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Herby, garlicky, spice-rubbed Peruvian-inspired chicken is roasted until golden and paired with a vibrant, creamy green sauce. An easy, crowd-pleasing dinner that’s ideal for weeknights or casual entertaining.
January can sometimes feel like a quiet, colorless month. We’re deep in winter, the days are short, and sunshine feels limited. But I actually love this time of year because it’s when I shift from cozy holiday recipes to dishes that are still comforting — just a little more vibrant and nourishing.
Right now, I’m feeling so inspired to cook with fresh herbs, colorful fruits and vegetables, and lots of warming spices. That midwinter shift always sparks new creativity and feels refreshing in the best way.
Last week, I created this herby, garlicky, Peruvian-inspired chicken after my brother mentioned the idea of a chicken bowl with a creamy green sauce. I immediately loved the sound of it.
I tossed mixed chicken pieces with garlic, herbs, and spices, then roasted them until tender and juicy. While the chicken cooked, I whipped up the sauce, cooked a pot of rice, and chopped fresh mango and avocado.
Everything came together quickly, and the end result was colorful, cozy, and deeply flavorful. It’s satisfying, great for meal prep, and somehow even better the next day.
These are the details
Ingredients – for the chicken
- chicken thighs or breast – I use boneless
- olive oil or melted butter
- garlic cloves
- jalapeño
- ground cumin
- smoked paprika
- salt and pepper
- cilantro and parsley
- mango, chopped
- avocado, chopped
Ingredients – for the creamy green sauce
- mayo
- plain Greek yogurt
- fresh cilantro
- fresh parsley
- jalapeños
- garlic cloves
- lime juice
- toasted sesame oil
What you need in the kitchen
I use a casserole dish to bake the chicken. You’ll also need a blender or food processor to make the creamy sauce. Aside from that, a cutting board, knife, and some utensils are all you need!
The Steps
Step 1: Prepare the chicken
In a baking dish, toss together the chicken pieces. I like to use a mix of chicken thighs and chicken breasts. Add olive oil, garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, and a chopped jalapeño. Finish with equal amounts of chopped cilantro and parsley.
If cilantro isn’t your thing, use parsley only, or swap in parsley and basil instead.
Step 2: Bake the chicken
Bake the chicken for about 25 minutes. I use a casserole-style baking dish so the chicken can cook gently in the oil without drying out.
Once the chicken is tender and lightly crisping around the edges, remove it from the oven.
Step 3: Make the sauce
Add all of the sauce ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. I use a mix of yogurt and mayo along with cilantro, lime juice, and sea salt.
Step 4: Serve
Serve the chicken and sauce over rice. Top with mango and avocado, or use fresh pineapple instead. Both fruits are common in Peruvian cooking and pair beautifully with the fresh, spicy flavors.
Altogether, this takes less than an hour — closer to 40 minutes, depending on your pace.
We’ve made this a few times over the past week, and we all agree the sauce is what really makes the bowl. So good!
Looking for other busy weeknight recipes? Try these!
One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake
Crockpot Crispy Chicken Tinga Tacos with Avocado Jalapeño Crema
Sheet Pan Honey Mustard Salmon with Caesar Roasted Potatoes
One Skillet Cheesy Green Chile Chicken
Lastly, if you make this Peruvian Chicken with Creamy Green Sauce, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Peruvian Chicken with Creamy Green Sauce
Ingredients
- 6-8 chicken thighs or breasts
- 1/3 cup olive oil or melted butter
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 jalapeño, seeded if desired and chopped
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro and/or parsley
- 1 mango, chopped
- 1 avocado, chopped
Creamy Green Herb Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 2 jalapeños, seeded if desired
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 425°F.2. In a casserole dish, toss together the chicken, olive oil or butter, garlic, jalapeño, smoked paprika, cumin, cilantro, and parsley - season with salt and pepper. If time allows, marinate 1 hour or overnight in the fridge. 3. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and begins to crisp. 4. To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Season to taste with salt.5. Serve the chicken over bowls of rice with creamy sauce, mango, and avocado chunks. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I made this and substituted an Anaheim pepper for the jalapenos to make it kid friendly. I also made a purple cabbage salad and put the green sauce on it and it is amazing. Going to be a staple for our family. At first I didn’t like the sauce and tasted the toasted sesame too much but after an hour of it sitting the flavors came together and the next day it’s amazing like other comments have stated. I’ve been looking for a good green sauce and this is it!
