This 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 is a work of art, and you're not going to believe how easy it is.
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 Chicken Sancocho?
Sancocho is derived from the Spanish word sancochar or ‘to parboil.' Colombian sancocho de pollo (or sancocho de gallina) is a traditional stew made with a chicken boullion base. Its main components usually include any kinds of meat like chicken, beef, and pork. But in this version of sancocho, chicken is used. Other ingredients include large plantains, potatoes, yucca, mazorca or corn cobs, and tomatoes and herbs.
When I was in Colombia, I tried this recipe and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was as filling as it was flavorful. Now, my mother-in-law makes it as often as every week, and after learning the recipe, my husband and I have incorporated it into our favorite weeknight recipes.
There are many variations of Sancocho throughout Latin America and the world. It typically differs depending on the region and nations like Panama, Puero Rico, Venezuela, Philippines, and others. One of its closest variation of the recipe is the Dominican sancocho cruzado where they use almost identical ingredients, yet they serve it with white rice and avocados.
What makes it Colombian style?
The Colombian Sancocho de pollo uses mostly starchy vegetables to create that certain consistency only root vegetables can get. Yucca or cassava is quite similar to a potato and can be found in Latin American and Asian stores, frozen and pre-peeled. But if unavailable, taro, yams, and potatoes are great substitutes for this.
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.
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!
Why I love this recipe
We enjoy this dish in our household not only because of my Colombian husband’s heritage and culture, but also because the complex flavors send me back to that beautiful country and make me feel as if I were truly there. Sancocho is the ultimate comfort food, so warm and full of nutrients, much like a mother’s warm embrace.
Ingredients you need:
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 - Colombians typically cook sancocho with a whole chicken, but two chicken breasts are my preference. They are quite quick to cook and they are my preferred part for the protein. You can also use skinless chicken thighs or other chicken pieces.
- Parsley sprigs - parsley sprigs perfectly balance out the sancocho with its mild flavor and complement the tangy profile of the dish.
- Cilantro sprigs - cilantro sprigs act as a garnish for color and smell.
- Green onion - in this dish, it can be a great substitute to white onions. Green onions are best for adding flavor and acidity.
- Corn cobs - the sweetness of corn on the cob is one of the BEST things in a sancocho. Plus, munching on it throughout the meal is a new experience.
- Plantains - unripe green plantains add a starchy, savory flavor and texture to this Colombian chicken stew.
- Frozen yucca - we can purchase frozen yucca with the hearts removed and pre-peeled in Latin-American and even Asian stores. It lessens the additional hassle of peeling this root vegetable.
- Small red potatoes - these are essential ingredients to a sancocho. It’s a bonus if you find authentic yams, but small red potatoes work as well.
- Small red tomatoes—Red tomatoes make the guiso all the more perfect. Latin sauces and salsas use tomatoes, this one included.
- Garlic clove - a diced garlic clove makes a lot of difference for added flavor in the guiso.
- Achiote powder - you may think of this as optional but in this recipe, achiote powder adds color and vibrance to the guiso.
- Oil - oil is an essential component in making the guiso. I used vegetable oil, but you can use whatever is available to stay true to the recipe.
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
- 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!