This keto Peruvian Roasted Chicken & Green Sauce is crispy on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside! The addicting and versatile green sauce is great with the chicken, but also delicious on fish, veggies, or even as a salad dressing! Whole 30, Paleo, and Squeaky Clean Keto Friendly!
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Mr. Hungry and have travelled back and forth from CT to SC along Interstate 95 over 20 times during our marriage. It’s a brutal 12 – 14 hour ride depending on traffic, but I always looked forward to it because it meant stopping for lunch or dinner at a tiny Peruvian roasted chicken restaurant we’d found in Virginia.
If you’ve never had Peruvian chicken, it’s typically marinated and then roasted over a wood fired rotisserie. To serve they chop it into quarters and smother it with this incredible green sauce and a side of pickled red onions with cilantro.
There are variations on the theme depending on the restaurant, but the basic elements are usually the same – and it’s amazing.
This Keto Peruvian Roasted Chicken & Green Sauce recipe is as close as I can get without having a wood fired oven anymore, but the flavors are still pretty legit.
The most important element of the chicken itself is the spice paste. It’s earthy and rich, with a beautiful brick red color. The paste is easily whipped up in your trusty magic bullet or a mini food processor – if you don’t have either, you can mince the garlic by hand and stir it in a small bowl or even grind it with a mortar and pestle.
Then be sure to rub the paste alllllll over the chicken, AND inside the skin along the breast and legs – this isn’t the time to be shy, you’re going to need to get up close and personal with it. Then let the chicken marinate for at least an hour (or even overnight) before roasting to get the most intense flavor.
I like to roast my Peruvian chicken at high heat for a shorter amount of time, rather than a long roast at a low temperature. This method gets the crispiest skin, and also seals in the juices and prevents them from steaming out and leaving you with dry chicken!
Also important is to let the bird rest after roasting, so that the juices can settle in and not run out as soon as you cut into your bird.
Now let’s talk about the accompaniments to this low carb Peruvian roasted chicken! The green sauce is tangy and spicy, with a creaminess from the mayonnaise. If you don’t do mayo you can sub avocado. Lots of cilantro, garlic, and jalapeño make up the base of the sauce, which is pungently delicious and the perfect foil for the tender chicken!
I can’t say enough about how obsessed I am with this sauce – you’ll know why once you taste it!
Next, the onions! If you hate onions you can skip these, but the punch of flavor that just a little bit of these pickled red onions give with each bite of Peruvian chicken and green sauce really brings it together! It’s just the perfect bite. Honestly.
There is so much to love about this Keto Peruvian roasted Chicken & Green Sauce recipe! It’s not only delicious and easy to execute, it’s also dairy free and nut free – and even Whole 30 friendly if you use a Whole 30 approved mayonnaise (or sub with avocado) in the sauce.
A super healthy keto chicken dinner recipe that your family will love, AND that you can feel good about feeding them?? It’s definitely a win/win on this one!
Last side note, this Keto Peruvian Roasted Chicken is a great recipe to feed a crowd. Roast 2 or 3 of them at once and you can serve it on big platters, along with rice and tortillas so your non low carb friends or family can turn it into tacos or burritos.
(For my fellow low carbers, I like this with my easy keto broccoli slaw and/or jalapeño popper cauliflower casserole on the side!)
Economical and delicious, not to mention gorgeous (those colors tho, amirite?) – this Keto Peruvian Roasted Chicken & Green Sauce always goes over well when we serve it at gatherings! With Super Bowl weekend coming up, it’s something to consider!
Whenever you get around to making it, it’s sure to be a hit!
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Keto Peruvian Roasted Chicken & Green Sauce
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
Crispy, tender, loaded with flavor – this Peruvian Roasted Chicken recipe is destined to be a new family favorite! Whole 30, Paleo, Keto, Atkins, Low Carb, and Squeaky Clean Keto Friendly!
