Peruvian Chicken and Rice with Green Sauce Recipe Easy

The first time you bite into Peruvian Chicken and Rice with Green Sauce, everything changes. That smoky, slightly charred chicken tender and soaked in citrus and spice paired with cilantro-bright sauce that clings to every fluffy grain of rice. It’s bold, it’s comforting, and honestly? It’s the kind of dish that makes weeknight dinners feel a little special.

I photographed this for a client back in 2019, and the aroma alone had the whole studio crowded around the set. The key is marinating the chicken long enough to really absorb the cumin and garlic, then finishing it under high heat so the skin gets crispy while staying juicy inside. After styling hundreds of chicken recipes over the years, this one still stops me in my tracks every single time.

Thomas Baker

Peruvian Chicken and Rice with Green Sauce Recipe Easy

Peruvian Chicken and Rice with Green Sauce offers a flavorful and satisfying meal featuring marinated chicken that can be grilled or baked to perfection. Paired with aromatic yellow rice and a creamy, tangy green sauce, this dish brings authentic Peruvian tastes to your table in an easy and approachable way.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 655

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1.5-2 pounds chicken thighs breasts or any cut see notes
• 2-3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons lime juice or white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons oil of choice
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 whole jalapeño chiles roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 1 tbsp butter/oil
• 1/4 cup onion diced
• 2-3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp EACH cumin onion powder salt pepper
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup frozen peas

Method

 

1. Combine the garlic lime juice or vinegar oil cumin smoked paprika salt and pepper in a medium bowl
2. Take about a quarter of this mixture out and set aside for basting
3. Add the chicken to the remaining marinade and stir well to coat
4. Chill the marinating chicken for at least one hour or up to overnight
5. Preheat your grill to medium-high or set your oven to 450°F
6. If cooking on the grill, cook chicken on each side for 5 to 7 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165°F
7. Brush the chicken with reserved marinade halfway through grilling
8. If baking, place the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet and cook for 30 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked at 165°F
9. Brush the chicken with the reserved marinade halfway through baking
10. Rinse the jasmine rice until water is clear then soak it for 10 to 15 minutes before draining
11. In a pot, sauté the diced onion and garlic in butter or oil until tender
12. Add the rice together with turmeric cumin onion powder salt and pepper, stirring for about one minute to release aromas
13. Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil
14. Cover the pot and lower the heat to simmer for 15 minutes
15. Stir in the frozen peas, cover again, and let the rice rest off heat for 5 to 10 minutes
16. Fluff the rice gently with a fork to finish
17. Blend the cilantro mayonnaise sour cream jalapeños garlic olive oil and lemon or lime juice until smooth and creamy
18. Season the green sauce with salt and black pepper to taste
19. Serve the yellow rice on plates topped with grilled or baked chicken and drizzle with the fresh green sauce
20. Enjoy your delicious home-cooked Peruvian Chicken and Rice with Green Sauce!

Notes

• For the chicken you may use whole chicken pieces cut in halves or quarters skin-on thighs drumsticks leg quarters or boneless breasts depending on preference. Each cut works well with this marinade and cooking method.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This is the kind of dinner that looks like you spent hours cooking, but really comes together in under an hour. The marinated chicken gets beautifully charred and juicy, while the green sauce bright with cilantro and just enough heat from jalapeños transforms simple rice into something you’ll want to lick off the plate.

• Flexible cooking methods: Grill it outside on a summer evening or bake it in the oven when it’s too cold to step outside.
• Make-ahead friendly: Marinate the chicken overnight and dinner practically cooks itself the next day.
• Complete meal in one: Protein, rice, and that zippy sauce all on one plate no need for ten side dishes.
• Family-approved flavor: Bold enough to feel special, but not so spicy that kids won’t eat it (you control the heat with the jalapeños).

Key Ingredients You’ll Need

Everything here is easy to find at your regular grocery store, and the ingredient list is shorter than you’d think for a dish this flavorful. The chicken marinade is built on pantry staples like cumin, smoked paprika, and lime juice. For the green sauce, you’ll need fresh cilantro, mayonnaise, sour cream, and a couple of jalapeños. The rice gets its golden color from turmeric and a little boost from chicken stock and frozen peas.

Pro Tip: Don’t skip the step of washing and soaking your jasmine rice it removes excess starch and makes the grains fluffy and separate, not sticky.

How to Make Peruvian Chicken and Rice with Green Sauce

Start by mixing your marinade garlic, lime juice, oil, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper then coat the chicken and let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour. Reserve a little marinade to brush on halfway through cooking. When you’re ready, preheat your grill or oven and get the rice going at the same time so everything finishes together.

For the rice, sauté diced onion and garlic in butter, stir in the rice with turmeric and seasonings until fragrant, then add chicken stock and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Stir in frozen peas at the end and let it rest. Meanwhile, blend all the green sauce ingredients until smooth and creamy. Grill or bake the chicken until it hits 165ºF, brushing with that reserved marinade for extra flavor.

Note: After years of photographing chicken recipes, I’ve learned that letting it rest for 5 minutes after cooking makes a huge difference in juiciness don’t skip that step.

Tips for the Best Results

• Marinate longer for deeper flavor: An hour works, but overnight is even better the cumin and lime really soak in.
• Don’t overcrowd the grill: Give each piece space so the chicken gets those beautiful char marks instead of steaming.
• Taste your green sauce: Jalapeño heat varies wildly start with one, blend, taste, then add the second if you want more kick.
• Use a meat thermometer: Guessing doneness leads to dry chicken. Pull it right at 165ºF for perfect juiciness.

How to Serve and Store

Serve the chicken over a generous mound of yellow rice, then drizzle (or pour!) that green sauce on top. You can also serve the sauce on the side if you have picky eaters who prefer to control their own portions. Leftovers keep beautifully store the chicken, rice, and sauce separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat the chicken gently in the oven or microwave, and the rice warms up perfectly with a splash of water.

What Makes This Dish So Special

There’s something about the combination of smoky, citrus-marinated chicken with that punchy, herbaceous green sauce that just works. The rice acts as the perfect base, soaking up all those flavors without competing. It’s the kind of meal that feels like a treat but doesn’t require fancy techniques or hard-to-find ingredients. You can make it on a Tuesday and feel like you’re dining out somewhere with twinkle lights and good music.

Every time I set up a shoot with this dish, the crew hovers a little closer than usual. It photographs beautifully, but more importantly, it tastes even better than it looks and that’s saying something.

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FAQs (Peruvian Chicken and Rice with Green Sauce)

Ready to Make This Tonight?

You’ll love how this Peruvian Chicken and Rice with Green Sauce comes together juicy, smoky chicken meets that bright, herbaceous sauce over fluffy golden rice. Everything finishes at once, smells incredible, and honestly tastes even better than it photographs. It’s the kind of dinner that makes everyone linger at the table a little longer.

Try grilling extra chicken for next-day grain bowls, or double the green sauce and use it as a dip for veggies all week. If you’re feeding kids, serve the sauce on the side so they can control the heat. And here’s something I learned years ago: leftover rice reheats beautifully when you add a splash of stock and cover it stays fluffy, never dry.

I’d love to see how yours turns out tag me if you share a photo, or tell me in the comments if this reminds you of a favorite family meal. Make it for Sunday dinner, or keep it in your back pocket for those nights when you want something special without the stress. Either way, your kitchen is going to smell amazing.