A hearty Peruvian soup of chicken, rice and yellow potatoes, simmered with onion, garlic, beer and Peruvian chili peppers and finished with a big handful of fresh cilantro. The cilantro gives the broth its signature green color and fresh flavor, and the soup is served piping hot on cold days and after long nights.
Ingredients
Instructions
Put the chicken, water and 1 teaspoon of salt in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Lift the chicken out, reserving all the broth. When cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones and cut or shred it into large pieces.
In a large clean pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, ají panca paste and paprika, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are golden. Pour in the beer and stir for a minute or two, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom.
Add the ají amarillo paste, green beans, squash and 6 cups of the reserved broth and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and simmer for 10 minutes, then stir in the rice. Cover and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes, until the rice and potatoes are tender, adding a little more broth if the soup gets too thick.
Meanwhile, blend the cilantro with ½ cup of the remaining broth until completely smooth. Return the shredded chicken to the pot, stir in the cilantro purée and the parsley, and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Serve hot in deep bowls, with lime wedges and a little extra cilantro.
Nutrition430 estimated calories per serving
Notes
Ají amarillo and ají panca are Peruvian chili peppers, sold as pastes in Latin American markets and online.
If you cannot find ají amarillo, use 1 seeded serrano or jalapeño pepper, blended into the cilantro. If you cannot find ají panca, use a little extra paprika.
The cilantro purée goes in near the end so that the soup stays bright green and keeps its fresh flavor.
The rice keeps absorbing broth as the soup stands, so thin leftovers with a little hot water or broth when reheating.
Variations
Add peas, corn kernels and diced carrots, which many Peruvian cooks include.
Use bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks instead of breasts. They simmer for a little longer and give the broth more flavor.
Replace the rice with quinoa, which cooks in about 20 minutes.
Add a splash of lime juice to each bowl, or serve with a spicy ají sauce.
Source
Aguadito is a Peruvian chicken soup built around a large amount of cilantro, which turns the broth bright green, with yellow potatoes, rice and yellow chili pepper. Corn, peas and carrots are common additions. In Peru it is a popular remedy for the flu and for a hangover, and it is said to “raise the dead.”
The version here follows a Spanish-language cookbook that fries the onion, garlic and ají panca, adds beer and then simmers the rice and potatoes in the stew. No source I found documents the soup’s history.