Colombian chicken soup made with chicken thighs and drumsticks, onions, corn, potatoes, coriander, capers and a special Colombian ajiaco sauce.
This is our adaptation of a classic Colombian chicken recipe called Ajiaco. The soup depends on the use of different varieties of potatoes native to South America.
The soup is served with a variety of side dishes, including a special salsa, “aji,” which really defines the dish.
Ajiaco soup has all sorts of variations, but they all seem to rely on potatoes — some of which are boiled long enough to break up and thicken the soup — corn (usually on the cob) and chicken.
We chose to finely dice red potatoes so they dissolve quickly and we pureed the soup base with an immersion blender, which saved hours of cooking time.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can either puree the soup base in a blender or just boil it until the diced potatoes are dissolved.
It’s important to use bone-in chicken pieces here, as they’re both cheaper and make your broth tastier.
Garnish for Colombian chicken soup
Garnishes are up to you. They almost always contain capers, avocados, and cilantro, and often come with a salsa or crema that’s either thin sour cream or a thick regular cream, depending on your perspective.
We used tiny, colorful potatoes to finish the dish, but you can use any potato mix – just be careful not to use all the russet ones. Red-skinned potatoes, purple potatoes, fry, and small Yukon Golds are all good choices.
Colombian Chicken Soup
The real version of this dish calls for a special herb called guasca, which has a unique flavor. We added bay leaves to get somewhere close.
ingredients
Soup Ingredients:
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3 lb chicken thighs and legs, skin removed, rinsed well
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1 big white or yellow onionchopped
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1 lb red potatoespeeled and diced
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5 garlic cloveschopped
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Kosher salt
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1 1/2 liter water
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1 quart chicken broth
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1 tablespoon cumin
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3 bay leaves
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2 lb small potatoesin different colors
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2 ears fresh Corncut crosswise into 1 to 2 inch rounds
Aji Ingredients:
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4 spring onions (only white and light green parts)
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2 Roma or others plum tomatoescored and chopped
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2 fresh scotch bonnet or Habanero chilies or 2 fresh hot red chillies, stems and seeds removed (wear gloves, DO NOT touch your eyes!)
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1/4 Cup fresh coriander leaves
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3 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
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1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
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Garnish: capersSour cream, avocados, cilantro
special equipment
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food processor
method
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Cook the chicken, red cabbage, onion and garlic in broth and water:
Place the chicken, diced red potatoes, chopped onion and garlic in a large stock pot (at least 8 quarts) and add 1 1/2 quarts water and 1 quart chicken broth.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a vigorous simmer.
Add cumin, bay leaves and salt to taste. Simmer this until the meat is about to fall off the bones of the chicken – between 45 minutes and 1 hour 15 minutes.
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Remove the chicken and bay leaves and puree some of the soup base:
When the chicken is done, remove it and the bay leaves from the soup and place in a large bowl. If you’re using an immersion blender to puree the soup base or portion the soup into a regular blender, do so now.
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Simmer the soup base with additional potatoes:
Pour the pureed soup base back into the saucepan and bring to a very gentle simmer. Add the second batch of potatoes and cook until al dente, about 20 to 40 minutes depending on size.
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Grate the chicken from the bones:
While the potatoes are cooking, separate the meat from the chicken bones and set aside.
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Make the salsa:
Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until finely ground. Pour into a serving bowl.
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Cooking corn in the broth:
Add the corncob pieces to the boiling soup and cook for 5 minutes.
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Surcharge:
Serve the soup with salsa, capers, sliced avocados, sour cream, and cilantro in separate bowls. Let people garnish their own portions.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 411 | calories |
| 17g | Fat |
| 34g | carbohydrates |
| 33g | protein |
