A classic Ajiaco recipe made with vegetables, spices, chicken, herbs and served with capers and cream. This Colombian chicken soup is thick, comforting and filling.
What is Ajiaco?
There are different versions of Ajiaco Bogotano o Santafereño, but it’s a soup usually made with chicken, three kinds of potatoes, corn and an herb called guascas. This herb gives the soup a wonderful flavor. It is very important to use guascas and papa criolla as they are the key ingredients in this dish.
For me, Ajiaco Santafereño is a feel-good comfort food and I like to serve it with avocado on the side. In Colombia Ajiaco is traditionally cooked in clay pots like the one I used in the pictures, but if you don't own one, just use a regular large pot to make this popular Colombian soup.
Each region of Colombia has it own specialties and characteristic dishes. For example, in the capital of the country Bogotá; Ajiaco is a very popular dish. Comforting, filling and absolutely delicious makes this Colombian chicken soup the perfect meal during the cold weather.
What you Need to Make this Recipe
Chicken: I like to use bone in chicken breast to add more flavor to the soup, but feel free to use boneless if you prefer.
Water: You can replace it for chicken or vegetable broth.
Herbs: you need guascas to make ajiaco. I find them dried in small bags online here in the United States, but in Colombia you will find them fresh. I also like to add fresh cilantro to my soup, but if you don't like the flavor just omit it.
Vegetables: You need three different kinds of potatoes to make this soup (red, white and small yellow potatoes (papa criolla) an Andean potato. If you don't have papa criolla, you can replace it with small yellow potatoes. Garlic, corn and Scallions give extra flavor to this dish.
To serve this soup you will need heavy cream and capers.
How to Make this Recipe
In a large pot, place the chicken, corn, chicken bouillon, cilantro, scallions, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for about 30 to 35 minutes, until chicken is cooked and tender. Remove the chicken and set aside.
Continue cooking the corn for about 15 more minutes. Discard green onions and add red potatoes, white potatoes, and the guascas. Cook for 15 more minutes.
Uncover and add the frozen papa criolla and simmer for 15 minutes, season with salt and pepper.
Shred the chicken breast and return to the pot. Serve the Ajiaco hot with capers and heavy cream on the side.
How to Serve this Soup?
Ajiaco can be eaten for lunch or dinner and will keep you full and satisfied. I like to served it with avocado and a green salad on the side. Some people like to serve it with white rice.
Cooking Tips
You can find dried guascas on Amazon.
In the USA yo can find frozen papa criolla in Latin markets.
You can shred the chicken breasts with two forks, but you can also add the cooked chicken breasts to a mixer with a paddle attachment and shred it on low speed.
More Chicken Soup Recipes
Cilantro-Lime Rice and Chicken Soup
Sancocho de Gallina (Chicken or Hen Sancocho)
Chicken Noodle Soup (Sopa de Pollo con Pasta)
Caldo de Pollo con Papas (Chicken Broth with Potato Soup)
Sopa de Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rice Soup)
Colombian Ajiaco Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breast skin removed
- 12 cups water
- 3 ears fresh corn cut into 2 pieces
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 3 scallions
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 2 cups papa criolla Andean Potato
- 3 medium white potatoes peeled and sliced
- 3 medium red potatoes peeled and sliced
- ⅓ cup guascas
- 1 cup heavy cream for serving
- 1 cup capers for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot, place the chicken, corn, chicken bouillon, cilantro, scallions, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for about 30 to 35 minutes, until chicken is cooked and tender. Remove the chicken and set aside.
- Continue cooking the corn for about 15 more minutes. Discard green onion and add red potatoes, white potatoes, and the guascas. Cook for 15 more minutes.
- Uncover and add the frozen papa criolla and simmer for 15 minutes, season with salt and pepper.
- Shred the chicken breast and return to the pot. Serve the Ajiaco hot with capers and heavy cream on the side.
Notes
- You can find dried guascas on Amazon.
- In the USA yo can find frozen papa criolla in Latin markets.
- I like to serve Ajiaco with avocado and a light salad on the side.
Rachel
I love ajiaco.
I was fortunate enough to get to Colombia a couple of years ago, and the food there was so amazing. The worst part is knowing that I will probably never be there again - I went as part of a work trip, and I'm no longer in that job.
I found Colombia to be one of the most beautiful places I've ever been in my life. The weather was glorious! Cool, crisp, and rainy... just fresh air and wonderful green growing things everywhere. I spent the majority of my not-work time eating!
Ajiaco Bogotano is one of the best-kept secrets in the culinary world. I live in the Pacific Northwest of the USA, and we have demystified food from nearly every Asian and European cuisine. We have miles of restaurants from various African countries. We're working on Eastern European cuisine now; I've seen borscht restaurants open with dumplings / pieroshkis / pierogies in various forms all over. I can walk down the street and get eight types of barbeque, nato, paella, and ugali. But for some reason, the cuisine of South American is largely overlooked here.
