About this Dish
Colombia's great restorative soup — a rich broth of chicken, beef or fish with yuca, plantain, corn and potatoes, slow-cooked until deeply flavoured. Every Latin American country has its own sancocho tradition. The Colombian version is distinctive for its use of yuca and plantain. Considered a cure for hangovers and illness — the Colombian equivalent of chicken soup.
IngredientsServes 6
🍗Chicken thighs, 1kg bone-in, skin-on
🌽Corn on the cob, 2 ears cut into 3 pieces each
🍠Yuca (cassava), 400g peeled and cut into chunks
🍌Green plantain, 1 large peeled and sliced into thick rounds
🥔Potatoes, 3 medium peeled and halved
🧅White onion, 1 large roughly chopped
🧄Garlic, 4 cloves minced
🌿Fresh cilantro, large handful plus extra to serve
🍋Green onions (scallions), 4 stalks roughly chopped
🧂Chicken stock or water, 2.5 litres, salt and cumin to taste
Method
1
Place the chicken thighs in a large heavy pot with the stock or water, onion, green onions, garlic, half the cilantro, a teaspoon of cumin and a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil then reduce to a steady simmer.2
Skim off any foam that rises to the surface in the first 10 minutes — this keeps your broth clear and clean-tasting. Let the chicken simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.3
Add the corn pieces and green plantain to the pot, as these take longer to soften. Continue simmering for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.4
Add the yuca and potatoes, pushing them down into the broth. Cook for a further 20–25 minutes until the yuca is tender and just beginning to fall apart at the edges — this is what gives the broth its lovely body.5
Taste the broth and adjust salt and cumin as needed. If you like a richer flavour, you can pull out two or three potato pieces, mash them roughly and stir them back in to thicken the soup.6
Serve in deep bowls making sure every bowl gets a piece of chicken, corn, yuca and plantain. Finish with a generous scatter of fresh chopped cilantro and serve with white rice and sliced avocado on the side.User Reviews
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