Peruvian-Style Roast Chicken with Green Sauce

Tender and juicy Peruvian-style roast chicken with a spicy, luscious green sauce.

The chicken is first marinated in olive oil, lime juice, garlic and spices, and then oven-roasted until tender, juicy and crisp-skinned. The accompanying green sauce, which gets its color from cilantro and jalapeño peppers, is spicy, creamy and downright delectable. You can put it on virtually everything, and it even makes a fabulous dip or salad dressing.

This recipe calls for a four-pound chicken, which is typically considered a “fryer.” This might seem strange since we’re roasting but don’t worry about it — all of these chickens can be used in recipes interchangeably. All the components in this recipe work in perfect harmony for this company-worthy winner of a chicken dinner.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup lime juice, from 2 limes
• 4 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 4 pound whole chicken
• 3 jalapeño chili peppers, seeded if desired and roughly chopped
• 1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, from one lime
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil