Potato and Chicken Stew (Ajiaco)
Ajiaco is a quintessential dish from Bogotá, Colombia.
Total Time
1.5 hours
Servings
8
1 ea. (approximately 750 g) whole skin-on bone-in chicken breast
1 L chicken broth
1 onion, peeled
2 scallions (white part and first 2 cm of green)
2 carrots, peeled
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 bay leaf
3 ml dried thyme
2 ml ground cumin
4 sprigs fresh cilantro
10 black peppercorns
5 ml tomato paste
0.5 kg small yellow potatoes, peeled
0.5 kg small purple potatoes, peeled
0.5 kg mashing potatoes, peeled and sliced 2 cm thickness
1 L water
2 ml of beef bouillon granules
0.25 ml frozen peas
4 ears of corn, quartered lengthwise and cooked
10 ml whipping cream mixed with 10 ml créme fraíche
2 ripe but firm Hass avocados, peeled, pitted and cut into eight slices right before serving
10 ml of finely chopped cilantro
5–10 ml of pickled capers
Combine chicken, broth, onions, scallions, carrots, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, cumin, cilantro and peppercorns in large saucepan and bring to a boil. Skim off froth as it rises. Reduce heat to low and cover when frothing finishes.
Remove and reserve chicken after it is cooked through (about 20 minutes).
20 minutes
Strain broth through sieve and return to pot, boil again over medium heat. Reserve carrots.
Add tomato paste and yellow and purple potatoes. Cover and cook until potatoes are soft (approximately 20 minutes).
20 minutes
While yellow and purple potatoes are cooking, boil sliced mashing potatoes in water and beef bouillon in separate pot. Once boiling, reduce to medium heat until potatoes start to fall apart (approximately 30 minutes).
30 minutes
Drain and reserve a quarter of the slices and mash the rest of the sliced potatoes. Add mashed and sliced potatoes to soup.
Remove bones and skin from chicken and discard. Cut chicken into strips 1 cm wide and 3 cm long.
Add chicken and peas to soup and simmer for 5 minutes. Slice the carrots into .5 cm thick rounds and add back into soup. Salt to taste.
5 minutes
Serve hot with garnishes available.
- •If soup is too thick add boiling water in small amounts; the consistency should be like that of heavy cream. Soup will thicken as it cools.