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Ajiaco, a type of Colombian chicken soup, is fun to eat. There are a variety of toppings and sides to customize your bowl to your liking. As a diner, you can top it with capers and cream and then eat it with a side of avocado, arepas, and rice. It almost feels like you have a hand in cooking the meal.
I first tasted ajiaco a few years ago at a beautiful hotel in Paipa, Colombia. It was a drizzly and chilly day and this soup was a delicious treat.
Unfortunately, here in cold Canada we can’t get all the fresh fruits and vegetables that Colombia offers. Guascas, a herb that is essential for the unique flavour of this soup, is used in its dried from (look for it at your local South American store). We buy it from Ave Maria on Bloor near Bathurst.
The variety of potatoes in Colombia are also difficult to replicate up north. To adapt this recipe to the local options, we used a mixture of fresh local ones, including new potatoes, red-skinned, and sweet potatoes.
Ajiaco - Colombian Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 3 scallions roughly chopped
- 5 chicken thighs
- 12 cups water
- 7 cloves garlic crushed and roughly chopped
- 10 g guascas dried
- 1 carrot peeled and cut into coins
- 2 sweet potatoes peeled and sliced
- 10 small white potatoes scrubbed and sliced
- 10 small red potatoes scrubbed and sliced
- 5 ears corn ends removed and cobs chopped in half
- salt & pepper to taste
- To serve:
- capers
- 10 % cream
- 5 avocados halved, pitted, and peeled
- bunch cilantro stems removed and washed
Instructions
- In a large, heavy bottomed pot, add water, chicken, scallions, and garlic. Bring to a boil and cook on high for approximately 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
- Using tongs, remove chicken from pot and place on a chopping board to cool.
- Add potatoes to pot and cook for 10 more minutes.
- Meanwhile, remove any remaining skin and fat on chicken thighs. Using two forks, remove meat from bones and shred into small bite-sized pieces. Place in two small serving bowls.
- Add carrots, sweet potatoes, guascas, and corn to pot, continuing to cook at a boil so potatoes start to disintegrate and thicken the soup.
- Cook approximately 10 more minutes and add salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve soup into bowls, add one ear of corn and a mixture of the potatoes so diners can experience a mixture of flavours.
- Serve with a side of avocado, capers, cream, and chicken. Invite guests to garnish their soups as they please.
My girls and husband love this! Meg made it for a school project to share with her class. And yes, I had a tough time finding all the ingredients. Thanks for sharing today. from Foodie Friday. Linda
This sounds unique and delicious. We would have a hard time getting some of these ingredients here too in the states. I bet it’s good.
I have heard a lot of this soup. I have never tried it since i have not been to Colombia. I know how difficult it is to get certain ingredients to prepare certain dishes (I am from Puerto Rico). i am going to try your recipe (my husband loves soup). The only thing I have to find is the guascas.
nom nom! I haven’t tried sweet potatoes in soup, so this will be a delish treat to warm me up on a cold day! Thanks for the recipe ladies!
Your soup looks absolutely delicious! If you want to share at Sunday Fitness and Food we would love to have you! Link is open all week! Have a great week!
This is so awesome! Pinned and tweeted. Thanks for sharing this at our party! I always love your amazing creations. I hope to see you next Monday because we love to party with you! Happy Tuesday! Lou Lou Girls
This looks Fabulous! I love a good soup recipe & avocados are my favorite! I have pinned the recipe to give a try 🙂 Thank you for joining the link-up, hope to “see you” next Sunday!!
What a great soup!! I love the addition of the avocado and cilantro! Yum! Thanks for sharing on My 2 Favorite Things on Thursday…Hope to see you again tomorrow!! Pinned!
Soup is my go to for the cold winter months and your recipe looks delicious! Thank you for sharing your recipe with us this week for Brag About It! Tweeted and pinned to share 🙂
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