Ingredients
For the marinade and chicken:
- 5–6 lb whole raw chicken
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon ground paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
For the Green Sauce:
- 2 jalapeños, seeds removed
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3/4 cup fresh cilantro, washed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup sugar free mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
For the red onions:
- 1 cup red onions, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sweetener (optional, omit if Whole 30)
Instructions
For the chicken:
- Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a magic bullet or small food processor and process until a mostly smooth paste.
- Rub the paste all over the inside and outside of the chicken, including under the skin of the breast and legs as far as you can reach.
- Roast the chicken uncovered at 400 degrees for about 70 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the center of the thigh reads 165 degrees.
- Remove from the oven and let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
For the green sauce:
- Combine all of the ingredients in a magic bullet or blender and process until smooth.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
For the red onions:
- Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and toss well to coat.
- Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition info is approximate and will vary based on what part of the chicken you eat:
1 thigh – 358 calories, 22g fat, 0g carbs, 36g protein
1 drum – 233 calories, 12g fat, 0g carbs, 29g protein
1 breast – 193 calories, 12g fat, 0 carbs, 31g protein
2 Tbsp green sauce: 133 calories, 16g fat, <1g carbs, 0g protein
2 Tbsp onions: 9 calories, 0g fat, 1g net carbs, 0g protein
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 85 minutes
- Category: keto dinner recipes
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: Peruvian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 thigh, 2 T sauce, 2 T onions
- Calories: 500
- Fat: 39g
- Carbohydrates: 2g
- Protein: 36g
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Wendie says
Absolutely fabulous! This recipe produces a delicious, moist, flavorful and not too spicy chicken. My family loved it!!
Cynthia says
How long would you estimate the green sauce will stay good for in the fridge or freezer?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Up to a week in the fridge, I wouldn’t freeze it.
Karen B. says
Made this the first time with one chicken. My son inhaled it! Learned my lesson and now I make with TWO chickens! Hah! In case you couldn’t tell, we love it! We initially didn’t “get” the onions and green sauce but after trying it, we LOVE it and won’t have it without those two sides.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I always make two chickens now – otherwise no leftovers for lunches the next day or two!
Melissa says
This recipe is outstanding. I regularly make chicken in the air fryer but this was the first time using this recipe. The rub and the sauce are just amazing and will become regular items in our house. It would be a knockout for a company as well. The whole family enjoyed it. The sauce really is out of this world !
Lucia Galindo says
I’ve made this recipe at least 10 times and I swear it gets better and better!!!!! Any suggestions for what extra sauce can be used for?
Mellissa Sevigny says
I think the better question is what CAN’T it be used for! 😂 It makes a great salad dressing, dip for veggies, hard boiled eggs, or chicken tenders. Or just use it as a sauce over any grilled meats or veggies.
Shawnee says
I’ve made this recipe more than a dozen times over the past two years, using both a whole chicken fryer and boneless skinless breasts. Both are great. I actually like the breasts because I don’t eat skin and this keeps the marinade on my meat. I’ve also served this meal to over a dozen others. Rave reviews every time! I always double the green sauce recipe because it is too good!
Kate Breth says
Oh my! This was great! I made this last night with cauliflower rice & sautéed zucchini and we loved it.
Linda says
Used 8- boneless skinless chicken thighs , 1/2 recipe marinade which JUST was enough, cooked 55 minutes. Used 1/2 j jalapeño and 1/2 poblano, ended up adding extra clove of garlic & additional true lime juice to sauce. Awesome recipe tyvm!
Annette says
Today my hubby and I decided to do a “battle of the whole chicken” cook off. His approach was a spatchcocked cilantro and green Chile grilled chicken (cooked on the bbq grill). I used your Peruvian Chicken recipe. While his chicken was good, mine WON–hands down. The combination of flavors with the pickled red onions and the green sauce was AMAZING!!! So yummy!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Woohoo! 🎉🙌🏻
janice says
Wow!! I mean WOW this was delicious! The chicken, the sauce the onions ALL of it was seriously YUMMM. Will definitely be making this again and again and again!! I love your easy Marinara it’s so easy and so good! I can’t wait to try your Brazilian Shrimp Stew recipe tomorrow!! Thank you for all of these yummy recipes!!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Janice, so happy you enjoyed it!!!