Name: Orocué Sancocho with Ahuyama, Cassava and Green Plantain (Chicken Adaptation)
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 1 h 50 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Cuisine: Colombian
Ingredients: 1500 g bone-in chicken pieces for stewing; 2600 ml water; 150 g white onion, quartered; 35 g scallion, cut into lengths; 18 g garlic, crushed; 10 g fine salt, divided; 2 g ground cumin; 1 g ground achiote, optional; 15 g cilantro stems, tied together; 800 g ahuyama or firm orange squash, peeled and cut into 4 cm chunks; 700 g fresh sweet cassava (yuca), peeled, woody core removed if present, cut into 5 cm pieces; 1 large green cooking plantain, about 350 g peeled, cut into 5 cm chunks; 10 g fresh cilantro leaves, chopped; 1 lime, cut into wedges, optional; Homemade ají, served separately; check ingredients for allergens

Wide view of chicken, ahuyama squash, yuca and green plantain sancocho with lime nearby.

Region Orocué, Casanare, in Colombia’s Orinoquía Llanos

Dish A sancocho with ahuyama squash, cassava and plantain

Yield 8 servings

Active preparation 40 minutes

Cooking time About 1 hour 50 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Orocué Sancocho with Ahuyama, Cassava and Green Plantain (Chicken Adaptation)

In Orocué, the dish is known as sancocho de galápaga and is associated with ahuyama, cassava (yuca) and plantain. The name refers to the sabanera turtle, a wild species facing conservation pressures in the Llanos.

This practical home adaptation keeps those three vegetables and uses ordinary food-market chicken instead of wild turtle. It is not a recreation of a historic galápaga formula or a claim that chicken is the traditional protein. The substitution avoids encouraging the capture, purchase or preparation of wildlife whose lawful sourcing is uncertain and whose populations are under pressure.

The broth is simmered gently with onion, scallion, garlic and cilantro stems. Cassava and green plantain cook first; ahuyama goes in later so it softens while keeping some shape. A little mashed squash and plantain gives the soup a rustic body. Use sweet cassava sold for cooking, never bitter cassava.

Ingredients

Chicken and aromatic broth

1500 g bone-in chicken pieces for stewing
2600 ml water
150 g white onion, quartered
35 g scallion, cut into lengths
18 g garlic, crushed
10 g fine salt, divided
2 g ground cumin
1 g ground achiote, optional
15 g cilantro stems, tied together

Llanos vegetables

800 g ahuyama or firm orange squash, peeled and cut into 4 cm chunks
700 g fresh sweet cassava (yuca), peeled, woody core removed if present, cut into 5 cm pieces
1 large green cooking plantain, about 350 g peeled, cut into 5 cm chunks

Finish and serve

10 g fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges, optional
Homemade ají, served separately; check ingredients for allergens

Method

Start the chicken broth. Put the chicken, water, onion, scallion, garlic, cumin, optional achiote, cilantro stems and about two-thirds of the salt in the pot. Bring to a boil, skim the surface, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Partly cover and cook for about 55–65 minutes. Check the thickest chicken piece away from the bone with a thermometer; it must reach 73.9°C. Continue simmering until the meat is fork-tender.
Add the cassava and plantain. Stir in the peeled cassava and green plantain. Simmer gently for about 25 minutes, turning the pieces once or twice so they cook evenly. The cassava should be soft through the centre and the plantain should begin to yield to a fork.
Add the ahuyama. Add the squash and the remaining salt. Simmer for 15–20 minutes, until the squash is tender but still holds its shape. If the cassava needs longer, remove the squash when ready and return it near the end.
Give the broth its rustic body. Check that the chicken and cassava are fully cooked. Lift out a few soft pieces of squash and plantain, mash them with a ladleful of broth, then stir the mash back into the pot. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add a little hot water if the soup is thicker than you prefer.
Finish and serve. Remove the cilantro stems, stir in the chopped leaves and taste before adding more salt. Serve hot, making sure each bowl includes chicken, ahuyama, cassava, plantain and broth. Offer lime and ají separately.

Practical guidance

Practical

Nutrition per serving

Approximate estimate from the measured ingredients; assumes about 850 g cooked edible chicken from the bone-in pieces and that most of the broth is served. Chicken cut, skin, produce variety, edible yield and salt retained can change the values; this is not a laboratory analysis.

Equipment

Use a heavy pot of at least 6 litres, a sharp knife, a cutting board, a ladle and a food thermometer. Keep raw poultry and its utensils separate from washed produce and ready-to-eat foods.

Practical guidance

Ahuyama is a firm orange squash used in Colombian cooking; a similar firm winter squash works if it is unavailable. Cut the pieces evenly so they soften at the same rate. If you prefer a clearer broth, do not mash the vegetables. For a thicker, more rustic soup, mash only a few pieces and stir them back in. Use sweet edible cassava intended for cooking. Peel it thoroughly, remove any woody core and cook it until soft throughout. Do not use bitter cassava without appropriate processing. Keep raw chicken separate from ready-to-eat foods, wash hands and utensils after handling it, and cook every piece to at least 73.9°C in the thickest part away from bone. The base recipe contains no major allergen; check packaged seasonings and ají for allergens or cross-contact. Cool leftovers in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Keep refrigerated for 3–4 days or freeze. Reheat throughout to 73.9°C, stirring regularly. Do not source or substitute wild turtle for the chicken in this recipe.

Final notes

For a thicker broth: Mash a few cooked squash and plantain pieces with broth and stir them back into the pot. For vegetables that hold their shape: Add the squash later and keep the sancocho at a gentle simmer.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 of 8 portions
Energy: 420 kcal
Carbohydrate: 67 g
Protein: 28 g
Fat: 9 g
Fibre: 7 g
Sodium: 650 mg

Orocué Sancocho with Ahuyama, Cassava and Green Plantain (Chicken Adaptation)

Ingredients

Chicken and aromatic broth

Llanos vegetables

Finish and serve

Method

Practical

Nutrition per serving

Equipment

Practical guidance

Final notes

Nutrition per serving

Colombian National Dishes

Cartago-Style Valluno Beef Sancocho with Green Plantain and Cassava

Llanos-Style Sancocho with Carne Oreada, Green Plantain and Cassava

Valle del Cauca Oxtail Sancocho with Green Plantain and Cassava