Peruvian chicken

Rotisserie chicken:

I went to Peru two years ago on vacation. Fabulous trip! One of the surprising delights was the superb cuisine. The only thing I could not get used to were the guinea pigs which they raise in the mountains to eat (and serve in restaurants). But the rotisserie chicken is exquisite. So, if you are going to cook this dish, I highly recommend that you use a rotisserie that comes with many outdoor grills. One of the secrets of the great taste of Peruvian chicken is to cook it slowly and allow the oils from the chicken to combine with the marinating rub to form a wonderful glaze on the chicken.

Ingredients (serves 5):

• Cold water in a large bowl
• 2 tablespoons – lemon juice
• 1 – whole chicken, about 5 pounds
• 4 tablespoons – white balsamic vinegar (Alessi brand is commonly found in supermarkets)
• 3 tablespoons – white wine (e.g., chardonnay)
• 3 tablespoons – extra virgin olive oil
• 3 to 4 cloves – garlic, diced
• 2 tablespoons – paprika
• 1 ½ tablespoons – cumin
• 2 tablespoons – black pepper
• 1 teaspoon – salt

Preparation:

Rinse the chicken in cold water and remove any excess fat. Place the chicken in a bowl of cold water and lemon juice to clean briefly. Set aside on a cutting board to drip dry while you prepare the marinating sauce.

Mix the vinegar, wine, oil, garlic, paprika, cumin, pepper, and salt in a large bowl.

Marinating sauce/paste

Place the chicken in the bowl and rub the marinating sauce into the outside of the chicken as thoroughly as possible. Try to get it under the chicken’s skin where possible.

Chicken covered in marinating sauce

Take the chicken and carefully insert it into a zip-lock freezer bag and pour the rest of the marinating sauce over the chicken. Attempt to cover the chicken in the sauce once the bag is sealed.

Chicken in freezer bags

Place the bag in the refrigerator and allow it to marinate for 24 hours. You may wish to turn the bag at least two times while marinating.

The optimum conditions for cooking require that you place the chicken on the rotisserie and grill for about 1 ½ hours at 250 degrees F.

There are several scenarios that you should reflect upon, because I learned the hard way by ruining the chicken in my first attempt. I highly recommend that you keep a pan between the grill flame and the chicken. I walked away the first time I tried for only a few minutes and returned with the chicken on fire. I almost burnt down our house. Not too professional so be careful. I found that the pan keeps the flames away by catching the drippings and the chicken still acquires the “barbecued” taste (see photo).

Chicken on rotisserie with pan below. I did not use the top burner because it cooks too fast that way.

In addition, I recommend that you tie the legs and wings with grilling rope. It keeps them from flopping around. Monitor the cooking! Make sure that the chicken does not burn (the temperatures are not always constant from grill to grill). The chicken will be done cooking when it measures 165 degrees F using a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh. Enjoy!

Chicken grilled to perfection.

J. Botticelli