Rotisserie Chicken Day: Giacomo Bocchio's Rotisserie Chicken Recipe

Few things generate as much consensus in Peru as pollo a la brasa: a classic that crosses generations, family tables, and celebrations. Thinking of those looking for a different alternative to celebrate Pollo a la Brasa Day 2026, we share chef Giacomo Bocchio‘s recipe to prepare this must-have at home, with clear steps and precise technique.

LOOK: How to make Christmas turkey? Giacomo Bocchio’s recipe for this Christmas Eve

In this article, we discover how to achieve a tasty, juicy, and full-of-character chicken, without complications and with the rigor that distinguishes his cooking.

Ingredients:

For the pollo a la brasa:

4.8 kg chicken
90 g salt
15 g whole black pepper
15 g whole white pepper
15 g cumin seeds
15 rosemary
15 g thyme
15 g oregano
15 g ginger
15 g soy sauce
15 g red vinegar
15 g sugar
375 g chicha de jora* (Can be replaced by a preparation of 1/3 part vinegar to 2/3 part blonde beer)
90 g garlic
30 g red onion
30 g mustard
90 g beer
3 g Chinese cinnamon
6 g mensí (fermented soy paste)
45 g lemon juice
45 g charcoal oil

For the side dish:

2 yellow potatoes
Fresh salad
Pollería vinaigrette

Preparation:

For the marinade:

(*) This marinade yields for about 6 chickens of 1.6 kg each.

Sauté the salt in a pan. When hot, add the white pepper, black pepper, and cumin. Once the ingredients are well aromatic, transfer to a container.

Blend the aromatic salt with the onion, ginger, garlic, mensí, oregano, rosemary, thyme, Chinese cinnamon, sugar, chicha de jora, lemon juice, soy sauce, red vinegar, blonde beer, American mustard, and 2 tablespoons of charcoal oil.

Submerge the whole chicken, with skin, clean and without fat, in a 10% brine for 3 hours. Remove the chicken’s fuse and fold the wings back, with the tips at the lower part of the back. Rub the chicken well with 140 g of the marinade, making it penetrate under the skin and into the thoracic cavity. Let marinate for 16 to 18 hours.

For the pollo a la brasa:

Truss the chicken with a cotton twine. Extend the twine under the legs, making each side equally long. Cross the twine and pass each end under the leg with the thigh, drawing a figure 8. Tighten well towards the ends and downwards, then pass the strings under the thighs and over the wings. Keeping the thread tight, make a turn around the neck bone. Tighten well and pass the twine again under the legs to make the knot. Cut the excess thread with scissors.

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Brush the chicken surface with charcoal oil. Place directly on the oven rack and roast for 40 minutes on the back side. After this time, turn the chicken and roast until the internal temperature reaches 80 °C. Increase the oven temperature to maximum and cook until well browned.

Let rest for approximately 5 minutes. Cut the twine and carve the chicken pieces with kitchen scissors.

Plating

Serve with fried yellow potatoes and fresh salad accompanied by pollería vinaigrette.

Also…

In bookstores

“Blessed Peru!”, Giacomo Bocchio’s book, is available in national (and international) bookstores. It is a publication edited by Planeta, presented in a bilingual edition. You can purchase the book through this link. Its price is 189.90 soles.