Name: Causa limeña — layered potato and chicken
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 135 min
Cuisine: Peruvian cuisine
Ingredients: 1000 g yellow potatoes, whole, scrubbed; 55 g ají amarillo paste, unsweetened; 65 ml fresh lime juice, strained; 35 ml neutral oil, measured; 5 g fine salt, divided 4 g into potato, 1 g into filling; 1500 ml water for boiling potatoes, measured, discarded after boiling; 420 g skinless boneless chicken breast, raw; 500 ml water for chicken poaching, measured; 120 g commercial pasteurized-egg mayonnaise, refrigerated; 160 g ripe avocado flesh, peeled, thinly sliced; 40 g pitted black olives, drained, sliced; 30 g lettuce leaves, washed, drained and dried

Causa limeña with chilled yellow potato, chicken mayonnaise and avocado

Yield 4 portions

Prep 30 minutes

Cook 45 minutes

Passive 60 minutes

Total 135 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Causa limeña with chilled yellow potato, chicken mayonnaise and avocado

Causa limeña is a cold layered potato preparation strongly associated with Lima. The seasoning is built into the potato itself: ají amarillo provides a distinctive yellow chilli flavour, lime brings acidity and oil makes the mash malleable. The filling varies widely, but a chicken-and-avocado arrangement is readily recognizable and can be prepared at home without changing the principal character of the dish.

Select potatoes that mash without excess water. They should be pressed while hot, then allowed to cool before mixing in lime and chilli paste. Overworking with a blender makes them gluey; a hand masher or ricer keeps them more cohesive. The layer is pressed firmly enough to hold a slice, but not so densely that it becomes gummy. The measured oil and seasoning are distributed through the entire potato mass, rather than concentrated in the top layer.

Because the dish is served cold and its filling contains cooked chicken and mayonnaise, temperature handling is central, not a decorative final step. Cook the breast thoroughly, cool the chicken promptly in a shallow container and refrigerate the assembled causa until it is cold. Use commercially prepared mayonnaise made with pasteurized egg and clean equipment, and bring portions out only for immediate service.

Ingredients

Potato layers

1000 g yellow potatoes, whole, scrubbed
55 g ají amarillo paste, unsweetened
65 ml fresh lime juice, strained
35 ml neutral oil, measured
5 g fine salt, divided 4 g into potato, 1 g into filling
1500 ml water for boiling potatoes, measured, discarded after boiling

Chicken and middle layer

420 g skinless boneless chicken breast, raw
500 ml water for chicken poaching, measured
120 g commercial pasteurized-egg mayonnaise, refrigerated
160 g ripe avocado flesh, peeled, thinly sliced

Garnish

40 g pitted black olives, drained, sliced
30 g lettuce leaves, washed, drained and dried

Method

Cook and rice the potatoes.Simmer the 1000 g whole potatoes in 1500 ml water until a skewer slides into the centre, roughly 25 minutes. Drain, peel as soon as you can handle them and press through a ricer into a wide clean bowl. The potato should be dry and fluffy, not watery or elastic.
Poach the chicken.Cook the 420 g chicken breast gently in 500 ml simmering water for roughly 18 minutes. Confirm the thickest centre has reached 74 °C; transfer to a clean shallow dish. The breast should pull easily into neat fibres without translucent sections. Chicken must reach 74 °C, verified by thermometer.
Season the potato.While the potato is still malleable, stir in 55 g ají amarillo paste, 65 ml lime juice, 35 ml oil and 4 g of the measured salt. Mash by hand until combined without prolonged beating. A pressed spoonful should hold a smooth edge without cracking or stretching in strings.
Chill ingredients safely.Spread the cooked chicken and potato in separate shallow containers. Refrigerate for 30 minutes while cooling; keep them at 4 °C or below once chilled. The chicken and potato should no longer release steam and should feel cold at the surface. Cool and refrigerate promptly; do not leave a deep hot bowl on the counter.
Mix the chicken filling.Shred the chilled chicken and stir in 120 g refrigerated commercial mayonnaise and the remaining 1 g salt. Slice the 160 g avocado just before assembly. The chicken should be evenly coated, not submerged in mayonnaise. Use pasteurized-egg commercial mayonnaise and clean utensils.
Build and chill the layers.Line a shallow 20-cm square dish with food-safe paper. Press in half the potato mixture, spread the chicken evenly, lay avocado slices over it and cover with the remaining potato. Chill for 30 minutes. The top should be level and the layers should hold their shape when the pan is gently tilted. Hold at 4 °C or below during the chilling stage.
Turn out and portion.Unmould the chilled causa using the paper, divide into four equal portions and arrange on 30 g lettuce. Finish with 40 g sliced olives and serve immediately. Cut faces should show a clear chicken layer between two firm yellow potato layers. Return remaining portions to refrigeration immediately.

Practical

Practical guidance

Use a ricer rather than a blender for the potatoes, and avoid watery potato varieties if possible. Avocado should be sliced only when the chilled components are ready for assembly; lime in the potato does not preserve exposed avocado indefinitely. A lined square pan yields four simple pieces, while ring moulds are another common presentation, but require separate shaping. Refrigerate prepared causa promptly and use within 24 hours for better avocado quality; do not treat the acidic potato as a preservation method. A seafood or tuna filling is a different recognized variation and is not interchangeable without revising allergens, refrigeration and amounts.

Control points

Texture and handlingIf the potato cracks while spreading, it cooled too far before the oil was worked in or is too dry; press gently while still flexible and do not add unmeasured water.
Finish and recoveryIf the causa collapses on slicing, the filling is too wet or the layers were not chilled; drain components and give the assembled dish its full refrigerator rest.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size1 of 4 substantial starter portions
Calories670 kcal
Carbohydrate50.1 g
Protein30.8 g
Fat39.5 g
Fibre8.9 g
Sodium820 mg

Allergens and food safety

Contains egg from the commercial mayonnaise; labels may list mustard or other ingredients. Cook chicken to 74 °C, cool cooked components in shallow containers, and keep the filled cold dish at 4 °C or below. Mayonnaise and lime do not make mishandled chicken safe.

Closing

On the plate: Cold Lima-associated potato terrine of lime- and ají-seasoned potato with layered filling; chicken mayonnaise and avocado are one familiar combination.
Control that matters: Filling chosen as chicken and avocado; not asserted as the single or earliest causa filling.