Sancocho is a hearty chicken and vegetable soup, considered by some to be the unofficial national dish of Panama. It’s also rumored to do an excellent job nursing a hangover- and is very customizable depending on what you like and have available.
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 1 hour 20 mins
Total time: 1 hour 50 mins
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken, or mix of bone-in, skin-on pieces (2-3 lbs total)
1 tbsp culantro – long cilantro (or ½ cup chopped cilantro)
1 large onion
2 celery stalks or 1 cup of chopped celery
1 lb yuca root (cassava)
1 lb yams or red potatoes
2 ears of corn
1 carrot
2 green plantains (or extra carrots and/or potatoes if you can’t find plantains)
5 cups of water
4 cups of chicken stock (or water)
3-5 garlic cloves
2 tsp olive oil
Salt & pepper
Oregano, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves to taste
Instructions:
Chop the onion, garlic, celery, and culantro/cilantro.
In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic. Cook for 3-4 minutes until soft and fragrant.
Add the chicken and lightly brown for 5-10 minutes.
Add 4 cups of chicken stock/water, or enough to cover the chicken, and the culantro/cilantro. Cover and increase the heat to high to bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook until chicken is longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 20 minutes if the chicken is in pieces, 45 minutes if whole. A thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). While the chicken is cooking, prep your vegetables: peel the plantains and chop into 2-inch pieces. Peel and cut the yuca, yams/potatoes and carrot into 1-inch cubes. Cut the corn into large rounds.
Remove the chicken and let cool. Add yuca, yams/potatoes, plantains, carrot, corn, and any additional herbs to the soup and add more water to cover, if necessary; cook over medium heat until the root vegetables are softened but still firm, about 35 minutes.
Discard the chicken skin and bones. Place meat back into the soup; stir to combine.
Add salt and black pepper to taste, and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
Serve on its own or with rice, sliced avocado, a lime wedge, and/or your favorite hot sauce.
¡Buen provecho!
