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Sajta de pollo
Sajta de pollo: La Paz chicken in yellow chilli with chuño and fresh salsa
Sajta de pollo is a festival and Sunday dish around La Paz and the Altiplano: chicken simmered until tender, then bathed in a sauce of yellow chilli, onion and peas, served with chuño, a boiled potato and a sharp salsa cruda of onion, tomato and locoto. The bright yellow sauce is hot but rounded, and the raw salsa cuts through it. A typical mistake is cooking the chicken in the sauce from the start, which muddies the colour; cook it first and use its broth. Chef's tip: fry the ají paste in oil until it darkens a shade before adding broth; it loses its raw edge.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 2 ⅝ lb chicken thighs and drumsticks, bone inskin removed
- 1.2 litres water
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 bay leaf
For the sauce
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 onionsfinely chopped
- 3 garlic clovescrushed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 5 ½ oz peas
- 1 tbsp cornflourmixed with 2 tbsp water
For the salsa cruda
- 1 red onioncut into thin half-moons
- 1 tomatocut into thin strips
- 1 locoto or other hot red chillideseeded, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp parsleychopped
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
To serve
- 14 oz chuño or small waxy potatoeschuño soaked overnight, then boiled until tender
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put 2 ⅝ lb chicken thighs and drumsticks, bone in in a pot with 1.2 litres water, 1 ½ tsp salt and 1 bay leaf, bring to the boil, skim, then simmer gently until cooked through: the meat should reach 165°F at the bone and the juices run clear.
30 minStep 2: Meanwhile, cook 14 oz chuño or small waxy potatoes in boiling water until tender, about 20 minutes. Keep warm.
20 minStep 3: Toss 1 red onion, 1 tomato, 1 locoto or other hot red chilli, 2 tbsp parsley and 1 tbsp white wine vinegar in a bowl with a pinch of salt and leave to soften.
5 minStep 4: Lift out the chicken and keep 500 ml of the broth. Heat 3 tbsp sunflower oil in a wide pan over a medium heat and cook 2 onions until soft and translucent.
8 minStep 5: Add 3 garlic cloves, 4 tbsp yellow chilli paste (ají amarillo), 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp dried oregano and fry for 2–3 minutes until it darkens a shade. Pour in the reserved broth and simmer for 5 minutes.
8 minStep 7: Serve each portion with chuño or potatoes and a heap of the salsa cruda on top.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 46 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sajta de pollo take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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