Recipe: Sancocho (Chicken Soup)

Ingredients:

Canola oil

1 onion

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano Leaves

Salt

Pepper

1 quart chicken broth

2 lbs. ñame, peeled and chunked (potatos can be substituted)

1 yucca

3 carrots

About six cloves of garlic

About 4 tbsps. chopped cilantro

 

2 ears of corn

What I do:

I start by heating some canola oil in a large soup pot. I slice one of the onions into thin half circles and then throw those in and let them start cooking. Then I add the chicken, season with some oregano, salt and pepper and cook until the meat is done. Scoop out the chicken and onions and put in a bowl for later. (I use one of the onions so the chicken can absorb the flavor as it cooks). Save the juices in the pot to cook the root vegetables.

I cut the root veggies into cubes about an inch each way and add them to the pot in the order I think they will take longest to cook: sweet potato, yucca, potato, carrot As they cook and get tender, I gradually add chicken broth to the pot so they always have a little bit of liquid to cook in. I slice the rest of the onions into half rounds and throw those in, then season the mix with some more (maybe two tablespoons) of oregano, salt, and let cook for a few minutes. As they're cooking,

After the root veggies are pretty soft, I add the rest of the chicken broth and the corn (broken into half ears). I cut the chicken from the first step into chunks and add it (with the cooked onions) to the pot. Bring to a boil and then let simmer. The longer the better because the flavors will meld more. I always like my soups thicker, closer to a stew so I let mine go quite a while to thicken.