Ajiaco Santafereño (Bogotá Chicken and Potato Soup)
Bogotá's beloved soup: chicken simmered with three kinds of potato and corn on the cob until the papa criolla melts into a thick, golden broth, perfumed with the herb guascas. Served with cream, capers, avocado and rice.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Make the chicken broth
In a large pot, bring the chicken, 2.5 litres of water, scallions, garlic, coriander and salt to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam. Lower the heat so it just bubbles gently and simmer for about 30 minutes.
- 1kg chicken
- 2.5 litres water
- 3 scallions
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 small bunch coriander
- 1½ tsp salt
✅ Done when: chicken is cooked through (internal temp 74°C / 165°F)
Shred the chicken
Lift the chicken out of the broth and discard the scallions and coriander. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat into shreds and discard the skin and bones.
- 1kg cooked chicken
Cook the potatoes
Add all three kinds of potato to the broth and simmer gently for about 25 minutes, stirring now and then.
- 500g
- 500g red potatoes
- 500g white floury potatoes
✅ Done when: papa criolla has broken down and the soup looks thickened
Add the corn and guascas
Add the corn and and simmer for 15 more minutes. Return the shredded chicken to the pot and adjust the salt to taste.
- 3 corn pieces
- 3 tbsp
- 1kg shredded chicken
- to taste salt
✅ Done when: soup is thick but still pours easily from a ladle
Serve
Ladle the soup into deep bowls with a piece of corn in each. Set the cream, capers and sliced avocado on the table so everyone adds their own.
- 3 corn pieces (from step 4)
- 200ml cream
- 4 tbsp capers
- 2 avocados
Make the chicken broth
In a large pot, bring the chicken, 2.5 litres of water, scallions, garlic, coriander and salt to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam. Lower the heat so it just bubbles gently and simmer for about 30 minutes.
- 1kg chicken
- 2.5 litres water
- 3 scallions
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 small bunch coriander
- 1½ tsp salt
✅ Done when: chicken is cooked through (internal temp 74°C / 165°F)
Shred the chicken
Lift the chicken out of the broth and discard the scallions and coriander. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat into shreds and discard the skin and bones.
- 1kg cooked chicken
Cook the potatoes
Add all three kinds of potato to the broth and simmer gently for about 25 minutes, stirring now and then.
- 500g
- 500g red potatoes
- 500g white floury potatoes
✅ Done when: papa criolla has broken down and the soup looks thickened
Add the corn and guascas
Add the corn and and simmer for 15 more minutes. Return the shredded chicken to the pot and adjust the salt to taste.
- 3 corn pieces
- 3 tbsp
- 1kg shredded chicken
- to taste salt
✅ Done when: soup is thick but still pours easily from a ladle
Serve
Ladle the soup into deep bowls with a piece of corn in each. Set the cream, capers and sliced avocado on the table so everyone adds their own.
- 3 corn pieces (from step 4)
- 200ml cream
- 4 tbsp capers
- 2 avocados
The Story Behind the Dish
Ajiaco blends indigenous Muisca ingredients — native potatoes, corn and the wild herb guascas — with the chicken brought by the Spanish. It became the emblematic dish of Santa Fe de Bogotá, the capital's colonial name, which is why it's called santafereño.
In the cool Andean capital, a steaming bowl of ajiaco is the classic Sunday family lunch.
⭐ Why It's Famous
Three potatoes give it a uniquely creamy body, and guascas add an earthy, herbal flavour found nowhere else.
💡 Fun Fact
Papa criolla, the small yellow potato that thickens ajiaco, is so delicate it's rarely exported fresh — Colombians abroad often rely on frozen ones.
Bogotá
4.71°N, -74.07°W
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