Sancocho dominicano

Name: Sancocho dominicano
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 160 min
Yield: 8 bowls
Cuisine: Dominican
Ingredients: 600 g Chicken, bone-in thighs, skinned; 500 g Pork, shoulder or ribs, in chunks; 500 g Beef, chuck or shin, in chunks; 2 piece Lime, juiced; 6 clove Garlic, crushed; 1 tbsp Oregano, dried; 1 tbsp Salt; 3 tbsp Neutral oil; 1 large Onion, chopped; 1 medium Bell pepper, green, chopped; 1 bunch Coriander, stems chopped, leaves kept to finish; 3 l Water; 2 large Plantain, green, peeled, in thick rounds; grate half of one to thicken; 500 g Pumpkin, or butternut, peeled, in chunks; 400 g Potato, peeled, in chunks; 300 g Sweet potato, peeled, in chunks; 2 cob Corn, each cut into 4 pieces; 300 g White yam, or yautía, peeled, in chunks; 300 g Rice, cooked white rice, to serve; 2 piece Avocado, sliced, to serve

Sancocho

The Dominican celebration stew: several meats simmered with plantain, pumpkin, yam, corn and potato until the broth turns thick and golden.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: Sancocho.

Start cooking

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 2 hr
Rest: None
Total: 2 hr 40 min
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: No chilli
Cost: Treat yourself$28+ USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

About

Sancocho is a big-pot stew of meat and root vegetables that thickens itself as the starches break down. The Dominican version is proudly heavy on meat: the full sancocho de siete carnes uses seven, but a home pot with chicken, pork and beef is normal and plenty. The meats are marinated in lime, garlic and oregano, browned, and simmered with onion and pepper, then plantain, pumpkin, potato, corn on the cob and whatever roots you can find go in by order of cooking time. It is served in deep bowls with white rice, avocado and hot sauce on the side. This version uses three meats and the vegetables a supermarket outside the Caribbean can supply.

What you'll need

20 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 20 ready

8 servings

Meat
Marinade
Ingredients
Vegetables
To serve

Ingredients

Servings

Meat

Chicken, bone-in thighs, skinned600 g
Pork, shoulder or ribs, in chunks500 g
Beef, chuck or shin, in chunks500 g

Marinade

Lime, juiced2
Garlic, crushed6 clove
Oregano, dried15 ml
Salt15 ml

Ingredients

Neutral oil44 ml
Onion, chopped1 large
Bell pepper, green, chopped1 medium
Coriander, stems chopped, leaves kept to finish1 bunch
Water3 l

Vegetables

Plantain, green, peeled, in thick rounds; grate half of one to thicken2 large
Pumpkin, or butternut, peeled, in chunks500 g
Potato, peeled, in chunks400 g
Sweet potato, peeled, in chunks300 g
Corn, each cut into 4 pieces2 cob
White yam, or yautía, peeled, in chunks (optional)300 g

To serve

Rice, cooked white rice, to serve300 g
Avocado, sliced, to serve2

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Toss all the meat with lime juice, garlic, oregano and salt. Leave at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.
30 min
Step 2
Heat the oil in a very large pot and brown the beef and pork in batches. Add the onion, pepper and coriander stems and cook 5 minutes, then return all the meat, add the water, and bring to a simmer. Skim.
20 min
Step 3
Simmer gently, covered, for 1 hour. Add the chicken and simmer 20 minutes more.
80 min
Tip: Beef and pork need the head start. Chicken added early falls apart into strings.
Step 4
Add the plantain rounds, pumpkin, yam and sweet potato. Simmer 15 minutes. Add the potato and corn and the grated plantain, and simmer 20 minutes more until everything is soft and the broth has thickened to a loose porridge.
35 min
Step 5
Taste for salt and add a squeeze of lime if it tastes flat. Stir in the coriander leaves. Serve in deep bowls with white rice spooned in or alongside, avocado and hot sauce.
Watch: Sancocho catches on the bottom once it thickens. Stir from the base every few minutes in the last half hour.

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 866 kcal
Protein: 66.2 g
Carbs: 78.3 g
Fat: 33 g
Saturated fat: 9.1 g
Fibre: 10.2 g
Sugar: 18.2 g
Sodium: 1659 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

No major allergens flagged in the structured ingredients.

Dairy-free
Gluten-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.

Substitutions

Beef and pork → All chicken
Sancocho de pollo is a lighter, quicker weekday version. Cut the simmering to 40 minutes before the vegetables go in.

Tips

Grated green plantain is the thickener. If the broth is still thin at the end, mash some pumpkin and potato against the side of the pot.
Smoked pork ribs or a piece of longaniza sausage add a lot. If you find them, use them as one of the meats.
It is better the next day and freezes well, though the potato goes a little mealy.

History & culture

Sancocho is for Sundays, Christmas, birthdays, rainy days, hangovers and the end of a political campaign. It is cooked for a crowd and eaten over hours. A pot of sancocho means someone wanted people around. Dominicans call it the national dish in the same breath as la bandera, and both are right.

The word and the idea come from Spanish cocido via the Canary Islands, where sancocho is a fish stew. Taíno roots like yautía and African cooking turned it into something else on Hispaniola. Every Spanish-speaking Caribbean and Andean country has its own; the Dominican one is distinguished by the number of meats and by plantain and pumpkin thickening the broth.

Regional variation — Three meats, not seven, and no yautía or ñame unless your shop has them. Sweet potato and extra potato fill in. The stew still thickens and tastes right.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Sancocho dominicano take?

2 hr 40 min all in — 40 min prep, 2 hr 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 8 bowls. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Medium.

How spicy is it?

No chilli.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Gluten-free.

What does it cost to cook?

Treat yourself — about $28+ USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

7 more questions

What equipment do I need?

Stockpot, Chef's knife, Cutting board.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at 1 tbsp.

What can I use instead?

Beef and pork → All chicken. Sancocho de pollo is a lighter, quicker weekday version. Cut the simmering to 40 minutes before the vegetables go in.

What should I watch for?

Sancocho catches on the bottom once it thickens. Stir from the base every few minutes in the last half hour.

Any tips from this recipe?

Grated green plantain is the thickener. If the broth is still thin at the end, mash some pumpkin and potato against the side of the pot. Smoked pork ribs or a piece of longaniza sausage add a lot. If you find them, use them as one of the meats. It is better the next day and freezes well, though the potato goes a little mealy.

Can I prepare this ahead?

It is better the next day and freezes well, though the potato goes a little mealy. Toss all the meat with lime juice, garlic, oregano and salt. Leave at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.