Ají de Gallina (Peruvian Chili Chicken)

Step 1

Boil chicken in salted water together with the stock cube. Remove bones and break into bite size pieces, keeping the resulting chicken stock.

Step 2

In a saucepan, heat oil and sauté the onion, garlic, and finely chopped chili peppers and add salt and pepper. Fry this until the onions are cooked and golden.

Step 3

Soak the bread in two cups of the stock from the boiled chicken and place in a blender for a couple of minutes and then add the resulting liquid to the saucepan.

Step 4

Cook slowly for ten minutes. Cook slowly, stirring to thicken.

Step 5

While the Ají de Gallina is cooking slowly, boil the rice: first fry the garlic for a couple of seconds, then add the rice and the salt, then add the water. When the water starts to boil, let the rice cook in a closed pot very slowly for about 20 minutes or until the water has completely evaporated (hint: to cook "peruvian" rice: cook a cup of rice in two cups of water).

Step 6

Back to the Ají de Gallina: add the chopped pecans, grated cheese, and chicken pieces. Cook until it has a thick creamy texture. About five minutes before serving, add the evaporated milk and continue cooking on low heat.

Step 7

Serve over the boiled rice and garnish with halved potatoes, eggs quartered lengthwise, and olives.