Sancocho de Pollo o Gallina is a popular dish in Colombia. It's a hearty and filling chicken soup made with potatoes, plantain, corn, yuca, herbs and chicken or hen. This one pot meal is delicious served with avocado on the side.
What is Sancocho?
Sancocho is a common Colombian and Latin dish that you can make with fish, plantain, beef, chicken, pigeon peas or pork. Sancocho de Gallina or Sancocho Valluno is originally from the Colombian Region El Valle. Traditionally this soup is made with hens, but you can use chicken too.
I have a lot of good memories associated with this dish. One memory is of my grandmother cooking a big pot of sancocho de pollo and having all of her nine children with their families for lunch on Sundays. I would wait all week for that day to come to see all of my cousins and let me tell you, that was a party. In Colombia when we get together it is always a reason to dance and drink, no matter what time of the day. Another great memory I have associated with this dish is going with my friends from high school on a weekend to a farm or country house and cooking this soup outside on the fire. The smoky flavor from cooking over an open fire is amazing and this is a popular way to cook beans and sancocho in Colombia. Serve it with avocado, white rice and ají on the side.
Sancocho de Pollo Ingredients
This soup recipe calls for basic ingredients you may have on hand and it's easy to make. The full printable recipe card with ingredients list and directions is below.
Corn: I like to use fresh corn on the cob, but if you can't find it use frozen corn.
Liquid: I recommend using chicken or vegetable broth if you prefer more flavor.
Aliños: Here is my recipe for Colombian style aliños
Chicken: I like to use a whole chicken, but you can use just legs, thighs o breast. Use your favorite chicken pieces.
Spices: Cumin, salt and pepper
Vegetables: Green plantains, potatoes and yuca.
Herbs: Fresh cilantro, if you don't like cilantro use parsley.
This Chicken Sancocho is a warming and soothing soup that is hearty and satisfying. This recipe also reheats well so you’ll love having leftovers. Once the soup has cooled to room temperature, cover leftover soup and store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Other Popular and All-Time Favorite Traditional Colombian Dishes: Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rice), Empanadas Colombianas (Colombian Empanadas), Ajiaco Bogotano (Chichen and Potato Soup), Bandeja Paisa (Paisa Tray), Pandebono (Cheese Bread), Buñuelos (Cheese Balls) and Arepas Rellenas de Queso.
More Soup Recipes
Crema de Alcachofas (Artichokes Soup)
Caldo de Pollo y Papas (Chicken and Potato Broth)
Crema de Aguacate (Avocado Creamy Soup)
Receta Sancocho de Pollo o Gallina
Ingredients
- 3 ears of fresh corn cut into 3 pieces
- 12 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup of aliños
- 1 large whole chicken
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 green plantains peeled and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
- 6 medium potatoes peeled and cut in half
- 1 pound frozen yuca cut into large pieces
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot, place the chicken, corn, aliños, salt and green plantain. Add the broth and bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 30 to 35 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, cassava and bell pepper and continue cooking for 30 more minutes or until the cassava and potatoes are tender. Add the cilantro.
- Test and adjust the seasoning. Serve in large soup bowls, dividing the chicken and vegetables evenly.
Jacob Smith
This Sancocho de Gallina recipe looks absolutely delicious! I love how you explained the step-by-step process and included the traditional touch of using hen for a richer flavor. It reminds me of the hearty stews we enjoy back home, where food brings people together. Reading this actually made me think about how food connects cultures—just like when I was exploring Ugandan cuisine through africawildlifesafaris.net where I found similar comforting dishes tied to community and tradition. Thanks for sharing this recipe; I can’t wait to try it!
Charles
Hi, would love to make this dish, but looks like the recipe is in Spanish.
Perhaps I can convert it to english with an online program.
Thanks!
Erica Dinho
It's fixed. Thanks for letting us know.
Thomas
So here's a little irony for you... I'm a gringo in Colombia looking at your blog to learn how to cook Colombian food! Super cool blog, and great recipes. I always trust in the recipe of abuelas, no matter where I am in the world!
