This easy Colombian chicken sancocho is one of the most comforting Colombian recipes you can make at home! A traditional Colombian one-pot chicken sancocho recipe is ready in under an hour and combines chicken, yucca, plantains, corn and potatoes for a cozy meal. This sancocho de pollo is a full comfort food meal in one pot!
Chicken sancocho is a special recipe taught to me by my Colombian mother-in-law. It is one of my favorite dishes in Colombia, and I wanted, no, needed you guys to share in the unbridled joy that a full meal-made in one pot, in under an hour-brings to my life. This everyday Colombian dish, like my arepas con queso and authentic empanadas is a work of art, and you're not going to believe how easy it is. Along with my ajiaco colombiano recipe - a chicken and potato soup - this is one of my favorite Colombian recipes!
Watching my mother-in-law make sancocho is a process in its own right. Her hands move deftly, quickly, peeling a plantain with a paring knife, dicing defrosted yucca without a cutting board. Mixing guiso in a pan, watching the colors of achiote powder bleed into the onions and tomatoes. Smelling the soup, checking if the flavors are on point by her scent alone.
I can't teach you to cook sancocho like Blanca. Heck, I am not sure I myself can cook it like she does. But I can teach you the ingredients and the building blocks of Colombian sancocho de pollo, and I hope that you will go out into your own kitchens and bring this hearty piece of Colombia with you.
Preparing this dish is especially easy since it can all be made in a single large pot. This recipe tastes exactly like the chicken soup I had in small restaurants on the streets of Bogota. I wanted the taste to be as close as I can remember, and thanks to this recipe, you, too, can feel like you're dining in Colombia.
What is Colombian Chicken Sancocho?
Sancocho comes from the Spanish word sancochar, meaning "to parboil." Colombian sancocho de pollo is a traditional stew made with a chicken bouillon base. Its main components usually include any kind of meat like chicken, beef, and pork. But in this version of sancocho, chicken is used that is simmered alongside starchy vegetables like yuca or cassava (which are quite similar to potatoes), green plantains, and corn on the cob.
Achiote or achiote powder is a spice often used for culinary purposes as a food colorant and added flavor. Achiote is also known as annatto powder and we want its natural elements to make the guiso look more presentable and gorgeous like an authentic Colombian sancocho!
Colombian guiso is a dipping sauce or salsa, an additive to many Colombian dishes that's so easy and fast to make (it is also known as sofrito in Spanish cooking). We use guiso in Colombian tamales as well. It's often made with onions, tomatoes, garlic cloves and achiote powder. Adding guiso to a steaming bowl of Sancocho is perfect to add more depth in flavor.
Unlike lighter chicken soups, sancocho is thick, filling, and designed to be a complete meal in one bowl.
There are many variations of Sancocho throughout Latin America and the world. It typically differs depending on the region and nations like Panama, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, the Philippines, and others. One of its closest variations of the recipe is the Dominican sancocho cruzado, where they use almost identical ingredients, yet they serve it with white rice and avocados.
Common questions about sancocho:
- What kind of soup is sancocho? → A hearty Latin American stew
- What gives sancocho its flavor? → Root vegetables, herbs, and guiso
- Is Colombian sancocho different from Dominican or Puerto Rican? → Yes (starch-heavy, less meat variety)
When should we serve this dish?
Colombian sancocho is often served during celebrations, after dinners, and even just on ordinary days as a warm, filling meal. It is also a perfect hangover cure so it's typical to cook them during Christmas or New Year's Day in Colombia. There is also this common belief that cooking and eating sancocho during sweltering days actually helps you cool off. Talk about beating the heat with this hearty stew!
What are the ingredients in sancocho?
Because we can make it easily in a single pot, it's best to prepare everything beforehand and just start stirring after every ingredient. This is what you'll need to make this dish:
- Chicken breasts - quick-cooking and tender (skinless chicken thighs or other chicken pieces also work)
- Green plantains - starchy and savory
- Frozen yuca (cassava) - pre-peeled for convenience
- Corn on the cob (mazorca) - sweetness and texture
- Small red potatoes - help thicken the broth
- Green onions - Green onions are best for adding flavor and acidity.
- parsley & cilantro - Add aroma and color
- Tomatoes & garlic - for the guiso
- Achiote (annatto) powder - traditional color and depth
- Oil, salt & pepper
Exact measurements are in the recipe card below.
Equipment:
- Large Pot
- Frying Pan
- Bowls (sancocho is served in special earthenware Colombian bowls, but you can of course use any bowls you like).
