Ajiaco, a Colombian chicken and potatoe stew is my absolutely favorite soup or stew from Colombia. It is originally from the capital city Bogotá and is known by its full name “ajiaco bogotano or santafereño”. It is in fact so famous that it is often served during Christmas. If you are interested in Colombian Christmas traditions and recipes, check out this blog article. However, I had not attempted to make this delicious stew because I was under the impression that some important ingredients could not be found in Germany. For example the key herb galinsoga , I had checked everywhere and could not find it. But one reader pointed out to me that you don’t need it fresh, but that you can find it online once dried or that one Latin American store may even have it fresh in Munich. So when I finally got this herb and made the recipe here in Germany, it really tasted almost like in Colombia!
There are more ingredients hard to come by here in Germany. First the corn on the cob is usually not the sweet variety. Plus Colombia has some super small potatoes that are called “papas criollas”. I have not found either here. But for the sake of ease, I believe replacing these with sweet corn on the cob and using small-size potatoes is alright, they don’t change the flavor profile too much. The one thing I would highly recommend though, is to really order the herb online, dried is fine. This is really necessary in order to make this soup authentic. Below recipe is a rather large recipe since Colombians don’t believe in small Christmas gatherings. I have never experienced a Colombian Christmas with fewer than 10 people.
Ajiaco is a famous Colombian chicken and potatoe stew that is often served for Christmas in the capital Bogotá. First we are going to make the chicken broth. I would recommend making this the day before. Wash and peel all the soup greens and chop into big chunks, same for onions and garlic. Bind the herbs together with some yarn. Place all ingredients in a large pot, add four liters (one gallon) of water, bring to a boil once and then simmer for about 45min. Discard the herbs and vegetables and peel chicken thighs and cut into smaller pieces. Use the thighs later in the ajiaco. Strain broth using a towel or similar. For the ajiaco peel the waxy potatoes and cut into pieces. Place into the broth with the chicken breasts and fresh corn on the cob and let simmer for about an hour. The idea is that the potatoes break down and create a creamy base. Take out chicken breasts and shred, also take out the corn and cut into about 2-3 pieces, depending on size. Now add the second batch of peeled and cut potatoes, the dried galinsoga, and cut spring onions and simmer for about 30 minutes. For the next 15 minutes add all remaining ingredients and re-add everything else. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ajiaco is tradiitionally served with capers, a dash of heavy cream, fresh avocado and chopped cilantro. Colombians may also serve with bananas and cooked rice, but this is completely optional (see last picture). It will keep for a few days if chilled and should be reheated the next day. You may wish to add a bit more water as the soup will thicken further. Since it does contain a high amount of potatoe, I do not recommend freezing it.
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Ajiaco, Colombian Chicken and Potatoe Stew
Ingredients
Instructions
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