Ajiaco soup is a comforting traditional Colombian dish. With chicken, corn on the cob, and plenty of herbs, this soup is rich in cultural history and flavor. It’s perfect for warm, cozy family dinner at home.
It was my very first first bite shortly after arriving in Bogotà, and it set the tone for the rest of my foodie travels through Colombia.
After flying overnight from Portland, Oregon to Houston, Texas, and finally landing in Bogota, Colombia at 5:00 am, I hopped onto a walking food tour and eagerly took my first bite of authentic Colombian cuisine: Ajiaco Soup.
The warm liquid soothed my airline-congested throat with comforting flavors of the Latin American herb guascas and nourishing chicken broth. I bit into the tender pieces of chicken, nibbled the quarters of corn on the cob in the soup, and followed my tour guide’s instructions to add bits of capers, rice, and sliced avocado to the soup for the full experience.
I started my time in Colombia with Ajiaco Soup, and just about ended my time in Colombia with this local favorite. I loved Ajiaco Soup so much that I ate it a total of four times during my 12-day trip from Bogota to Manizales to Cartagena to Mompox.
Since returning home, I knew I had to recreate this delicious Colombian dish. I hope you love this Ajiaco soup recipe as much as I do!
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
Here’s why you should make this Colombian soup recipe tonight:
- Comforting – This soup is truly comfort food at its finest. It’s hearty and satisfying without being heavy and overfilling.
- Easy to make – I noticed that everyone I talked to in Colombia makes this soup slightly different based on where they are in the country. And because most of you are here for quick, easy, delicious recipes that don’t require too much time or complicated steps, I’ve simplified the cooking process so you can easily make this at home in less time.
- Cozy family meal – I just love how this simple, humble soup has big, warm, cozy flavors in every spoonful. It’s chicken soup, elevated. It tastes like a meal you’d enjoy if you were invited to someone’s house for a big family Sunday supper.
Ingredient notes
My recipe is inspired by the Ajiaco soup I enjoyed during my Colombia travels. However, I’ve adapted the authentic Ajiaco recipe to include substitutions for some of the more traditional ingredients that can be difficult to find in the United States. If you want to go full authentic, and you can find all of the traditional ingredients, go with those!
- Chicken broth – Homemade chicken stock/chicken broth is the best for this soup, as it’s the main flavor base. But you can use storebought broth or stock too.
- Chicken – Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the most flavorful and tender for this soup. But you can use chicken breasts if you prefer.
- Potatoes – traditional Colombian Ajiaco is made with three different types of Colombian potatoes: papa pastusa, sabanera, and papa criolla. Since these can be challenging to find in the US, I use mini yukon gold potatoes. You can use a combination of Yukon gold, fingerlings, and any other small potatoes that might be local to your area.
- Corn on the cob – You’ll want to husk and then slice two ears of corn into 6-7 pieces.
- Aromatics – a base of onions and garlic build the flavor foundation for this soup.
- Herbs – Authentic Colombian Ajiaco is made with an aromatic herb known as guascas. If you can find that, use it! If you can’t, as I couldn’t in my Pacific Northwest hometown grocery stores, use a combination of bay leaves, dried oregano, and cilantro.
- Garnishes – Traditional Ajiaco soup is served with a variety of sides or garnishes, usually sour cream, rice, capers, and sliced avocado. Then you have the option to add them to your own soup bowl if you want. I, personally, love all of these additions to my soup!
Marlynn’s Tip
Recipe Tip
Slicing into corn on the cob requires a very sharp knife, as well as some decent arm strength. To make the task easier, you can microwave the corn on the cob for 30-45 seconds first, which softens the hard center and makes it easier to slice through.
Step-by-step instructions
Here are some quick overview instructions and step-by-step photos to show you how to make Ajiaco soup at home. You can refer to the recipe card down below for the full measurements and full directions.
- Add olive oil to a Dutch oven, then add the chicken, onions, and garlic. Sauté until all sides of the chicken are browned.
- Add the broth, potatoes, and herbs. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer.
- Remove the chicken to a plate.
- Add the corn and continue to cook.
- Separate the chicken meat from the bones. Discard the bones, and shred the remaining chicken meat. Add the chicken back to the pot.
- Continue cooking.
- Serve with sides of rice, sour cream, avocado, and capers.
Recipe FAQs
While you can freeze this soup, I would suggest limiting the time to one month. After that, the potatoes and corn really start to break down, and won’t give you the original pleasant texture when the soup thaws and when it’s reheated.
Allow the soup to cool down, then store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Serving suggestions
Because Ajiaco soup is served with sides of rice, avocado, capers, and sour cream, a bowl of it is often a hearty meal on its own. In fact, I will make it with Instant Pot Basmati rice or garlic rice, and no additional sides.
However, it’s great with a side of Spanish bread or Pandesal – two Filipino breads that are made for sopping up soups.
You can also serve this with pan-seared Chilean sea bass for a larger complete meal.
🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
This soup pairs well with a white wine like a lightly oaked Chardonnay.
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Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
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Ajiaco Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 cups chicken stock, plus more as needed
- 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, 12 to 16 ounces total
- ½ medium yellow onion, diced, about 1/3 cup
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
- 2 pounds mix of Yukon gold potatoes and fingerlings or red potatoes, cut roughly into 1-inch chunks
- 2 ears corn, shucked and broken into 3 pieces each
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Serve with:
- 1 cup cooked rice
- sour cream
- capers, rinsed, drained
- ripe avocado, sliced into wedges
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken, onion, and garlic. Brown the chicken on all sides.
- Add the chicken stock, bay leaves, potatoes, oregano, and cilantro. Add more stock or water if necessary to cover the chicken and potatoes by about 1-inch.
- Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook until chicken is cooked through (see notes), about 10-15 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to plate and set aside until cooled to room temperature.
- Add the corn cobs to the pot and cook until potatoes until they are completely tender and falling apart, about 30 minutes longer. Discard bay leaves. The soup should be thick, with large chunks of potatoes still remaining.
- Remove from heat. Discard chicken skin and bones. Shred meat into bite-size pieces and set aside in serving bowl.
- Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve immediately, with a side of cooked rice, sour cream, capers, and avocado.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
