Ajiaco santafereño
Non-vegetarian
Bogotá's beloved chicken and potato soup, thickened by potatoes that melt into the broth, with corn on the cob and served with cream, capers and avocado at the table.
Ajiaco santafereño is a Colombian soup, ready in about 1 hour 40 minutes and made with chicken breast, potato and guascas (dried). It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 1 h 15 min
- Total
- 1 h 40 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 345
Method
Step 1
Put the chicken, water, spring onions (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), cilantro (opens in a new tab) sprigs and 1 tsp salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil, skim, then simmer gently until the chicken is cooked, about 30 minutes.
- 35 min
- medium-low heat
- Stockpot / large pot (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Chicken should reach 74 °C in the thickest part.
Step 2
Lift out the chicken, cool and shred it. Discard the spring onions (opens in a new tab) and cilantro (opens in a new tab) sprigs.
- 5 min
Step 3
Add the thinly sliced potatoes (opens in a new tab) to the broth and simmer 15 minutes, then add the chunks, the corn (opens in a new tab) and the guascas (opens in a new tab) with the remaining salt and pepper (opens in a new tab). Simmer, stirring now and then, until the slices have dissolved to thicken the soup and the chunks are tender, about 30 minutes.
- 45 min
- low heat
Step 4
Return the chicken and simmer gently until it is steaming hot, then scatter with chopped cilantro (opens in a new tab). Serve with cream, capers (opens in a new tab), avocado (opens in a new tab) and rice for each person to add.
- 3 min
- low heat
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels
About this dish
- Origin
- Bogotá, Colombia · Well documentedMore food from Colombia
- Dish
- Lunch · Dinner · Soups · Main courses
- Cooking method
- Simmered, Boiled
- Taste
- savoury, herby, creamy, mild
- Diet
- No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · High-proteinWithout the optional extras: Whole-food focused, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Non-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Low-fat · Low-sodium · Calorie-conscious - Good for
- One-pot · Batch cooking · Festive & celebration
- Cook more with
- Chicken breast · Potato · Spring onion · Garlic · Coriander leaves · Sweet corn
- Techniques
- Boiling · Simmering · Knife skills
Allergens
- Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom heavy cream
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
345 kcal per serving
Estimated1 serving ≈ 799 g · recipe makes 6
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 37%
- Carbohydrate 53%
- Fat 10%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 345 kcal | 43 kcal |
| Protein | 32.5 g | 4.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 46 g | 5.8 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 40.3 g | 5 g |
| Sugars | 5 g | 0.6 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 5.7 g | 0.7 g |
| Fat | 4 g | 0.5 g |
| Saturated fat | 0.9 g | 0.1 g |
| Trans fat | 0 g | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 85 mg | 11 mg |
| Sodium | 863 mg | 108 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 2.2 g | 0.3 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 1437 mg
- Calcium
- 91 mg
- Iron
- 2.7 mg
- Magnesium
- 111 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 31 µg
- Vitamin C
- 46 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.2 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 69 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: heavy cream, capers, avocado, long-grain white rice.
- Guascas (dried): Dried parsley used as a stand-in for this dried leafy herb (Galinsoga parviflora); used in small amounts.
- “—” 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
- Guascas give ajiaco its signature flavour; if you can't find them, the soup is still good without — there is no real substitute.
Common mistakes
- Stirring too little once the potatoes break down — the thick soup can catch on the bottom.
Storage
- Refrigerate up to 3 days.
Reheating
- Reheat gently, adding a little water as it thickens.
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 breast, bone-in if possible700 g
- Potato, peeled; half sliced thinly, half in chunks1200 g
- Sweet corn, 3 cobs, cut into rounds300 g
- Capers (optional)3 tbsp · 26 g
- Avocado, sliced, to serve (optional)2 piece · 300 g
- Long-grain white rice (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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