How to make Chicken sancocho and Guiso
Make chicken broth
Heat a large pot and fill it with water. Add chicken breasts, parsley, cilantro, and whole green onions with the roots trimmed slightly. Grate ¼ of the yucca. Cut the corn into quarters, chop the yucca into 2cm pieces, and peel the potatoes.
Next, add the corn, yucca pieces, potatoes, and plantains to the pot with the chicken and aromatics.
Bring to a boil
Bring the pot to a boil, then cover and cook for 30 minutes. After 15 minutes, check on the chicken and remove any pieces that are fully cooked. Continue cooking the soup until all the vegetables are tender. Remove the cilantro, parsley and whole green onion stems, and discard.
Make guiso
While the soup simmers, make the guiso in a separate pan. Heat a touch of oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook for 2 minutes to soften. Then add chopped tomatoes, minced garlic, achiote powder (if using), and black pepper. Cook for 5 more minutes, allowing the tomatoes to break down slightly.
Shred chicken and return to pot
Once the soup has finished cooking, shred or chop the cooked chicken and add it back into the pot along with the guiso mixture. Season the heart-warming soup to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve sancocho
Finally, serve the soup hot, garnished with chopped cilantro or sliced green onions if desired. This rustic, flavorful soup is now ready to enjoy!
Storage and freezer instructions
Sancocho is an easy dish to store. With the right storage and microwave-friendly containers, it can last up to a few days in the fridge for reheating. It can even be frozen for up to a couple of months, it just needs to be thawed properly and then reheated again on either the stove or microwave.
Top Tips
Vegan option - To make this recipe vegan, follow the exact steps starting at step 2, without using any chicken. The perfect vegan meal would be to serve it with avocados and white rice. Also, mushrooms (dried porcini ones) can be a great flavorful, albeit less authentic, addition to the dish.
Extra starch - taro or yautía, yams or ñame, are popular additional vegetables used in other sancocho recipes to make the soup extra starchy and to add more nutrients to the soup. My mother in law also sometimes adds auyama or kabocha squash in sancocho for its sweet profile.
Accompanying dishes
Sancocho is a full meal in its own right, providing you with starch, protein and vegetables. But if you want to turn it into a full dinner, I suggest serving it with tostones with pico de gallo as a starter. Accompany the chicken soup with arroz blanco (white rice), avocado on the side and Colombian aji for a full Colombian experience.
Try some of my other Colombian recipes!
- Colombian Ajiaco: Colombian Ajiaco recipe that will transport you to Bogota
- Colombian Chicken Drumsticks: Colombian Chicken Drumsticks Recipe
- Colombian Arepas: Arepas and hot chocolate: Discover traditional Colombian food
Recipe
Tried and loved this recipe? Please leave a 5-star review below! Your reviews mean a lot to me, so if you've got any questions, please let me know in a comment.
Colombian Chicken Sancocho Stew
Equipment
- Bowls - Sancocho is served in special earthenware Colombian bowls, but you can of course use any bowls you like.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 2 parsley sprigs
- 2 cilantro sprigs
- 1 green onion plus more for garnish
- 3 corn cobs
- 500 g frozen yucca heart removed
- 5 small red potatoes
- ½ onion
- 3 small tomatoes diced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon achiote powder optional
- Black pepper
- Salt
- Oil for frying
- 1 cup chopped plantains
Instructions
- To a large pot, add 2 liters of water, chicken breasts, parsley, cilantro, and whole green onion with roots trimmed slightly.
- Grate ¼ of the yucca. Cut corn into quarters, yucca into 2cm pieces, and peel potatoes.
- Add the yucca pieces, corn, potatoes, and plantains to the pot.
- Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. After 15 minutes, check chicken and remove if fully cooked. Continue cooking soup until vegetables are tender. Remove the cilantro, parsley and whole green onion stems, and discard.
- Make the guiso: In a pan, heat a touch of oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add diced tomatoes, garlic, achiote powder (if using), and black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes until tomatoes break down slightly.
- Once soup is done, shred the cooked chicken and add it back to the pot along with the guiso mixture.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve hot, garnished with chopped cilantro or green onions if desired.
Sage Scott says
This recipe tasked just like the chicken sancocho I enjoyed in Colombia. My daughter has already asked me when I can make it again!
zis guy says
How much diced onion? It’s not listed in the ingredient list
kseniaprints says
1 small onion, or 1/2 a medium one.
Sherry H. says
Can I use fresh yucca? Also, how large do you cut the yucca and plantains? Thanks.
kseniaprints says
Yes, but you need to peel it AND remove the fiborous stem on the inside. It is a bit of a hassle, I warn you! I cut them into about 2-inch long chunks.