Ají de gallina — shredded poached chicken in a sauce of ají amarillo, bread, walnuts, Parmigiano, and evaporated milk — is one of the most complex single-sauce preparations in Peruvian cooking. The sauce achieves its characteristic thick, creamy, orange consistency through the combination of bread (starch for body), walnut (fat and richness), ají amarillo (colour, heat, and fruit), and evaporated milk (richness and sweetness) — each component contributing a different functional element.
- **The base:** Soffritto equivalent — onion, garlic, ají amarillo paste, cumin sautéed in oil until the oil has absorbed all the aromatic compounds. - **The bread:** Stale bread soaked in evaporated milk, then added to the base and cooked down — it provides the thickening without flour or cornstarch. [VERIFY] Acurio's bread specification. - **Walnuts:** Toasted, then blended into the sauce — the fat from the walnut emulsifies with the other sauce components. - **Parmigiano:** Grated finely and stirred through — provides umami depth and further binding. - **The chicken:** Poached to just-cooked in a seasoned broth (the broth is the same liquid that is used to loosen the sauce to the correct consistency), then shredded. - **Consistency:** The sauce should coat the chicken heavily and hold a slight mound shape when served — not watery, not paste-thick.
Peru