Name: Chicken in Chile Sauce (_Ají de Gallina_)
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 1/4 hr
Yield: Makes 8 servings
Ingredients: 8 quail eggs (optional); 4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices firm white sandwich bread, crusts discarded; 1 cup whole milk; 1 medium onion, chopped; 2 garlic cloves, chopped; 3 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided; 1/2 teaspoon turmeric; 3 to 4 tablespoons bottled ají amarillo or ají mirasol paste (sometimes labeled "crema"); 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth; 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano; 1/2 cup walnuts (1 1/2 ounces); 8 small chicken breast halves with skin and bone (5 1/2 pounds total); Accompaniment: Peruvian rice and lentils; Garnish: pitted black Peruvian or Kalamata olives, halved; lime wedges (preferably Key limes)

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Chicken in Chile Sauce (Ají de Gallina)Marcus Nilsson

Comfort food, Peruvian style. The chile sauce's brilliant yellow hue comes from a pinch of turmeric, as well as bottled ají amarillo paste, which also lends a fruity heat. It is thickened with bread and walnuts (a tasty trick for stretching foods to feed many mouths) and blended to a satiny smoothness. Although Peruvian cooks usually shred the chicken and add it directly to the sauce, we like the elegance of serving the roast chicken breasts on top of the sauce and passing extra around in a gravy boat.

Cooks notes:

•Quail eggs can be cooked 1 day ahead; chill until cold, then peel and keep chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before serving.
•Sauce can be made 1 day ahead and chilled (covered once cool). Reheat before serving.

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