Monaray Castillo Gutierrez
On a day like this in New York my husband always requests sancocho so today is his lucky day lol
Luis Eduardo, papá.
Excelente receta, muchas felicitaciones.
También, quiero aportar, que este mismo sancocho, se prepara en fogón de leña, pero con gallina de Campo, en el Valle del Cauca, Colombia, convirtiéndolo en uno de los mejores platos culinarios del mundo. fraterno saludo, para todos y todas.
Olga Ramirez
Thank you for the recipe, been making it for 8 years. I just swap chicken for lots of beef, beef ribs and neckbones.
Delicious..
Don Diego
Make it every Saturday. I add pork neck to it. My family loves it. Thank you.
nohra
Hi, I would like to congratulate about this blog, your recipes are so good, but I would like to comment about SANCOCHO DE GALLINA, the recipe here is with chicken.
I prepare the sancocho with hen and cook with leña, (trying to remember the special flavors when family took us to cook the sancocho near the river); and takes me about 1 hour to 1:15 minutes depending on the size of the hen; the revuelto is about 15 - 20 minutes
Karen
Hello Erica! I am so happy that I came across your blog. I was born in Barranquilla but I have been raised in the U.S. so this is wonderful. I know a whole lot about our food but never quite cooked it because my Mom or grandmother would. Sadly my mother passed away earlier this year and I wish I would have made notes of her recipes so thank you very much for sharing.
I would like to suggest if you could integrate the healthier versions or substitutes for certain ingredients such as the bouillons in this recipe for example. These are so high in salt and other things so maybe a substitute would be wonderful. We are becoming more health oriented so it would be great to still make our wonderful recipes but making changes where necessary. Thank you!
Italianacookingcolombian
I Love Love Love your website....I have been using it for 3 years now. So I figured it was time to thank you Erica. My husband of 14 years is colombian and because of your recipes I get to re-make him his childhood memories. Tonight once again I am making this sancocho recipe....and this italian girl looks forward to eating it 2x a month. I am hooked on colombian food after 14 yeas of marriage. Your alinos recipe I use every week. Your brilliant and I want to send a heartfelt warm thank you to you.
Alex
As a Colombian expat I can not thank you enough for putting together all these recipes. Not only are they absolutely yummy but also so easy to make. I've tried several dishes and they always remind me of my childhood. Never in a million years I thought I could cook like this, all thanks to you. Best wishes 🙂
Erica Dinho
Thanks,Alex!
Frances
I'm going try to make this soup tonight! I'm already hungry looking at the pics and reading all of the happy comments.
Minda
Fantastic blog! Do you have any helpful hints for aspiring writers?
I'm planning to start my own blog soon but I'm a little lost on everything.
Would you propose starting with a free platform like Wordpress or
go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I'm totally confused ..
Any suggestions? Bless you!
Erica Dinho
Hi Minda & welcome! Just so happens that we do have something coming soon to help aspiring writers like yourself. But in the meantime, we recommend Wordpress self hosted, which will cost a bit, a small bit, as opposed to Wordpress.com, which is a free, hosted version of Wordpress. Again, give us a couple of weeks & check back. Better yet, just sign up for free in our "Let's Connect" box on any page of the site & you'll receive new posts from MCR in your inbox. Thanks for visiting!
~The Husband
Tony
Hi, Erica; congratulations on your site about our exquisit colombian dishes. I just want to point out that in Cali we use CIMARRON herb too to enhance the flavor of the sancocho. Also, a real sancocho is made or cooked with hen meat, not chicken. Believe it or not that makes a hell of a difference on the outcome of the flavor. Please, keep informing the world about our colombian delicasies, and educating the US about our latin distintions. Love your blogg.
Roger Middleton
I am in love with this soup! My girlfriend is from Bogotá, Colombia and I wanted to make her something around the holidays. She was missing home (we live in Pennsylvania) and I had to bring home to her. She tasted it and made he extremely happy that Colombia made it to her! Your recipes are amazing and I will be making many more meals for her! Thank you!!
Marsh
My neighbour had her family her this weekend and made this soup. She presented us a huge bowl of it and we absolutely loved it!!!! I will try this recipe for sure.