High-Protein Recipes
Low-Carb Peruvian Pollo a la Brasa
Chef-tested recipe
Smoky Peruvian-style roast chicken with ají panca, cumin, garlic, and creamy green sauce
Pollo a la brasa is one of Peru’s emblematic dishes, with the modern style traced to Lima in the late 1940s. The chicken is deeply seasoned and cooked on a rotisserie over heat until its skin is dark, aromatic, and crisp. Home recipes commonly use garlic, cumin, paprika or ají panca, pepper, vinegar, oil, and soy sauce. This low-carb version keeps those savoury elements, checks the ají paste for added sugar, and replaces chips with cabbage, avocado, and radish salad. A creamy ají verde provides the familiar sharp, herbal finish.
Recipe at a glance
Before you begin
Ingredients & equipment
Gather what you need first, then cook through the method with confidence.
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Equipment
- Covered charcoal grillpaid link
- Charcoal chimney starterpaid link
- Poultry shearspaid link
- Blenderpaid link
- Stainless-steel mixing bowlpaid link
- Chef’s knifepaid link
- Cutting boardpaid link
- Instant-read thermometerpaid link
- Long-handled grill tongspaid link
- Carving boardpaid link
- Serving platterpaid link
Ingredients
For the chicken
- Whole chicken, spatchcocked: 1.8 kg
- Low-sodium soy saucepaid link: 60 ml
- Red wine vinegar: 40 ml
- Fresh lime juice: 30 ml
- Garlic, finely grated: 30 g
- Unsweetened ají panca pastepaid link: 30 g
- Ground cumin: 8 g
- Smoked paprika: 6 g
- Dried oreganopaid link: 4 g
- Ground black pepper: 5 g
- Fine sea saltpaid link: 10 g
- Avocado oilpaid link: 30 ml
For the ají verde
- Full-fat mayonnaise without added sugarpaid link: 180 g
- Fresh coriander leaves and tender stems: 50 g
- Jalapeño chillies, seeded and chopped: 60 g
- Unsweetened ají amarillo pastepaid link: 20 g
- Fresh lime juice: 35 ml
- Garlic: 10 g
- Fine sea saltpaid link: 3 g
For the cabbage and avocado salad
- White cabbage, finely shredded: 500 g
- Ripe avocado, diced: 300 g
- Radishes, thinly sliced: 200 g
- Fresh lime juice: 30 ml
- Extra-virgin olive oilpaid link: 30 ml
- Fine sea saltpaid link: 5 g
- Ground black pepper: 2 g
Preparation Overview
Spatchcock the chicken so it cooks evenly on a covered grill. Blend or whisk the marinade, work it under and over the skin, and refrigerate for 8 hours. Set up a two-zone charcoal fire and roast the chicken mostly over indirect heat before finishing nearer the coals. Prepare the ají verde and salad while the chicken cooks, and rest the bird before carving.
Method
Make the marinade. Whisk the soy sauce, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, ají panca, cumin, paprika, oregano, black pepper, salt, and avocado oil.
Marinate the chicken. Loosen the skin over the breast and thighs without tearing it. Rub marinade under the skin and over every surface. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours.
Prepare the ají verde. Blend the mayonnaise, coriander, jalapeño, ají amarillo, lime juice, garlic, and salt until smooth. Refrigerate.
Make the salad base. Combine the shredded cabbage and radishes. Keep the avocado, lime, oil, salt, and pepper separate until serving.
Build a two-zone fire. Heat a covered charcoal grill to approximately 190°C, banking the coals to one side.
Start the chicken indirectly. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade. Place it skin-side up on the cooler side, legs toward the coals. Cover and cook for 35 minutes.
Turn and continue roasting. Turn skin-side down over the cooler zone and cook for 15 minutes, monitoring flare-ups.
Crisp the skin. Move the chicken closer to the coals for 3 to 5 minutes, turning as needed, until deeply browned without burning.
Check and rest. Confirm at least 74°C in the thickest breast and thigh areas without touching bone. Rest for 10 minutes.
Finish and serve. Toss the cabbage and radishes with avocado, lime, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Carve the chicken and serve with salad and ají verde.
Beginner Technique Notes
Spatchcocking flattens the bird and prevents the breast from finishing long before the thighs.
Read ají panca and ají amarillo labels carefully; some commercial pastes contain sugar or starch.
Keep most cooking indirect. Soy sauce and chilli paste can darken quickly over direct flames.
Temperature must be checked in both breast and thigh because they cook at different rates.
Resting for 10 minutes keeps juices in the meat when carving.
Tips and Variations
A rotisserie attachment gives the closest home version of restaurant pollo a la brasa. Follow the manufacturer’s weight and heat limits.
An oven may be used at 220°C for 20 minutes, then 190°C until the chicken reaches 74°C.
Use gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce when required.
For a milder ají verde, remove all jalapeño seeds. For more heat, retain some seeds.
Do not use sweetened bottled barbecue sauce; it changes the Peruvian seasoning and raises carbohydrates.
Serving Ideas
- Carve the chicken into breast, thigh, drumstick, and wing portions and arrange on a large platter. Serve the ají verde in a bowl and the cabbage-avocado salad alongside. Grilled courgettes or asparagus can replace the traditional chips while keeping the meal generous.
Storage
Refrigerate chicken, sauce, and salad separately. Cooked chicken keeps up to 3 days and should be reheated to 74°C. Ají verde keeps for up to 3 days in a covered container. The cabbage base may be stored for 2 days, but add avocado only before serving. Freeze chicken without sauce for up to 2 months.
Nutritional Value
Allergen Notes
Contains soy and egg through soy sauce and mayonnaise. Use gluten-free tamari when gluten must be excluded. Check chilli pastes and mayonnaise for sugar, starch, dairy, mustard, or cross-contact. The recipe contains no intentionally added fish, shellfish, peanuts, or tree nuts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is pollo a la brasa?
It is Peruvian roast chicken traditionally cooked on a rotating spit and known for deeply seasoned meat and dark, crisp skin.
Can I make it without a rotisserie?
Yes. A spatchcocked chicken on a covered two-zone grill cooks evenly and develops charcoal flavour.
Are ají pastes low carb?
Pure chilli pastes are generally low in carbohydrate, but commercial brands may add sugar or starch. Check the ingredient list.
Can I marinate for longer than 8 hours?
Up to 12 hours is suitable. Avoid much longer because the acid and salt can alter the surface texture.
What replaces the traditional chips?
Cabbage-avocado salad and grilled vegetables keep the plate substantial while reducing carbohydrate.
