Sardi's is a "casual peruvian chain" which is well known for its pollo a la brasa chicken. I absolutely love Sardi's, but their meals can be a bit too pricey for my graduate student budget. So instead I set out to recreate my favorite dish at home. I tried my best to closely mimic Sardi's' pollo a la brasa with aji verde (spicy peruvian green sauce) but since I'm obviously NOT peruana and couldn't find the essential ingredients like aji amarillo paste, please be advised that this is **NOT AN AUTHENTIC PERUVIAN DISH!** Nonetheless, I have a deep love for all cultures as well as different food types and strongly believe that despite our cultural differences we are all ONE. So from time to time, I will try my best to recreate dishes from other cultures. If I get ingredients wrong, don't belittle me. Educate me.
This meal consists of pollo a la brasa with aji verde, lime cilantro rice, seasoned jalapeno black beans, fried sweet plantains and fried yuca (cassava) fries.
I hope you enjoy my rendition of a classic sardi's meal, I surely did.
Ingredients:
Pollo a la brasa marinade:
4 chicken quarters with skin
6 cloves of garlic
1/2 tbsp of oregano
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1/2 tbsp of paprika
1/2 tbsp of cumin
1 tsp of vinegar
1 tsp of sugar (trust me)
Juice from 2 limes
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tbsp of black pepper
***Depending on the size of your chicken quarters you may need to make
another batch of marinade. I had large quarters so I halved the recipe above
to make enough marinade to coat both sides of chicken***
Green Sauce:
2-3 small sweet peppers, cubed*
3 jalapenos, cubed (save a few seeds to add spiciness)
2 garlic cloves
handful of fresh cilantro sprigs (be careful not to add too much because this will
overpower the taste of the sauce)
Juice from 1 lime
1/3 cup of mayo (can substitute with sour cream, but this will give the sauce a tart
flavor)
1/2 tsp of oil
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of black pepper
Rice:
3 cups of white rice
Juice from 2-3 limes*
1/2 - 1 tsp of salt*
1/2 cup of cilantro leaves, chopped
Jalapeno Black Beans:
2 cans of black beans
2 jalapenos, diced and seeded
cumin, to taste
salt, to taste
1/2 tsp of garlic or 1 garlic clove, chopped
Fried Yuca:
1-2 fresh yuca*, peeled and cut in half
salt for boiling
water
oil for frying
Fried sweet plantains:
2 ripe YELLOW plantain, cut into strips
oil for frying
*depends on your preference
Preparation:
Pollo a la brasa: Begin by cleaning chicken (I soak my chicken in cold water and vinegar for up to an hour). While chicken is soaking make the marinade. Combine all the ingredients listed above in a blender and blend until smooth. Be sure to check that the garlic cloves are completely shredded. Next, rinse off a single chicken quarter with cool water and use a spoon to scoop out any fleshy, bloody or organ bits near the spine part of the chicken quarter. Repeat these steps for the other chicken pieces. Now pour marinade over chicken and be sure to create a pocket between the chicken and skin, rub the marinade underneath the skin and proceed to coat both sides of the chicken. Cover the marinated chicken with saran wrap, let the chicken marinate in the fridge for 2 hrs to 12 hrs (2 hrs is how long I marinated my chicken). After marinating for 2 hours or overnight, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken on a broiling rack and place in oven. Let chicken broil for 45 mins (work on the side dishes during this time but be sure to check on the chicken), after 45 mins keep oven on low to keep chicken warm. Chicken should have a nice dark brown appearance when done.
Lime cilantro rice: Wash rice. Cook rice on the stove or in a rice cooker using 2 1/2 - 3 cups of water. While cooking rice, chop up cilantro leaves and juice limes. Once rice is cooked, let it cool slightly that way the cilantro doesn't "melt" and stick to the rice too much. Add cilantro, lime juice and salt to taste, use a fork to fluff rice until cilantro is equally dispersed. If you used a rice cooker, keep the rice on the warm setting. If using a pot, keep the rice on low heat. If the rice gets too dry, add in a very small amount of water to keep rice moist.
Aji Verde: Add all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Once smooth, pour the sauce into a bowl or container and store in the fridge until entire dish is finish.
Jalapeno Black Beans: Empty two cans of black beans into a sauce pan (keep the bean sauce). Add in jalapenos, cumin and salt. Stir gently and let beans simmer on low heat.
Yuca fries and fried sweet plantains: Peel yuca and cut in half. Place halves in boiling water and boil until the yuca halves can be pierced with a fork. DO NOT OVER BOIL otherwise the pieces will be too soft! Once less firm, discard water and let yuca cool. Once cooled cut yuca into wedges. In a large skillet, heat oil and fry the yuca wedges and plantains.
Plate out the entree, side dishes, sauce and enjoy!
Song: Junior Reid - One blood