A recipe for Pollo Saltado (Peruvian Chicken Stir-Fry). Thinly sliced pieces of chicken are tossed together with potatoes, tomatoes, and red onions for a quick and delicious dish.
Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.
Peruvian cuisine has been heavily influenced by Chinese immigrants and the resulting fusion of some of the best of both cuisines is known as Chifa. This Pollo Saltado is one of the products of said fusion.
Pollo Saltado is a Peruvian Stir-Fry with seasoned chicken, onions, and tomatoes along with French fries and rice.
The combination of chicken with aji amarillo, soy sauce, vinegar, french fries, and rice creates an absolutely incredible dish that comes together in no time at all.
Another popular variation, called Lomo Saltado, swaps the chicken for beef.
A Few Tips
This dish cooks quickly at a high heat. Make sure to have all your ingredients chopped and ready to go before starting the cooking process.
I often use pre-made frozen French fries and bake them right before tossing with the Pollo Saltado. Homemade fries cooked immediately prior would be even better.
I have seen the fries served in two ways. You can either keep them separate (I often do this if I plan on having leftovers) or toss them with the Pollo Saltado immediately before serving.
If you toss everything together, eat right away as the fries will become soggy as they soak up the sauce.
Notable Ingredients
Aji Amarillo (Amarillo Chili) is a bright orange chile with a fruity flavor and about the same heat level as Tabasco or Cayenne on the Scoville Scale.
I was able to find Aji Amarillo Paste in the Peruvian section of my local international market. I have also seen it in larger supermarkets such as Wegmans and Whole Foods.
You can sometimes find the chilies dried or frozen. If not available locally, aji amarillo paste is available on Amazon (but for a higher price): Aji Amarillo Paste.
Looking for more recipes with chicken?
Try my:
- Karaage Don (Japanese Fried Chicken Bowl)
- Suqaar Digaag (Somali Chicken Suqaar)
- Mochiko Chicken (Hawaiian Fried Chicken)
Pollo Saltado (Peruvian Chicken Stir-Fry) Recipe
Adapted from Peru Delights
Pollo Saltado (Peruvian Chicken Stir-Fry)
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454 grams) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons (44 milliliters) soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons (44 milliliters) red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons (44 milliliters) vegetable oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 red onion thickly sliced into wedges
- 3 plum tomatoes thickly sliced into wedges
- 1/2 cup (20 grams) fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 tablespoon aji amarillo paste or 1 aji amarillo pepper, seeds removed and thinly sliced
- 10 ounces (283 grams) French fries
- Cooked long grain white rice for serving
Instructions
- Thinly slice the chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken stock, soy sauce, and vinegar.
- In a large wok, drizzle oil over high heat. When thoroughly heated, add the sliced chicken breasts. Cook, stirring often, until golden on all sides. Toss in the garlic and onions, then the chicken stock mixture.
- Once the onions begin to soften, stir in the tomatoes, cilantro, aji amarillo, and additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove from heat and serve immediately with French fries and rice.
Jaymi
I’ve made Lomo Saltado a couple of times now so I was excited to see your recipe using chicken. I did not get to use aji amarillo but this is so tasty AND EASY!. Only served this with french fries because we find it filling enough without rice.
Tara
So glad you enjoyed it!
Melissa
I made this for 50 people and it came out amazing. Thank you
Tara
So glad you enjoyed it Melissa!
Javier Valverde Sr
Hello Tara. My name is Javier. I was born in Lima, Peru. I’ve been following your recipes and I can see that you have a very good knowledge of my native cuisine. My wife really loves when I cook some Peruvian dish. She is from Arkansas. I have to ask how did you come to have such a good command of the Peruvian cuisine. Have you been to Lima?? Good job Tara.
Tara
Hi Javier! This dish is one of my favorites from the Peruvian restaurants in my area. I have never been to Lima, but hope to someday!
Lindsey
Made this tonight and it was SO good!! Just like my favorite dish at our local Peruvian restaurant that, sadly, closed down. Bought the pepper paste on Amazon and glad I did, it really made it. The only thing I would change is to add more garlic but I love garlic! This will definitely be a staple dinner in our house. So easy and Delicious!
Tara
Hi Lindsey! So happy you enjoyed it! Sorry your local place closed down 🙁
Lauren
My chicken dinners have gotten really repetitive, so excited to have found this. The Amarillo paste really makes the dish
Jeff Albom
This looks great. I like incorporating the french fries into the dish. The kids will love it.
Ryan
Tried this recipe for the 1st time tonight. Had to sub Chipotle paste for amarillo, and used a vinegar with actual red wine mixture. Also added a touch of cumin. Came out great!! Thanks for the recipe!
Betty Chilese
I’ve made this several times. We like sweet potato fries and twice the onion (so good!), otherwise exactly as written. Almost as good as my favorite food truck. By the way, the aji amarillo paste is in the teriyaki section at my local markets. Took me forever to find it. Thanks so much for the great recipe
Tara
So happy to hear Betty! Will have to try it with sweet potato fries. Thanks for the tip about looking in the teriyaki section! I would have never known to look for it there.
Ela
I’ve used this recipe a few times when making pollo saltado. It has been my favorite one and most reliable one when feeding people (especially those with certain allergies). I served a church mission trip in Lima for a few months and this was a favorite of mine since lomo saltado was a bit more expensive for some families to make in Northern Lima. Thanks so much for this! I’ve had a few families there throw in broccoli so I’m gonna try and add that this time around!
Tara
Thank you so much Ela! So happy to hear!