Ryan and I are just about halfway through our January Whole30, so I thought no better time to share an exclusive Whole30 compliant recipe from my cookbook Meals Made Simple! This recipe for Peruvian Style Chicken is packed with delicious spices like paprika, cumin, oregano, and fresh garlic. The veggies in this dish are marinated and baked in the chicken juices making them tender and bursting with flavor. It is a great quick and easy weeknight meal – plus it’s kid-approved!
One of my secrets for a successful Whole30 is prepping ahead of time so you don’t find yourself in a hungry situation. This recipe for Peruvian Style Chicken is one of the many recipes included in my 8 week Whole30 compliant meal plans that you can download for free here! Ryan and I have been picking recipes out from these meal plans to help prep for the week ahead, which has been so helpful in making sure we stay on track!
Wanting more Whole30-compliant recipes and inspiration?
Download my FREE Whole30 meal plan & shopping list
Peruvian Style Chicken
This Peruvian inspired chicken dish is boasting of bold spices, a tangy kick, and crispy skin surrounded by flavorful and succulent veggies. It is a one-pot meal with minimal clean up that the whole family will surely love. This is one of Easton’s favorite dishes from Meals Made Simple. He loves the flavor-packed crispy skin from the chicken mixed with the tender sweet potatoes that just melt in your mouth.
Leftovers
While doing a Whole30, leftovers will definitely be your saving grace. I almost always alternate leftovers for breakfast and lunch. I sometimes will heat up leftover Instant Pot Chicken and Vegetable Soup for breakfast or repurpose some veggies from the night before and mix them with my eggs. This recipe for Peruvian Style Chicken can serve as a fantastic lunch option if you chop up the chicken and add a scoop of the veggies over some greens for a delicious salad! It would also be great in an AAGwhich or even adding some chicken and veggies into a cup of bone broth for a quick and easy soup!
Make-ahead tips
Another helpful tip while on a Whole30 or really any busy mom or working individual is to make ahead as much as you can. This will help save you so much time during the week and get dinner on the table in no time. For this recipe, you can assemble the entire dish in advance and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or store it in the freezer for around 3 months. When you are ready to cook it, you can just bring it to room temperature before roasting by letting it sit out for 20 minutes or until fully defrosted!
More helpful tips:
To save some money you can purchase a whole bone-in chicken and just ask the butcher to break it down to save you some time and effort in the kitchen. Make sure you ask them to keep all parts, including the back bones so you can make homemade Chicken Bone Broth as well!
If you are looking for more Whole30 compliant recipes you can check out my free Whole30 Guides, Whole30 compliant condiments, as well as my tips for breastfeeding while on Whole30!
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PrintPeruvian Style Chicken
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Peruvian
Ingredients
PERUVIAN SPICE RUB
• 1 teaspoon melted ghee or extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
CHICKEN
• 1 (4-pound) roasting chicken, gizzards removed, cut into 10 parts
• 1 1⁄2 pounds sweet potatoes, washed and diced
• 3 small sweet onions, quartered
• 2 yellow bell peppers, seeded and sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons melted ghee or
extra-virgin olive oil
• 1⁄4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 lemon, sliced
• handful of fresh cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Combine the ingredients for the spice rub in a small bowl.
3. Rinse and dry the chicken pieces, then generously rub them all over with the spice rub.
4. Place the sweet potatoes, onions, bell peppers, and garlic in
a roasting pan or 9-by-12-inch baking dish. Drizzle the ghee over the vegetables, season with the salt and pepper, then toss to coat.
5. Arrange the chicken skin side down over the top of the vegetables. Place the lemon slices on top.
6. Roast for 20 minutes, then turn the chicken pieces over
and stir the vegetables. Continue roasting for 20 to 25 more minutes, until the chicken skin is crisp and the vegetables are cooked through. Garnish with cilantro.
1/14/21
Peruvian Style Chicken
Do you think this could work well for skinless thighs in the IP? Trying to think of a way to jazz up tonight’s chicken (while also craving Peruvian food as of late – ha!)
I think so! It’ll have a different texture, but it should still work!
We made this for the first time tonight. It was so delicious! We will be adding this to our monthly meal plans!
yay!
The spices in this recipe are spot on! It reminds me a little of Hungarian chicken paprikas.
Thank you, Danielle and staff.
You are so welcome!!
This is a family favorite! You can tweak the veggies to suite everyone and the flavor is amazing! All three of my kids, including my picky eater, love this dish!
★★★★★
yay! so happy to hear that!
Can you make this in the air fryer?
I have not tried, but I am sure it would work!
Very good and kid approved! I used chicken breast as that’s what I had on hand but it worked out well.
★★★★★
We made this tonight. My boys really enjoyed it! The recipe works well with diabetics in mind too. Very easy and tasty! Thank you!
★★★★★
You’re so welcome! So glad you all enjoyed it!
I am going to have to try this!
Can you do this in an Instant pot?
Yes! I haven’t tested it in the Instant Pot- so you may need to adjust the liquid amounts, but it should definitely work!
I made this for supper this evening and my husband and I both loved it. The flavors blend beautifully and the lemons are a wonderful accent.
★★★★★
LOVED the flavors in this recipe! I used boneless, skinless thighs and breasts because it’s what I had on hand. Absolutely delicious! Will definitely make this again.
★★★★★
Yay! So glad you loved it! This is one of our favorite recipes as well!
We tried this recipe and loved it! I used chicken thighs, which worked great. The vegetables were a little bland for our taste as we like spicy foods. I’m making it again right now. This time I’ve made a double batch of the spice rub. I used a little on the veggies and am marinating the meat in the rest. I’m sure my book group will love it!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! It’s one of my weeknight faves.
Made this tonight, it was great and will make it again. Family liked it! Whole house smells good while baking.
This is one of our weekday go-tos! I love using a variety of vegetables here to make it slightly different every time!
This is seriously one of my favorite recipes ever. It’s so tasty, it’s so healthy and my kids love it. Don’t change a thing- it’s honestly perfect. Another total win Danielle-
★★★★★
Yay!! Thank you! I’m so glad it’s a hit with the entire family – I know all too well how hard it can be to find a recipe that everyone will love; especially with a younger crowd. Ha ha!
Do you think it would work to use boneless chicken breasts instead? My husband is a chicken breast only type of man – no thighs or wings. Thanks!
Yes! It will work – enjoy!
This is the first recipe from your site that I’ve made and I have to say…… it was delicious! Our entire family LOVED it. It was so easy and flavorful. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
★★★★★
Yay!! Love that! I hope you find many new favorites from my cookbooks and blog!
If using boneless, skinless chicken breasts, how many pounds would one need for this recipe ? And how much would you adjust the cooking time ?
Same for chicken thighs, as I always keep these on hand.
Thank you, this looks & sounds really good !
Absolutely delicious but all my veggies burned. Next time I’ll have to turn heat down
★★★★★
Oh sorry to hear that! Were you using the center rack in your oven? Sometimes if it’s too close to the heat source they can burn.