Name: Ajiaco Santafereño Recipe (Bogotá Chicken and Potato Soup)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h
Cuisine: Colombian
Ingredients: 1 kg skinless, bone-in chicken breast, raw; 2.5 litres cold water; 2 large ears fresh corn, about 500 g total, each cut crosswise into 3 pieces; 500 g papa pastusa, peeled and sliced 1 cm thick; 500 g papa sabanera, peeled and cut into 2 cm pieces; 500 g papa criolla, washed and halved if large; if frozen, use without thawing; 20 g fresh guascas leaves, or 9 g dried guascas; 40 g long scallions (cebolla larga), tied into a loose bundle; 15 g garlic cloves, crushed; 30 g fresh cilantro, stems tied with the scallions and leaves reserved; 8 g fine salt, for the broth; 4 g fine salt, for the potatoes and finishing; 0.5 g ground black pepper, for the broth; 0.5 g ground black pepper, for finishing; 250 g long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained; 450 ml water; 2 g fine salt; 180 ml heavy cream, chilled; 60 g capers, drained and rinsed; 2 ripe avocados, about 300 g flesh, pitted and sliced at serving

Ajiaco Santafereño Recipe (Bogotá Chicken and Potato Soup)

Yield 6 generous servings

Serving basis One large bowl with one-sixth of the rice, about 30 ml cream, 10 g capers and 50 g avocado flesh

Difficulty Intermediate; watch the three potato textures as they cook

Dietary classification Omnivorous; contains chicken and milk

Prep 30 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Ajiaco Santafereño Recipe (Bogotá Chicken and Potato Soup)

Ajiaco santafereño: Bogotá’s three-potato soup

Ajiaco santafereño is a Bogotá soup built around chicken, corn, guascas and three Colombian potato varieties. The potatoes do different jobs: papa pastusa softens into the broth, papa criolla breaks down and brings a yellow color, and papa sabanera keeps more of its shape. The result is a thick, spoonable soup with both smooth body and distinct potato pieces.

Cream and capers are served at the table, with avocado and white rice alongside. This version follows that separate-garnish style, so diners can balance the rich broth with the sharp, briny and fresh toppings in their own bowls.

Plan on a steady simmer rather than a rapid boil. Cook the chicken in the broth first, then use the same liquid for the potatoes and corn. Add guascas late enough to keep its aroma clear, and return the shredded chicken at the end so it warms without drying out.

The Bogotá version is known for combining chicken and corn with three potatoes and guascas. The varieties matter: pastusa contributes starch to the broth, criolla softens substantially, and sabanera stays in more defined pieces. Do not treat them as three interchangeable potatoes.

Guascas is the herb that gives the soup its particular aroma. Fresh leaves and dried guascas both work, though dried leaves are more concentrated. Cream, capers and avocado belong beside the pot rather than cooked into it; this keeps the broth’s potato texture clear and lets each person season a bowl at the table.

Recipes differ in their ratios, and some include peas. This version leaves them out and keeps the three potato varieties, corn and chicken at the center. White rice is cooked separately and served with the soup.

Ingredients

Ajiaco

1 kg skinless, bone-in chicken breast, raw
2.5 litres cold water
2 large ears fresh corn, about 500 g total, each cut crosswise into 3 pieces
500 g papa pastusa, peeled and sliced 1 cm thick
500 g papa sabanera, peeled and cut into 2 cm pieces
500 g papa criolla, washed and halved if large; if frozen, use without thawing
20 g fresh guascas leaves, or 9 g dried guascas
40 g long scallions (cebolla larga), tied into a loose bundle
15 g garlic cloves, crushed
30 g fresh cilantro, stems tied with the scallions and leaves reserved
8 g fine salt, for the broth
4 g fine salt, for the potatoes and finishing
0.5 g ground black pepper, for the broth
0.5 g ground black pepper, for finishing

White rice

250 g long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained
450 ml water
2 g fine salt

Toppings

180 ml heavy cream, chilled
60 g capers, drained and rinsed
2 ripe avocados, about 300 g flesh, pitted and sliced at serving

