Recipe: Tallarines Rojos con Pollo

Pastas are dishes perfect to share with friends and family, they are super filling and a very balanced combination of all the main food groups.

On this occasion we’ll talk about theTallarines Rojos con Pollo, a delicious flat pasta combined with a Peruvian-inspired sauce and full pieces of chicken. 

The origin of Tallarines rojos con Pollo

One of the most important things you should know about Peruvian food is how it has been influenced by several cultures from all over the world.

Tallarines rojos con pollo, in particular, are influenced by the Italian cuisine. We can see this of course in the pasta, which is a traditional meal enjoyed in this European country.

However, Peruvians gave this dish an exotic spin with ingredients such as carrots, garlic,ají panca paste and tomatoes. 

If you want to learn how to cook this dish keep reading! The preparation time forTallarines rojos con pollo is 15 minutes and the cooking time is about 50 minutes, it serves roughly 6 well served portions. 

• 500 gr of long, flat noodles, thick or thin (1.1 lb)
• 5 large-sized tomatoes
• 3 large-sized red onions
• 2 medium-sized carrots
• 8 pieces of chicken with skin 
• 3 tablespoons of garlic paste (you can buygarlic paste here)(1.5 oz)
• 5 tablespoons of ají panca paste (you can getají panca paste here) (2.5 oz)
• 250 gr of small sized mushrooms (8.8 oz)
• ½ cup of vegetable oil (240 ml)
• Laurel, cumin and oregano leaves to taste
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

• First step is to marinate the chicken pieces. Season them with salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons of garlic paste and 2 tablespoons of ají panca paste. Let macerate for about half an hour. 
• While the chicken is marinating, grate the 2 carrots. Set the grating aside and store. 
• Take a large skillet and add some vegetable oil, turn the heat high. Put the chicken pieces in and fry them. Take out all the pieces and set them aside. 
• Using the same skillet, pour a bit more vegetable oil and add the red onions, which must be blended and turned into a paste. When the red onions paste is fried, add a tablespoon of garlic paste and the 3 remaining tablespoon of ají panca. Mix the ingredients well and let cook for a couple of minutes. 
• Blend the 5 large tomatoes and add them to the skillet to fry. Check the flavor and add salt, pepper and cumin to taste. Let cook for 5 minutes. 
• Add the grated carrot to the skillet, turn the heat down and let cook for another 5 minutes. 
• Take a large pot and fill it with water, turn the heat high. Once the water is boiling put the noodles in and cook them until they’re al dente or firm. 
• Once the sauce from the skillet has reduced, it’s time to add the chicken pieces. Turn the heat low and cover the skillet, if needed, add some water or chicken broth. Add the laurel leaves finely chopped and the small mushrooms. Cook for 10 minutes. 
• Check the noodles constantly and stir softly, careful not to break them.  Once they’re done, strain them and add a bit of oil and part of the sauce, so that they start impregnating with the flavor and color. Check the flavor and correct if needed. 
• The best way to serve it is take a deep and large plate and add a serving of noodles, on top of it place a piece of chicken and add sauce to taste. Add some oregano powder or chopped leaves and yourTallarines rojos con Pollo are ready to be enjoyed.  

If you want to enjoy yourTallarines rojos con Pollo like a true Peruvian family would on their table, the perfect side dish are papas a la huancaína. Check the full recipe forPapas a la Huancaína here. 

There are some variations of this recipe you can try, for example if you prefer to use tomato sauce to skip a few steps of the process it works just fine. Also, if you consider yourself a meat lover you can use beef instead of chicken, just be sure to adjust the temperatures and of the meat cooking.