Colombian
Gluten freeSancocho de gallina
Chicken soup with yuca and plantain
Sancocho de gallina: Colombia's big Sunday chicken soup with corn, yuca, plantain and potato, cooked for a crowd
Sancocho de gallina is the soup Colombians cook in a huge pot for Sunday family gatherings, river outings in the Valle del Cauca and New Year's Day, often over a wood fire. A hen is simmered with corn on the cob, yuca, green plantain and potatoes until the starchy vegetables thicken the broth, then everything is served in deep bowls with rice, avocado and ají on the side. This version uses a whole chicken, which cooks faster than a laying hen. Yuca (cassava) must always be fully cooked until soft right through, never eaten raw or underdone. The common mistake is adding all the vegetables at once: the potato turns to mush before the yuca is tender. Add them in stages. Chef's tip: break the green plantain into chunks with your hands instead of cutting it; the rough edges release starch and give the broth its body.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Serves
- 8
- Per serving
- 540 kcal
Ingredients
- 3 ½ lb whole chickencut into 8 pieces
- 12 ½ cups water
- 1 onionhalved
- 4 spring onionswhole
- 4 garliccloves, crushed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 corn on the cobeach cut into 3
- 2 green plantainspeeled and broken into chunks
- 1 ⅓ lb yuca (cassava)peeled, woody core removed, cut into chunks
- 1 ⅛ lb potatoesfloury, peeled and halved
- 1 bunch fresh corianderchopped
To serve
- 10 ½ oz white ricecooked
- 2 avocadosliced
- 2 limescut into wedges
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put 3 ½ lb whole chicken, 12 ½ cups water, 1 onion, 4 spring onions, 4 garlic, 1 tsp ground cumin and 2 tsp salt in a very large pot. Bring to the boil, skim the foam and simmer for 20 minutes.
25 minStep 2: Add 3 corn on the cob and 2 green plantains and simmer for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 3: Add 1 ⅓ lb yuca (cassava) and simmer for 20 minutes.
20 minStep 4: Add 1 ⅛ lb potatoes and half of 1 bunch fresh coriander and simmer for 20–25 minutes more, until the yuca is completely soft and splits when pierced, the potatoes are tender and the broth has thickened slightly. The chicken should reach 165°F at the thickest part.
25 minStep 5: Fish out and discard the onion and spring onions. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Step 6: Ladle into deep bowls with a piece of chicken and each vegetable. Scatter with the remaining 1 bunch fresh coriander and serve with 10 ½ oz white rice, 2 avocado and 2 limes.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 540 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sancocho de gallina take?
- About 115 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of spring onions?
- Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
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