Aji de Gallina con Arroz Amarillo

A creamy, slightly spicy Peruvian-inspired chicken stew (Ecuadorian variant uses cream cheese) made quick, served with yellow rice. This is a very mild, quick, family-friendly take.

• Prep: 10 min
• Cook: 15 min
• Total: 25 min
• Servings: 4
• Cuisine: Ecuadorian
• Difficulty: Easy
• Cost: $2.78/serving

Dietary

• Nut-Free
• Soy-Free
• Low-Sugar

Tags

• sauté
• comfort food
• savory
• classic
• quick
• crowd-pleaser

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion (medium, finely diced)
• 2 clove garlic (minced)
• 1 tablespoon aji amarillo paste
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 0.5 cup evaporated milk
• 4 ounce cream cheese (softened)
• 2 cup cooked chicken (shredded)
• 0.5 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon turmeric (ground)
• 4 hard-boiled eggs (quartered)
• 0.25 cup black olive (sliced, for garnish)
• 2 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped, for garnish)

Instructions

1. In a large skillet or pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the finely diced yellow onion and cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
2. Stir in the minced garlic and aji amarillo paste (or turmeric and cayenne mixture). Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Pour in the chicken broth and evaporated milk. Bring to a gentle simmer. Stir in the softened cream cheese until fully melted and smooth.
4. Add the shredded cooked chicken to the sauce, stirring to combine. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Keep warm over low heat.
5. While the sauce simmers, prepare the yellow rice: In a medium saucepan, combine the uncooked long-grain white rice, water, turmeric, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed and rice is tender. Keep covered off heat for 5 minutes.
6. Serve the Aji de Gallina sauce over a bed of yellow rice. Garnish each serving with quartered hard-boiled eggs, sliced black olives (if using), and fresh parsley or cilantro.

Notes

Using pre-cooked chicken (like a rotisserie chicken) significantly speeds up this recipe. If you can't find aji amarillo paste, turmeric provides color and a hint of a similar flavor profile.

Nutrition (per serving)

• Calories: 504
• Protein: 29 g
• Carbohydrates: 46.3 g
• Fat: 22.1 g
• Fiber: 1.6 g
• Sodium: 1029 mg
• Saturated Fat: 9.8 g
• Sugar: 7 g
• Cholesterol: 302 mg