Grilled Chicken and Vegetables with Peanut Llajwa

Anticuchos de pollo, or grilled chicken skewers, are common throughout South America. This version is served with a Bolivian inspired peanut sauce called llajwa (or llajua) de maní. There are as many variations of llajwa de maní as there are cooks. Our version uses a food processor to streamline steps, and includes ingredients that are more easily accessible in the United States.

Filed Under: Latin American Heritage Diet, Main dishes, Dinner, Gluten-free, Staff Favorites

Rating

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Active time

10 minutes

Total time

1 hour 10 minutes

Yield

4 servings

Serving Size

1/4 recipe

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Peanut Llajwa Sauce:

⅔ cup dry roasted, unsalted peanuts

2 large jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, ﬁnely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon chili powder

¼ cup chopped cilantro

½ cup canned no salt added ﬁre roasted tomatoes with juice

1 cup water

Ingredients for the Grilled Chicken:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 chili pepper or bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium squash, such as zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces

Instructions

To make the peanut llajwa sauce, add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and mix until smooth. Pour half of the sauce into a large bowl for marinating, reserving the other half for serving.
Add the chicken and vegetables to the large bowl of peanut llajwa sauce, and toss until the pieces are well coated. Let the chicken and vegetables sit in the marinade at room temperature for approximately 20 minutes.
If using a grill, heat the grill up to high heat. Thread the chicken, squash, and pepper pieces on 4 long metal grill skewers, alternating so that each skewer has an assortment of chicken and veggies, discarding any remaining marinade. Grill the skewers for approximately 5 minutes on each side, until the chicken is cooked through (reaching an internal temperature of 165°F) and veggies begin to soften.
Alternatively, if using the oven, preheat the oven to 425°F. Arrange the veggies and chicken in a single layer on a parchment- or foil-lined baking sheet, discarding any remaining marinade, and roast for 40 minutes, until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F. If desired, thread the chicken, squash, and pepper pieces onto skewers before serving.
Serve the cooked chicken and vegetables with the reserved peanut llajwa sauce for dipping.

An Oldways recipe and photo, created in partnership with The Peanut Institute.