Hey Mandy,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing what worked well for you, so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
chicken recipe was amazing. made it with homemade pita bread and tzatziki and it was an incredible lunch!
Thanks so much, Grace! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! Have a great Monday!
I see a lot of your recipes and a lot of them have a lot of cheese in them. While I love cheese, others in my family cannot have it so I don’t end up cooking a lot of your recipes, but this one was great. Super flavorful and easy. I will add homemade naan next time for dipping in all the sauces! Please post more without all the cheese.
Hey Elizabeth,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, love to hear it was enjoyed by your family!
Made this and it has a delicious spicy kick! Nice change in the chicken rotation.
Thanks so much, Tara! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! Have a great Monday!
What do I do with the garlic cloves? Minced or whole or…? Thanks!
Hey Clarissa,
You are going to keep the garlic cloves whole. Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Amazing! One of my new favorites
Hey Emily,
Awesome! Love to hear you enjoyed this dish, thanks a lot for making it! Have a great week!
Excited to make this. Do you have a suggestion to make it dairy free?
Thanks so much, Krista! You can use your favorite dairy free products, that will work nicely for you! I hope you love this dish!
My whole family enjoyed this meal. I marinated chicken breasts and halved the amount of cumin because my family isn’t the biggest fan of that spice. I still tasted the flavor come through! We served it over rice and the sauce is delicious! I used cottage cheese to make up for the lack of mayo in my house and it was so good! For sure making it again.
Hey Paige,
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, love to hear it turned out well for you!
Super good chicken!
Thanks so much, Natasha!
So good! So easy! This is def a comfort food but still has a very fresh feel with all the herbs and the sauce. It’s not heavy but very filling. The sauce is out of this world good and I’m thinking of other ways I can use it. This is going on repeat in my kitchen for sure. Thanks, Tieghan!
Thanks so much, Tara:) I appreciate you making this dish and your feedback! Have a great week ahead!
Hello, the recipe just calls for garlic cloves. Should these be chopped or diced in anyway?
And your video on instagram, it looks like you use diced shallots or onion after you added the onion to the chicken (unless that is the garlic)?
Hey Brian,
You are going to leave the garlic whole, so I think that’s what you are seeing in the video:)
I hope you love this dish! Have a great week!
This was delicious! The sauce is a must! I don’t typically enjoy mangos but they were great alongside the chicken! My young kids and husband and I all enjoyed it!
Hey Megan,
Awesome! Love to hear your family enjoyed this recipe, I appreciate you making it!
Have a great week ahead!
What would you recommend making with the extra sauce?
Hey Talia,
I think it would be delicious on a salad or sandwich! Thanks for making this recipe!
My family enjoyed this very much. I will for sure make it again. Thank you.
Thanks so much, Jan! Love to hear this dish was enjoyed by your family, thanks for giving it a try! Happy Sunday!
Loved all the flavors. I used boneless chicken thighs. Easy and delicious!
Next time I will serve it hot out of the oven(sizzling) and sauce on the side for dipping. I served it with Mango and Avocado It was really good❤️
Will definately make again.
Hey Denise,
Happy Sunday!! Love to hear this dish turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it!!
Very good! My son and I both liked it. Next time I need to make certain to rub the olive oil mixture all over the chicken breasts before baking and try 1 jalapeño first in the green sauce- mine was spicy! 🙂
Hey Andrea,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you!
Have a great weekend!