Colombian Main

Sancocho de Gallina

Sancocho de Gallina is a substantial Colombian chicken soup with yuca, green plantain, corn and potato in a coriander-scented broth. This version uses measured ingredients, clear visual cues and the traditional flavour balance that makes the dish distinctive.

Jump to recipe More Colombian food
30 minsPrep time
1 hr 25 minsCook time
Serves 6Servings
MediumDifficulty
Sancocho de Gallina
About this dish

Sancocho de Gallina: the story on the plate

Sancocho de Gallina is a Colombian main with a clear sense of place. Sancocho is not a single recipe but a broad family of soups found across Colombia and the Caribbean. Chicken versions are common for family gatherings and rural cooking, with regional combinations of roots, corn and plantain. The recipe below keeps the defining ingredients and technique intact while giving practical metric quantities and enough detail for a home cook to judge texture, seasoning and doneness rather than simply follow a timer.

Historical background

Sancocho is not a single recipe but a broad family of soups found across Colombia and the Caribbean. Chicken versions are common for family gatherings and rural cooking, with regional combinations of roots, corn and plantain.

Why it is famous

A large pot of sancocho is social food, often cooked outdoors for groups and associated with Sundays, holidays and long communal lunches.

Cultural significance

A large pot of sancocho is social food, often cooked outdoors for groups and associated with Sundays, holidays and long communal lunches.

Nutrition

Estimated nutrition per serving

These figures are estimates per serving. Actual nutrition can vary with the brands and exact amounts you use, how much oil, dressing or sauce is absorbed, any substitutions or added extras, and the portion size served.

A practical guide for comparing recipes and planning meals.

650Calories
49gProtein
75gCarbs
18gFat
Ingredients

What you need

  • 1400 free-range chicken pieces
  • 500 yuca or cassava, peeled and chunked
  • 2 green plantain, peeled and chunked
  • 500 potatoes, peeled and halved
  • 3 corn cobs, cut into pieces
  • 120 Spring onions
  • 250 tomatoes, chopped
  • 15 Garlic
  • 1 ground cumin
  • 60 fresh coriander
  • 2800 water
  • 2 lime, to serve
Method

Step-by-step method

Follow the recipe in order, tasting and adjusting seasoning where needed.

  1. Brown the chicken lightly in a large stockpot with a spoonful of oil. Add spring onions, tomatoes, garlic and cumin and cook 5 minutes until fragrant.
  2. Pour in water, bring to a boil, skim and reduce to a gentle simmer for 25 minutes. Add corn and green plantain and cook another 20 minutes.
  3. Add yuca and potatoes, keeping the pieces generous so they do not disappear into the broth. Simmer 25–30 minutes until all the roots are tender.
  4. Lift out any woody central fibre from the yuca pieces as it becomes visible. Stir in half the coriander and simmer 5 minutes.
  5. Taste the broth for salt and body. Mash one small piece of yuca or potato into the liquid if you want a slightly fuller texture, but keep the soup brothy.
  6. Serve each bowl with chicken, corn, plantain, yuca and potato. Finish with fresh coriander and a squeeze of lime.
Cook smarter

Tips, storage and serving advice

Shopping tips

Choose pre-cooked maize flour labelled for arepas/empanadas, firm green plantains for savoury dishes and very ripe black-speckled plantains for sweets. Fresh coriander and good avocados make a noticeable difference. Check labels on compound ingredients such as sauces, spice blends, stocks, kimchi, fermented pastes and prepared breads when cooking for allergies.

Ingredient quality

For Sancocho de Gallina, prioritise fresh or properly stored versions of free-range chicken pieces, yuca or cassava, green plantain, potatoes; speciality seasonings should smell vivid rather than stale.

Common mistakes

Adding every root at once makes some dissolve before others cook; yuca must be peeled thoroughly; a hard boil shreds chicken and clouds the broth.

Chef’s tips

Cut dense roots into similarly large pieces but stagger their addition according to cooking time.

How to know it is cooked

Chicken is tender, yuca is creamy without fibres, plantain is soft and corn is juicy.

Plating advice

Use deep wide bowls so every diner receives one of each major component.

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