Aji de Gallina Recipe

I have never posted a recipe before but I think it's about time to put up one of a delicious Peruvian meal that I attempted on Monday night. This meal is known as aji de gallina. Literally translated it would be hot pepper of chicken. Haha. Better to stick with it's castallano name. So here is how you make it!

What you need:
For chicken and stock:
1 to 2 pounds chicken breast
2 celery stalks chopped in thirds
1 carrot peeled and chopped in chunks
1 tomato chopped up (without the seeds)
1 onion peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 bay leaves
2 cups rice

For the sauce:
olive oil or vegetable oil
2 cloves of garlic chopped finely or put through a mincer
1-2 onion chopped finely (depends on how much you like onions)
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 cups soft bread crumbs (I used wheat bread but typically white bread is used)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons aji paste more if you want it spicier. (If you don't have access to aji you can use chilli pepper as a substitute)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 hard boiled eggs halved
5-6 small to medium sized potatoes boiled, peeled and halved
Parsley

Directions:
1. Boil 4 cups of water and put in the chicken. Add all the ingredients from the stock section of ingredients. Once it has boiled for a few minutes turn down the heat and let the chicken simmer for 40 to 45 minutes or however long it takes for the chicken to cook all the way through.

2. Once the chicken is cook take it out and cut it into small pieces.

3. Strain the ingredients from the stock so you just end up with the chicken broth. This will be put into the sauce eventually.

4. For the sauce, first soak bread crumbs in the 1/2 cup of evaporated milk. You should boil the potatoes and eggs as well as the rice at this point.

5. Heat oil in a deep skillet and saute the onion and garlic. Add cumin.

6. Once the onion and garlic are golden add the milk and bread crumb mix as well as the aji paste.

7. Slowly add stock into the skillet and mix. It will reduce and become thick. Feel free to add more salt or aji as needed during the reduction. Once it is nice and think add the chicken into the skillet and mix well so that all the chicken is covered in the sauce.

8. Peel the eggs and half them. Skin the potatoes and half them. Put the rice on the plate, put the potatoes next to the rice and then cover the rice and potatoes with the sauce. Finally, add the eggs on the side and add a little parsley on top.

Enjoy!!