultry in Peru). It was the best compliment I’ve ever received. My Anticucho Sauce (page 112) has a very similar flavor to the more complicated chicken marinade I usually make, but takes just a few minutes to mix together. Sure, my kids are used to a little chile heat; if you like, cut back slightly on the amount of ají pepper pastes in the marinade. I encourage you to give the marinade a trial run first.

I usually use chicken breast in this recipe, but lately, I’ve been substituting skin-on chicken thighs for that really great, juicy flavor that you can only get from dark meat. When you cut chicken thighs into small pieces, they fry up quickly so the meat doesn’t dry out and the skin gets nice and crispy. If you can’t find boneless thighs with the skin, buy bone-in thighs and trim them yourself (save the bones for stock). Or sure, use boneless chicken breast. The chicken really is best if you marinate it overnight, but you could marinate the chicken for just a few hours.

1 Trim any big pieces of fat off the chicken thighs, but leave some smaller bits of fat attached. If using bone-in thighs, carefully trim the meat off the bone and leave the skin attached to the meat. Cut each thigh into two or three strips about 1½ inches wide, put them in a medium bowl or food storage container, and pour the anticucho marinade on top. Toss the chicken pieces around in the marinade then let them settle so that every piece is just about covered; if the pieces are not almost covered, use a slightly wider bowl or container so they lie flat. Cover and refrigerate the chicken for at least 3 to 4 hours or, better still, overnight.

2 Remove the chicken from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before frying. Preheat the oven to 250°F and line a baking sheet with two or three paper towels. In a medium, deep saucepan, heat a good 2 inches of oil over medium-high heat until it registers 350°F on a deep-fry thermometer, or fill a deep fryer with the recommended amount of oil and set the temperature to 350°F.

3 Whisk together the flour, potato starch, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl and set aside. Remove three or four pieces of chicken from the marinade and toss them in the flour mixture to lightly coat all sides.

4 Test the oil temperature: Moisten a small bit of flour with a little marinade and drop the nub of batter into the oil. It should bubble fairly vigorously and rise to the top (if the oil smokes, reduce the heat). Fry the chicken until the crust is golden brown and the meat is still very juicy but no longer pink inside, about 5 minutes, sometimes a minute or two longer for thicker pieces, less if using boneless breast. Check a piece by cutting it in half. Use tongs, a spider, or the fry basket to carefully transfer the chicken to the paper towel–lined baking sheet, and place the baking sheet in the oven to keep the chicken warm (you can hold the chicken in the oven for up to 30 minutes). Bread and fry the remaining chicken pieces.

5 Serve the chicken hot with the rocoto aioli and salsa criolla. If you are taking the chicken on a picnic, let it cool completely, then arrange it in a single layer in a paper towel–lined casserole dish or food storage container. Cover and serve the chicken at room temperature. After 2 to 3 hours, you will need to refrigerate the chicharron de pollo. It will keep for up to 1 day, but the chilled chicken crust will no longer be as crispy.