🍳 Spanish & Latin Recipes

Colombian Chicken Sancocho: a grandmother's dish that makes us feel at home. I'll never forget the first time my grandmother made me a chicken sancocho. It was a rainy day and I was sick, and she brought me a pot full of that rich and thick broth that made me feel better in an instant. I remember sitting at the table, with the pot in front of me, and my grandmother smiling as she served me a spoonful. The flavor of the sancocho took me to a childhood place that seemed to have disappeared, but that would always be present in my memories. The secret to Colombian chicken sancocho is the perfect combination of ingredients. The chicken is cooked slowly in a broth of vegetables and tubers, which become a soft and creamy mass. The chopped onion and garlic are sautéed in oil until they're golden, and then the chicken is added, cooking until it's tender and juicy. Meanwhile, the vegetables and tubers are added to the pot, each one adding its own flavor and texture to the sancocho. The key to a good sancocho is patience. You can't rush the cooking process, as the chicken and vegetables need time to absorb all the flavors and textures of the broth. My grandmother always told me that sancocho is like a relationship: it takes time and effort for everything to come together well. And when it does, the result is something truly special. To prepare a Colombian chicken sancocho, you'll need the following ingredients: - 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces - 2 onions, chopped - 3 cloves of garlic, chopped - 2 carrots, chopped - 2 bell peppers, chopped - 2 potatoes, chopped - 1 zucchini, chopped - 1 cup of white rice - 2 cups of fresh cilantro, chopped - Salt and black pepper to taste - Vegetable oil for frying To start, heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until they're golden. Then, add the chicken and cook until it's tender and juicy. Add the vegetables and tubers and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until they're soft and creamy. Add the white rice and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve the sancocho hot, with a touch of fresh cilantro and a bit of salt and pepper to taste. This chicken sancocho is a dish that makes us feel at home, like we're sitting at my grandmother's table, surrounded by family and the food that nourishes us beyond just our bellies. It's a reminder that food is not just for satisfying our hunger, but also for connecting us with our memories and with others.