Name: Pastuso Chicken Sancocho with Broad Beans and Ulluco
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 2 h 40 min
Total time: 3 h 25 min
Cuisine: Colombian
Ingredients: 1500 g bone-in stewing hen or mature chicken, cut into 8 pieces; 2800 ml water; 150 g white onion, quartered; 35 g scallion, cut into lengths; 18 g garlic, crushed; 12 g fine salt, divided; 2 g ground cumin; 1 g ground achiote, optional; 15 g cilantro stems, tied together; 2 tender corn ears, about 450 g total, each cut into 3 pieces; 1 large green cooking plantain, about 350 g peeled, cut into 5 cm chunks; 500 g fresh sweet cassava (yuca), peeled, woody core removed if present, cut into 5 cm pieces; 500 g potatoes, a mix of firm Andean and yellow criolla potatoes, quartered; 350 g fresh ulluco, scrubbed; halve larger tubers; 250 g fresh shelled broad beans, or frozen tender broad beans; 10 g fresh cilantro leaves, chopped; 1 lime, cut into wedges, optional; Homemade ají, served separately; check ingredients for allergens

Wide table view of chicken sancocho with corn, plantain, cassava and potatoes; ají and lime sit nearby.

Region Pasto, Nariño, in Colombia’s Andean southwest

Dish Thick chicken sancocho with Andean tubers and vegetables

Yield 8 servings

Active preparation 45 minutes

Cooking time About 2 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Pastuso Chicken Sancocho with Broad Beans and Ulluco

In Pasto, Nariño, sancocho is described as a particularly thick regional soup with fresh broad beans and ulluco. Nariño’s tourism authority also describes a creole-hen version with corn, potatoes, cassava, green plantain and aromatic herbs. This measured home adaptation brings those documented descriptions together in one pot for eight; it is not presented as a single definitive household formula.

Bone-in stewing hen or mature chicken gives the broth body, while corn, green plantain, sweet cassava, potatoes, ulluco and tender broad beans make it substantial. The ingredients go in at different times so they soften without all disappearing into the broth. Mashing a few cooked potato and plantain pieces thickens the soup without a separate flour thickener.

Mature hens vary in tenderness, so use the thermometer endpoint for safety and the fork-tender test for texture. Use sweet table cassava intended for cooking, not bitter cassava. Serve lime and ají separately so each person can season their bowl.

Ingredients

Hen and aromatic broth

1500 g bone-in stewing hen or mature chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2800 ml water
150 g white onion, quartered
35 g scallion, cut into lengths
18 g garlic, crushed
12 g fine salt, divided
2 g ground cumin
1 g ground achiote, optional
15 g cilantro stems, tied together

Corn and Andean vegetables

2 tender corn ears, about 450 g total, each cut into 3 pieces
1 large green cooking plantain, about 350 g peeled, cut into 5 cm chunks
500 g fresh sweet cassava (yuca), peeled, woody core removed if present, cut into 5 cm pieces
500 g potatoes, a mix of firm Andean and yellow criolla potatoes, quartered
350 g fresh ulluco, scrubbed; halve larger tubers
250 g fresh shelled broad beans, or frozen tender broad beans

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, salt, cumin, optional achiote and tied cilantro stems in the pot. Bring to a boil, skim the surface, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Partly cover and cook for about 90 minutes, checking that the thickest chicken pieces reach 73.9°C away from the bone. Continue simmering if the meat is not tender.
Add the corn and plantain. Add the corn and green plantain. Simmer gently for 20 minutes so they begin to soften and flavor the broth. Keep the pot at a steady simmer rather than a hard boil.
Add the cassava and potatoes. Stir in the peeled cassava and potatoes. Simmer for about 20 minutes, then add the ulluco and cook for another 15 minutes. The cassava should be soft throughout and the potatoes tender; adjust the timing if the pieces are larger or the chicken is especially mature.
Add the broad beans and thicken the broth. Stir in the tender broad beans and simmer for 10–15 minutes, until fully cooked. Lift out a few soft potato and plantain pieces, mash them with a little broth, and return them to the pot. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add a splash of hot water if the soup is thicker than you prefer.
Finish and serve. Check that all vegetables are fully tender and the chicken is cooked through. Remove the cilantro stems, stir in the chopped leaves, and taste before adding any more salt. Serve hot, making sure each bowl gets chicken, corn, plantain, cassava, potatoes, ulluco, broad beans and broth. Offer lime and ají separately.

Practical guidance

Practical

Nutrition per serving

Approximate estimate from the measured ingredients, assuming about 850 g cooked edible chicken from the bone-in bird and most of the broth is served. Bird age, skin, 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

Ulluco is a small Andean tuber; scrub it well and halve only the larger ones. If unavailable, replace it with an equal weight of waxy potato, understanding that the flavor and regional profile will change. Frozen tender broad beans may be added directly; cook until hot and soft. For the closest home-style result, use mature bone-in chicken and let the broth simmer gently. Use sweet edible cassava, peel it thoroughly, remove any woody core and cook until soft throughout. Keep raw chicken separate from ready-to-eat food, wash hands and utensils, and cook every piece to at least 73.9°C in its thickest part away from bone. The base recipe contains no major allergen; check packaged spices 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.

Final notes

For a thick broth: Mash a few cooked potato and plantain pieces with broth and stir them back into the pot. For tender vegetables: Add them in stages and keep the sancocho at a gentle simmer.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 of 8 portions
Energy: 450 kcal
Carbohydrate: 55 g
Protein: 31 g
Fat: 11 g
Fibre: 11 g
Sodium: 850 mg

Pastuso Chicken Sancocho with Broad Beans and Ulluco

Ingredients

Hen and aromatic broth

Corn and Andean vegetables

Finish and serve

Method

Practical

Nutrition per serving

Equipment

Practical guidance

Final notes

Nutrition per serving

Colombian National Dishes

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

Cartago-Style Valluno Beef Sancocho with Green Plantain and Cassava

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