Delicious Aji Amarillo Recipes from Peru (You'll Love)

Many of us around the world love to eat our foods with some kind of sauce. Sometimes we use spicy hot sauce, sweet and smokey barbeque sauce, or something else. Well, in Peru, they have an ají amarillo sauce, which is a spicy sauce made of hot yellow peppers called ají amarillo. Stick around to learn how to make aji amarillo recipes for your next Peruvian meal!

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What Is Aji Amarillo?

As mentioned previously, ají amarillo is a kind of yellow chili pepper that is often used to make a hot spicy yellow sauce. In Peru, it’s used as a condiment. This yellow pepper is also popular in Bolivia.

Ají amarillo although it has a sweeter taste compared to other chili peppers, is SUPER hot! In fact, according to the Scoville scale, the Peruvian aji amarillo’s heat measures 30,000 – 75,000 SHU.

For comparison, the jalapeño pepper measures 2,500 – 8,000 SHU!

(In case you did not already know this, the Scoville scale measures the spicy hot levels of peppers and chilis).

Other names for this kind of chili pepper are amarillo chili and ají escabeche (but ají amarillo is the most commonly used name).

It’s so versatile, too! The first time I had it was in a sauce in shredded chicken alongside white rice. This popular Peruvian meal is called ají de gallina, which we’ll touch on a little bit later.

Another popular Peruvian ají amarillo recipe is papa a la Huancaína. This is a Peruvian dish that consists of potatoes with spicy yellow chili cheese sauce on top.

Sounds delicious, right?

Aji Amarillo Recipes

Here is a list of recipes you can make using aji amarillo:

Ají de gallina (yellow chili pepper with chicken)
Papa a la huancaína (boiled potatoes in spicy, cheesy, creamy amarillo chili pepper sauce)
Huancaína macaroni (spicy Peruvian macaroni and cheese)
Causa rellena (spicy mashed potatoes or potato casserole)
Fish ceviche
Lomo saltado (beef stir fry)
Arroz con pollo (chicken and rice)
Seco de carne (beef stew)
Soups
Sauce or dip for french fries or yuca frita

Keep scrolling for links to recipes with aji amarillo sauce.

But, before you do that, take a look at this EXCELLENT recipe for ají de gallina by YouTuber Eating with Andy:

Ingredients for Aji Amarillo Sauce

Most people make aji amarillo sauce as they’re making a recipe that calls for it, such as in aji de gallina. However, sometimes you’ll want to make a separate sauce. More specifically, you may want to do this for dipping or as a condiment in soups or pasta.

Anyway, these are some of the most basic ingredients that many aji amarillo sauce recipes require:

Aji amarillo paste
Onion
Garlic
Crema (or sour cream)
Salt
Pepper

How to Make Peruvian Aji Amarillo Sauce

There are the basic steps for making this amazing spicy Peruvian yellow sauce:

Add the aji amarillo paste (or aji amarillo pepper), onion, garlic, crema (or sour cream), salt, and pepper to a food processor or blender.
Process all of the ingredients together until a sauce forms.
Chill.
Serve.

FYI, I HIGHLY recommend you take a look at this page by Chili Pepper Madness if you’re looking to make aji amarillo paste OR aji amarillo sauce.

Peruvian Aji Amarillo Recipe #1: Aji de Gallina

Ok, so the first recipe I have for you where you’ll be using Peruvian aji amarillo sauce is for aji de gallina.

Keep in mind, that you won’t need to prepare the sauce ahead of time. Instead, you’ll be making the sauce as you’re preparing the meal.

(The same can be said for the recipes further down the page).

For this recipe, you’ll be using the spicy yellow pepper sauce in some shredded chicken.

Just an FYI, this is similar to the recipe used in the YouTube video above.

Anyway, the recipe I have for you is aji de gallina by Carolina’s Cooking.

For this recipe, you’ll be using cooked chicken.

(Did anyone say rotisserie chicken)?

AND, you’ll love to hear that it only takes about 25 minutes to prepare and cook.

That doesn’t sound too bad, right?

What a GREAT weeknight meal recipe! I just LOVE easy South American food recipes like this one.

One thing I must tell you. I used to have this every time I went over to my Peruvian friend’s house and it was always SO DELICIOUS! I can’t handle spicy food too well, but it was fine when I paired it with potatoes and rice. Oh, and perhaps some water or milk, haha.

Peruvian Aji Amarillo Recipe #2: Papa a La Huancaína

Ok, so here’s another one of Peru’s aji amarillo recipes I have for you.

Papa a la huancaina is a classic Peruvian dish that’s popular in Huancayo, which is an area located in the central Peruvian highlands.

It’s actually a Peruvian appetizer that’s made with boiled potatoes and aji amarillo sauce. The sauce is made with the following ingredients:

Boiled yellow potatoes
Queso fresco
Ají amarillo (yellow Peruvian chili pepper)
Onion
Garlic

Also, as an FYI, this dish is normally served on top of lettuce leaves and garnished with Peruvian black olives (aceitunas de botija) and boiled eggs.

Here, take a look at this YouTube video by Sary’s Kitchen so that you can get a better understanding of what is papa a la Huancaina.

It’s a SUPER easy Peruvian dish, right? Not too difficult at all!

FYI, if you’re interested in making this recipe, here are the ingredients listed again:

Aji amarillo (Peruvian yellow chili peppers)
Queso fresco
Evaporated milk
Saltine crackers
Onion
Chicken bouillon
Garlic powder
Hard-boiled eggs
Peruvian black olives
Cooked potatoes

Peruvian Aji Amarillo Recipe #3: Causa Rellena con Pollo

I’ve got more Peruvian recipes with aji amarillo for you! Causa rellena is another VERY popular aji amarillo dish from Peru.

It’s basically a layered spicy potato casserole, but it’s served cold.

Some of the layers will include potatoes, avocados, and protein, like chicken or tuna.

Kind in mind, similar to other family recipes, each Peruvian family makes this recipe differently. However, the good thing about that is that you can pick and choose which recipe suits you best!

Here is just one cause rellena recipe that you may enjoy by Amigo Foods.

What to Serve With Aji Amarillo Recipes

Aji amarillo recipes go well alongside the following foods and drinks:

Peruvian salads
Soup
Rice
Quinoa
Corn
Cassava
Chicha morada (drink made from dried Peruvian purple corn… add sugar to make it sweet)
Inca Kola (a Peruvian soft drink)

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some FAQs and answers related to Peruvian yellow chili peppers.

What is aji amarillo good with?

You can make a GREAT aji amarillo paste using these spicy Peruvian chili peppers. Aji amarillo paste can be used in sauces for pasta, roasted vegetables, on top of pasta, or on top of potatoes.

What are you supposed to do with aji?

One of the most common uses for aji amarillo is to make a paste or aji amarillo sauce. This paste can be used to make sauces for dipping, on top of potatoes, or on top of pasta.

What does aji amarillo taste like?

This pepper is HOT! However, it has a sweet fruity component to it, too.

What is aji amarillo in English?

In English, the literal meaning of aji amarillo is yellow chili. In Spanish, amarillo means yellow and ají means chili pepper in South American Spanish.

Final Thoughts

I seriously hope you consider making one of these delicious aji amarillo recipes from Peru. Peruvian yellow chili pepper is definitely different from any other kind of hot pepper you may have had here in the United States. However, it’s DEFINITELY something you should consider trying!

What are your thoughts on Peruvian yellow pepper or Peruvian yellow pepper recipes? Have you ever had it? Please let me know in the comments below!