Aji de Gallina Recipe

Prep time:  60 mins
Cook time:  30 mins

Ingredients: 1/2 boiled chicken 2 cups chicken stock and 1 cup chicken stock, divided 8 slices white bread or 2 6" sub sandwich rolls 1 small red onion, finely diced 2 tbsp minced garlic 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp cup sugar 1/4 cup vinegar 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp dried oregano

Salt and pepper 2 tbsp aji amarillo paste 1 tbsp aji mirasol paste (optional) 3 tbsp crushed walnuts 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 can (16 oz.) evaporated milk Plus: 4-6 hardboiled eggs Boiled yellow potatoes Small can of sliced black olives

Preparation:
If you are using canned chicken stock, boil the chicken in boiling water for about 20 mins, until cooked through.  (When cooking this recipe, I buy a whole chicken to boil, using only half). Let cool, then pull all the meat off the bones and shred the chicken by hand into very thin, stringy pieces.  Separate half of the chicken to use now and put half in a freezer bag to use next time. Rip apart the sub rolls into medium sized chunks and place in a blender; add 2 cups chicken stock and let soak.

In a large skillet, sauté in a medium heat the olive oil, red onion and garlic until onion is soft.  Add oregano, cumin, sugar, vinegar, aji amarillo paste, aji mirasol paste, salt and pepper (to taste) and let cook about ten minutes over medium heat.

In the blender, blend the bread and two cups of the chicken stock until it forms a creamy paste (you may need to add a little more chicken stock).  Pour the bread mixture into the skillet and mix through.  Add the chicken pieces, Parmesan cheese and walnuts and mix.  At this point, if the dish becomes "gummy", take the remaining one cup of chicken stock and add as much as necessary to keep it workable. Cook for a few minutes.  Lower the heat and add the evaporated milk, stirring constantly so that all the milk is dissolved into the dish. Remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes.

The dish can be served over (or along side) white rice and is served with cut, boiled yellow potatoes and sliced hard boiled eggs.  Sliced black olives are also put on top as garnish.