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Peru, Americas · Ají de Gallina

Ají de Gallina Pull-Apart Cheese Sliders

Party sliders: a thick ají de gallina filling and mozzarella baked inside a tray of joined mini rolls, brushed with garlic butter and pulled apart at the table.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time42 min
DifficultyMedium
About servingsCook the chicken all the way through (74 °C inside). If you make the filling ahead, keep it refrigerated and use it within 2 days.

Method

  1. Put the chicken breast in a 18 cm pot, cover with water by 2 cm, add salt and bring to the boil over high heat. Turn down to medium-low heat, cover and poach for . When the thickest part is white through with clear juices, lift it out, let it cool, then shred it very finely with two forks; fine shreds make the sliders easy to fill and eat.

    Add in this stepChicken breast 240 gSalt 0.4 tsp

    high heat→medium-low heat

  2. Tear the crustless bread, soak it in the evaporated milk for 5 minutes, then blend it smooth with the walnuts.

    Add in this stepWhite sandwich bread, crusts removed (slices) 1Evaporated milk 120 mlWalnuts 15 g

  3. Heat the oil in a 20 cm frying pan over medium heat and cook the red onion for , until soft and translucent, then add part of the garlic and the ají amarillo paste and stir for more, until the oil turns orange.

    Add in this stepVegetable oil 1 tbspRed onion, finely chopped 100 gGarlic cloves, finely chopped 1¼Ají amarillo paste 2 tbsp

    medium heat

  4. Add the bread cream and cook over medium-low heat for , stirring. Cook it much thicker than classic ají de gallina so it doesn't run out of the rolls: when you push it with the spatula, the bottom of the pan should stay visible for a while. Turn off the heat, stir in the shredded chicken, parmesan and remaining salt, and let it cool for about 10 minutes.

    Add in this stepParmesan, grated 20 gSalt 0.4 tsp

    medium-low heat

  5. Without pulling the rolls apart, slice the whole sheet horizontally with a long knife to make a top and a bottom. Set the bottom in a 20×15 cm baking dish, spread the chicken filling evenly over it, scatter over plenty of mozzarella and put the top back on.

    Add in this stepSoft mini rolls, joined in a sheet (slider or dinner rolls) 6Mozzarella, grated 80 g

  6. Preheat the oven to 190 °C. Melt the butter, stir in the remaining garlic and half the parsley and brush it generously over the rolls. Cover with foil and bake at oven for , removing the foil for the last 3 minutes so the tops turn golden. They are ready when the cheese has melted and is oozing out at the sides.

    Add in this stepUnsalted butter 20 gGarlic cloves, finely chopped ¾Parsley, chopped ½ tbsp

    oven

  7. Leave to stand for 3 minutes, sprinkle with the rest of the parsley and pull the sliders apart along their seams. Serve warm, but let them cool briefly first: the filling is very hot.

    Add in this stepParsley, chopped ½ tbsp

Cook's tip

If you have leftover ají de gallina, skip steps 1 to 4 and simply cook it down in a pan until thick. No joined rolls? Pack individual mini rolls tightly together in the dish. For more heat, add an extra tablespoon of ají amarillo paste.

Cooking it at camp

Make the filling at home and carry it in a sealed tub in the cooler. At camp, fill the rolls, wrap them in foil and warm them on a grill over the embers or in a Dutch oven with coals on the lid for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese melts. Turn often so the bottoms don't burn.