Method

Prepare the vegetables and herb bundle Rinse the potatoes and prepare each variety separately. Peel and slice the pastusa 1 cm thick; peel and cut the sabanera into 2 cm pieces; halve large criolla potatoes. If using frozen criolla, keep it frozen until it goes into the pot. Cut each ear of corn into 3 pieces. Tie the scallions and cilantro stems together, add the crushed garlic to the bundle, and reserve the cilantro leaves.
Simmer the chicken and corn Put the chicken, corn, herb bundle, 2.5 litres cold water, 8 g salt and 0.5 g pepper in a heavy 6-litre pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a steady simmer. Cook for 35–45 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the thickest piece reaches 74°C on an instant-read thermometer. Lift the chicken to a clean plate. Leave the corn in the broth and simmer for another 10–15 minutes. Remove and discard the herb bundle.
Rest and shred the chicken Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes while the corn continues to simmer. Remove the meat from the bones and shred it into bite-size pieces. Keep it covered on the clean plate while the potatoes cook; discard the bones.
Cook the three potatoes Add the pastusa and sabanera to the broth and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the criolla and guascas, then cook for another 15–20 minutes, starting the time once the broth returns to a simmer. Stir occasionally. The criolla should break down and the broth should thicken, while the sabanera remains in soft but recognizable pieces. Stir in the remaining 4 g salt and 0.5 g pepper.
Cook the rice While the potatoes simmer, combine the rice, 450 ml water and 2 g salt in a covered saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, lower the heat and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and rest, still covered, for 5 minutes; fluff with a fork.
Finish the soup Return the shredded chicken and corn to the pot for the final 5 minutes. Stir gently and make sure the soup is steaming hot throughout. If the broth has become thicker than you like, loosen it with a little boiling water; do not add cold water at the end.
Serve with the toppings Ladle the soup into 6 bowls, dividing the chicken and corn evenly. Put rice in each bowl or serve it alongside. Pass the cream, capers, avocado and chopped cilantro separately so each person can add them at the table.

Practical guidance

Practical

What makes this version work

Use a gentle simmer for the bone-in chicken so the broth stays clear and the meat remains moist. Add papa criolla after the other potatoes; its breakdown thickens the soup without blending it. Keep capers, cream and avocado separate until serving, and add the shredded chicken only for the final minutes.

Practical guidance

Serving Ajiaco is a full meal with rice served alongside. Add a spoonful of cream, a few capers and avocado to each bowl at the table. Keep the garnishes separate until serving; cream and capers are not simmered in the pot. Make-ahead Cook the chicken, broth and potatoes up to one day ahead. Cool them promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate. Cook the rice fresh if possible. Reheat the soup to 74°C, then add the shredded chicken and corn; prepare cilantro, cream, capers and avocado just before serving. Storage and reheating Refrigerate soup and rice separately within 2 hours, in shallow containers, and use within 3–4 days. Reheat both to 74°C. The potatoes continue to soften in storage, so the broth may thicken; stir in a little boiling water while reheating. Store cream, capers and avocado separately. Substitutions Frozen papa criolla can replace fresh criolla in the same amount; add it frozen. If the Colombian varieties are unavailable, use a starchy potato such as russet for pastusa and a waxy red or white potato for sabanera. A small waxy yellow potato can approximate criolla, but it will not dissolve or color the broth in exactly the same way. Dried guascas can replace fresh leaves at the lower listed amount; no direct herb substitute is recommended because guascas gives the soup its defining aroma.

Troubleshooting

The broth stays thin: Let the criolla and pastusa simmer until some pieces break down. Do not puree the whole pot; sabanera should remain in pieces. The sabanera falls apart: Cut it into 2 cm pieces and avoid a hard boil. Add it with the pastusa, before the criolla. The chicken seems dry: Keep the simmer gentle, check the thickest piece with a thermometer, and return shredded meat only for the final 5 minutes.

Allergens and food safety

This version contains milk from the cream. Check packaged capers and guascas for declared allergens. Do not call the full meal gluten-free unless all packaged products and kitchen cross-contact conditions have been checked. Keep raw chicken refrigerated and separate from the cooked rice and other ready-to-eat food. Wash hands, the board and utensils after contact with raw poultry. Cook the thickest part of the chicken to 74°C and check with a food thermometer; appearance alone is not a reliable safety test. Refrigerate soup and rice within 2 hours and reheat leftovers to 74°C.

FAQ

What are the three potatoes used for? Papa pastusa softens and thickens the broth, papa criolla breaks down and gives it color, and papa sabanera holds its shape better. Their different textures are part of the soup. What is guascas? Guascas is an herb used in ajiaco santafereño. Fresh or dried leaves work; dried guascas is more concentrated, so use the smaller listed amount. Can I use frozen papa criolla? Yes. Add it straight from the freezer in the same 500 g amount; do not thaw it first.

To finish

Result: A thick Bogotá-style soup with tender chicken, corn, three distinct potato textures and guascas, finished at the table with rice, cream, capers and avocado. Decisive technique: Let the pastusa and criolla thicken the broth while the sabanera stays in recognizable pieces.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: One large bowl with one-sixth of the rice, about 30 ml cream, 10 g capers and about 50 g avocado
Calories: About 730 kcal
Carbohydrate: 94 g
Protein: 40 g
Fat: 23 g
Fibre: 12 g
Sodium: About 1,100 mg

Ajiaco Santafereño Recipe (Bogotá Chicken and Potato Soup)

Ingredients

Ajiaco

White rice

Toppings

Method

Practical

What makes this version work

Practical guidance

Troubleshooting

Allergens and food safety

FAQ

To finish

Nutrition per serving

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