Ajiaco
Ajiaco santafereño
Bogotá chicken and potato soup with corn, cream, capers and avocado — three potatoes if you can, one pot either way.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: Ajiaco santafereño.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 10 min
- Rest
- None
- Total
- 1 hr 30 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Ajiaco is a Bogotá soup of chicken, corn on the cob, and several potatoes (including the small yellow papas criollas that dissolve and thicken the broth). You finish each bowl with cream, capers, avocado and a handful of guasca if you find the herb. This home pot uses whatever potatoes you have and a bay-and-herb stand-in for guasca. It should be thick, not a clear consommé. A Bogotá pot wants chicken, corn on the cob, and several potatoes, including small yellow ones that break down and thicken the broth. If you cannot find papas criollas, use a mix of waxy and floury potatoes and accept the texture shift. Guasca is the local herb; bay, parsley and a little dried herb are a named stand-in. Finish each bowl with cream, capers and avocado. It should be thick enough for a spoon to stand, not a clear consommé.
Ingredients
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Simmer chicken, onion, garlic, bay and salt 35 minutes. Lift the chicken, shred, discard bones.
40 minStep 2
Add potatoes and corn. Simmer until some potatoes collapse and thicken the broth, 25 minutes. Return the chicken.
25 minStep 3
Bowls: soup, cream, avocado, capers or olives, coriander. A side of rice and avocado is Bogotá logic.
5 min
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 10 October.
Substitutions
Three potato varieties → One floury, one waxy
Still ajiaco-shaped. Papas criollas are the missing silk.
Tips
- Guasca (dried) is the Bogotá herb if an online shop has it. A little oregano is a pale stand-in — say so.
- The soup should coat a spoon. Mash a few potatoes in the pot if it is thin.
History & culture
Santa Fe de Bogotá Sunday lunch. The toppings are not garnish — they are how you build the bowl. Santa Fe de Bogotá Sunday lunch. The toppings are how you build the bowl, not garnish. Families argue about how many potato types and whether the chicken stays on the bone. It is a highland soup. Do not confuse it with Peruvian ajiaco, which is a different potato pot with the same first name.
Andean potato soup meeting chicken after the Columbian exchange. Guasca is the local herb that bottled versions try to fake. Andean potato soup meeting chicken after the Columbian exchange. That is a crop-and-pot fact, not a discovery tale. Guasca (Galinsoga) is the herb bottled versions try to fake. You are simmering chicken, maize and potatoes into a thick bowl and finishing it at the table.
Regional variation
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Ajiaco take?
1 hr 30 min all in — 20 min prep, 1 hr 10 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 6 bowls. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Gluten-free.
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Stockpot.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 2 tsp.
What can I use instead?
Three potato varieties → One floury, one waxy. Still ajiaco-shaped. Papas criollas are the missing silk.
Any tips from this recipe?
Guasca (dried) is the Bogotá herb if an online shop has it. A little oregano is a pale stand-in — say so. The soup should coat a spoon. Mash a few potatoes in the pot if it is thin.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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