Pollo al Sillao - Chicken in Soy Sauce
The ingredients are basic: chicken, soy sauce, limes, ginger, rice, potatoes, and garlic. But the taste is anything but basic. Apart from the marination time, this is a quick-to-prepare popular Peruvian dish with Chinese flavor influences.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 4 chicken thighs (with skin, 1.2 Kg.)
- 5 chives
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 ginger root (3 cm, grated)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce (Kikkoman)
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons oil (corn, soy, etc.)
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 cup rice
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 cups water (for rice)
- 4 yellow potatoes
- 8 cups water (for the potatoes)
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (roasted )
Instructions
- 1
For the chicken:
- 2
The first stage is the preparation of the chicken marinade. In a small bowl, mix the grated ginger, crushed garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, lime juice, honey, cumin, and pepper. Stir until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Cut the thighs into two parts, the rump, and the thigh. Put the chicken in a glass bowl.
- 3
Dress the chicken pieces with the marinade that you prepared and rub it into the skin. Put a lid on the container, and store it in the refrigerator for thirty minutes to an hour. This will give the chicken the flavor of the dressing. If you are in a hurry, you can skip these wait times.
- 4
Wash the pepper. Remove the stem, seeds, and veins. Then cut into thick sticks about 5 cm long, by 0.8 cm wide. Wash the chives. Cut about 0.4 cm from the root and discard. Then cut the rest of the chives into 5 cm sticks.
- 5
Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and turn the stove to medium-high heat. Once it is hot, add the oil, then the chicken pieces. Chicken pieces should be placed skin side down, i.e., directly attached to the pan so that they brown better. Cook for about five minutes on each side.
- 6
Dissolve the cornstarch in the broth
- 7
Add the broth, salt, pepper, and chives, cut into strips, to the pot. Stir with a wooden spoon or paddle. Cook covered for an additional five minutes, and turn off. You will notice that we have not added salt to the preparation, because soy sauce usually contains a lot of salt. This will depend on the brand you use. Taste the chicken when it's finished, adding an extra pinch of salt if necessary.
- 8
For the garnishes:
- 9
Turn on the stove, over medium heat. Then, in a small pot, place the oil, the garlic clove, and the pinch of salt. Stir, and then add the rice (Remember to pre-rinse the rice to remove excess starch). Cook for about two minutes.
- 10
Add all the water, and raise the temperature to the maximum. Cook uncovered for about seven minutes till the surface of the rice is dry.. Then, change to a low heat (minimum), and cover the pot. Continue cooking for a further seven minutes. Then turn off. The rice will be ready.
- 11
Place eight cups of water, with a teaspoon of salt, on the stove over high heat. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes. As soon as you peel them, immediately place them in the pot of boiling water to prevent them from browning. Cook covered for about fifteen minutes until soft. You can test by poking them with a toothpick. Turn off the stove, drain the excess water, and cut the potatoes into slices about 2 cm wide.
- 12
Plating: Place a cup of rice with a few slices of potato, soy sauce and vegetables, and chicken over the rice, sprinkled with sesame seeds. If you want, you can add some chives on top.