Aguadito de pollo
Non-vegetarian
A bright green Peruvian chicken and rice soup, coloured and flavoured with a big bunch of blended coriander and ají amarillo, with peas, carrot, pepper and corn.
Aguadito de pollo is a Peruvian soup, ready in about 1 hour 5 minutes and made with coriander leaves, chicken pieces, skin-on and ají amarillo paste. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 1 h 5 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 408
Method
Step 1
Blend the coriander with 200 ml of the water to a smooth green purée.
Step 2
Heat the oil in a heavy pot and brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Lift out.
- 8 min
- medium-high heat
- Dutch oven / casserole pot (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Wash hands and surfaces after handling raw chicken.
How it looks · Photo: Skylar Kang on Pexels Step 3
In the same pot, cook the onion (opens in a new tab) until soft, then add the garlic (opens in a new tab), ají paste and cumin (opens in a new tab) for 2 minutes. Stir in the coriander purée and fry for 3 minutes.
- 10 min
- medium heat
How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels Step 4
Return the chicken with the remaining water and salt and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the rice, carrot (opens in a new tab), pepper, corn (opens in a new tab) and potato (opens in a new tab) and simmer until the rice is soft and the chicken cooked through, about 18 minutes. Add the peas (opens in a new tab) for the last 5 minutes.
- 33 min
- medium-low heat
Food safety: Chicken must reach 74°C at the bone.
Step 5
Serve hot with lime (opens in a new tab) wedges.
How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels
About this dish
- Origin
- Peru · Well documentedMore food from Peru
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Soups · Main courses
- Cooking method
- Sautéed, Simmered, Blended
- Taste
- herby, savoury, spicy (chilli heat), fresh
- Diet
- No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-proteinWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Non-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Calorie-conscious - Good for
- One-pot · Uses leftovers
- Cook more with
- Coriander leaves · Chicken pieces, skin-on · Ají amarillo paste · Onion · Garlic · Cumin
- Techniques
- Sautéing · Simmering · Wet grinding · Emulsification
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
408 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 502 g · recipe makes 6
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 24%
- Carbohydrate 29%
- Fat 47%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 408 kcal | 81 kcal |
| Protein | 24 g | 4.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 29.5 g | 5.9 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 26.6 g | 5.3 g |
| Sugars | 3.7 g | 0.7 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 2.9 g | 0.6 g |
| Fat | 21.3 g | 4.2 g |
| Saturated fat | 5.1 g | 1 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 81 mg | 16 mg |
| Sodium | 895 mg | 178 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 2.2 g | 0.4 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 451 mg
- Calcium
- 76 mg
- Iron
- 2.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 49 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 211 µg
- Vitamin C
- 47 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.2 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.3 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 136 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- Optional ingredients are not included: sweet corn, potato.
- Ají amarillo paste: Raw hot chilli peppers (FDC 170106) used as a stand-in for puréed Peruvian yellow chilli; jarred pastes may add a little oil and salt.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Peruvians eat aguadito late at night after a party, reputedly to restore the revellers.
Common mistakes
- Cooking the coriander purée too long before adding liquid — it turns olive-brown; fry it just 3 minutes.
Food safety
- Rice soups thicken and cool slowly — refrigerate within 1 hour in shallow containers and reheat until piping hot.
Storage
- Keeps 3 days chilled; it thickens as the rice absorbs broth.
Reheating
- Reheat with extra water until piping hot.
Variations
- Aguadito de mariscos: Made with mixed seafood and fish stock instead of chicken.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- Chicken pieces, skin-on, bone-in thighs and drumsticks1000 g
- Long-grain white rice, rinsed150 g
- Carrot, diced1 piece · 60 g
- Red bell pepper, diced1 piece · 120 g
- Green peas, fresh shelled or frozen120 g
- Sweet corn, cob, cut into rounds (optional)1 piece · 90 g
- Potato, cut into chunks (optional)300 g
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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