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Caribbean · Colombian

Sancocho

Non-vegetarian

A hearty chicken soup-stew packed with cassava, green plantain, potato and corn on the cob, flavoured with cilantro and lime — Sunday food in much of the Spanish-speaking Caribbean and Colombia.

Sancocho is a Caribbean soup, ready in about 1 hour 45 minutes and made with chicken pieces, skin-on, cassava and plantain. It serves 8 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Bowl of sancocho, pork and vegetable stew with potato and corn
Photo: Daguerreroa / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
25 min
Cook
1 h 20 min
Total
1 h 45 min
Serves
8
Level
Easy
Calories
514

Ingredients

8 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Toss the chicken with the lime juice (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), oregano (opens in a new tab) and 1 tsp salt and leave 15 minutes while you prepare the vegetables.

    • 15 min

    Food safety: Keep raw chicken separate from the vegetables you are peeling.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oil in a large stockpot and brown the chicken lightly with the onion (opens in a new tab), green pepper (opens in a new tab) and half the cilantro (opens in a new tab).

    Meat searing in a hot pan
    How it looks · Photo: Skylar Kang on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Add the water, bring to the boil and skim. Add the corn (opens in a new tab) and simmer, partly covered, for 30 minutes.

    • 30 min
    • medium-low heat

  4. Step 4

    Add the cassava (opens in a new tab) and plantain (opens in a new tab) and simmer 20 minutes, then add the potatoes (opens in a new tab) and remaining salt and simmer until everything is tender and some of the potato has collapsed to thicken the broth, about 20 minutes.

    • 40 min
    • medium-low heat

  5. Step 5

    Stir in the remaining cilantro (opens in a new tab), adjust the salt and serve in deep bowls with avocado (opens in a new tab) and rice on the side.

    • 2 min

About this dish

Origin
Not attributed to one place · Origin disputedSancocho is a national dish in several countries, including the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Panama, each with its own style.Also popular in Dominican Republic, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Venezuela
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Soups · Stews & braises · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered, Stewed
Taste
savoury, herby, mild, fresh
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Low-sodium
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Batch cooking · Festive & celebration · Uses leftovers
Cook more with
Chicken pieces, skin-on · Cassava · Plantain · Lime juice · Garlic · Dried oregano
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering · Stewing

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

514 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 645 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 24%
  • Carbohydrate 32%
  • Fat 44%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy514 kcal80 kcal
Protein31.2 g4.8 g
Carbohydrate41.8 g6.5 g
Net carbohydrate38.4 g5.9 g
Sugars8.1 g1.3 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre3.4 g0.5 g
Fat25 g3.9 g
Saturated fat6.8 g1 g
Trans fat0.2 g0 g
Cholesterol113 mg17 mg
Sodium712 mg110 mg
Salt equivalent1.8 g0.3 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
852 mg
Calcium
75 mg
Iron
2.3 mg
Magnesium
80 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
93 µg
Vitamin C
42 mg
Vitamin D
0.3 µg
Vitamin B12
0.5 µg
Folate (DFE)
53 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: avocado, long-grain white rice.
  • “—” 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

  • Cassava must always be cooked through; remove the fibrous core before cooking.

Common mistakes

  • Adding all the root vegetables at once — they cook at different speeds.

Serve with

  • Serve with white rice, avocado and hot sauce.

Food safety

  • Never eat cassava raw; it must be peeled and thoroughly cooked.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 3 days.

Reheating

  • Reheat to a full simmer.

Variations

  • Sancocho de siete carnes (Dominican Republic): A festive Dominican version with seven different meats.
  • Sancocho de pescado (Colombia): A Colombian coastal version made with fish and coconut.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

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

Used in steps 1, 3, 4, 5

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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