Ajiaco

Colombian potato and chicken soup

Ajiaco

Ajiaco a delicious creamy chicken and potato soup from the city of Bogotá up in the Andes Mountains. This soup is perfect for a rainy day and is the ultimate comfort food. What makes this soup unique is the addition of Guascas a South American herb which has a slight taste of artichoke. Another unique ask is papa criolla (creole potatoes) which add a distinct taste and texture to the soup. This soup is a great introductory dish to Colombian cuisine and comes together quite easily

⏰Prep Time: 10min ⏲️Cooktime: 1h 🍽️Servings: 6

Ingredients:

• 2-3 large bone in chicken breast
• 8 cups of water
• 1 large russet potato
• 2 large red potatoes (papa sabanera)
• 2 cups of papa criolla (available frozen in Latin grocery stores)
• 2 ears of corn
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 green onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3 stems of cilantro
• 1/3 cup guascas
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1/2 cup sour cream or heavy cream
• 1/3 cup capers

To serve: Rice and avocado.

Directions:

1. Peel and roughly chop the onion, peel and chop the potatoes and reserve them in cold water to avoid oxidizing.
2. Slice the papa criolla into 1cm thick slices. Reserve.
3. Make a bundle with the green onion and cilantro.
4. Shuck the corn and chop into large chunks.
5. Bring a pot of 8 cups of water to boil and lower to a simmer, season with salt and add the chicken breast, the chopped onion, herb bundle and 2 garlic cloves, season with pepper,
6. Skim the top of the pot from all impurities while the chicken poaches.
7. Once the chicken is poached after 20 minutes of simmering remove from the pot and shred it into large chucks. Return to the broth.
8. Add the corn, chopped potatoes , papa criolla and the guascas, continue to simmer for 30 minutes until the potatoes are fully cooked and have started disintegrate , thickening the broth.
9. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper and serve in a clay bowl topped with capers and cream with a side of rice and avocado, enjoy.