I currently have a large pot of ajiaco on the stove, thanks to this site. Thank you so much for helping me bring a tiny part of Colombia to my house!
Petra col
Does anyone know where to find the guascas in the Netherlands? Eastern part, Enschede region if possible...
Thanks for the recipe!
Anonymous
You can find dried guascas on Amazon.
Anonymous
Does someone know the total cost of this recipe?
Elizabeth Moore
Absolutely delicious !! 🙂
Sara
This Ajiaco was fantastic! Just like the one I had in Bogota.
Lina
This was awesome! I am excited to make some delicious ajiaco!
Are the papas criollas the same as hello potatoes?
Carl
I made this recipe with minor alterations. Never been to Colombia (allthough I've tried Colombian burgers and several arepas so I know the food is great). Ordered guascas online, but if I should suggest a substitute it would be a combination of a small amount of peeled jerusalem artichokes (for a earthy note) and a little thyme (for herbyness). Jerusalem artichoke or white asparagus is probably as close as you can come, flavorwise.
I gave up on papas criollas which is impossible to get here in Europe so I used local flavorful potato varieties instead like "almond potato". Turned out to be an awesome soup. Served some Ají on the side for extra kick but you really don't need it.
Rachel Evans
Finding papas criollas outside of South America is extremely hard. I found a company in the USA that will ship them, but they want a frankly ridiculous price. They charge a fair price of $20USD for the potatoes, but another $110USD on top of that for shipping... and I live only about 300 miles away from their storefront. I thought about buying in bulk to try to make it worthwhile, but that extra $110 is stacked on top of every single instance you buy.
I've had luck using old Russet potatoes here in the states. Any potato that isn't "waxy" will work - you want something that will basically dissolve if you cook it enough. Some people make mashed potatoes separately and then re-add that to the soup. I have luck enough using large, old potatoes.
Ruby
This is the best ajiaco ever!! La mejor receta de ajiaco que se pueda encontrar!! Como Colombiana y Costeña (Cartagenera) puedo garantizarles que el sabor es justamente como si estuviéramos en nuestro amado país.. Colombia¡¡¡¡ Gracias Erica, realmente todas tus recetas son espectaculares y autenticas en el sabor de la comida Colombiana...
Erica Dinho
Gracias,Ruby!
Nina
If you're stuck on guascas, try looking for "potato weed"- the scientific name is galinsoga parviflora. Or just make it without it. The Colombian version uses it, but the Cuban version of ajiaco doesn't.
Rafael
I was born in Colombia but moved to the States 50 years ago. Needless to say, I missed many of the typical dishes, ajiaco in particular. Every time I returned for a visit, my sister prepared for me the most delicious one as a special treat. Ever since I moved here I have looked for papas criollas, to no avail. The only ones I found were canned, and that was a different thing.
Well, about a week ago, I went to a Farmers Market here in Williamsburg, Virginia where I live, that is open once a week on Saturdays, and lo and behold, I finally saw papas criollas at a produce stand that belonged to a Mexican farmer senor Becerra. I couldn't believe my eyes and was so happy that I bought almost the whole supply. Now that I have your recipe, I am going to try, and I am sure that my wife, who is "gringa", is going to love it. I will report to you. So if anybody is looking for papas criollas, let me know.
Jessie
Hi I'm from Colombia and it's the first time that I'm going to make this recipe here in United States, I just wanted to know if any of you had already make it in crock pot! And if you had, can u tell me your experience?
Thanks!
Erica Dinho
I am going to try some of my recipes using my slow cooker and will post the recipes here.
Allard
Delicious ! Although I agree with the people who say you should use a bit less guascas (1/3 cup is too strong for my taste) and put the creoles together with the other potatoes. Thanks for this recipie !
Cecilia
Thank you for bringing back the taste of the Colombian ajiaco to my family in the USA! It came out so good! This is the perfect recipe I made other ajiaco recipes an nothing like this one!!!!!!!!!!!
Patricia Brown
Love your recipe! My dad is Colombian and we made the recipe today. He had a recipe that called for milk in the soup. Have you heard of this? The milk was in addition to the heavy cream that was on top. Do you whip the cream. The cream in your picture almost looked like sour cream. It looked really thick. Did you use sour cream or a specific Colombian cream?
Elisa
Without a real crema, I'd mix heavy cream w sour cream (50/50).
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch)
I've made ajiaco exactly once and thought it was about the best soup I've ever had, so had to come over for a look. I think the recipe I used was from Food and Wine, and I'm anxious to give this more authentic version a try. Now if I can just find that guacas! Thanks for the recipe. Pinned.
Melissa
This is my favorite. Perfect for a cool evening at home!!