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Home » Recipes » Soup

Colombian Chicken Soup: Ajiaco

February 9, 2023 Updated February 24, 2023 by Lisa Goldfinger 73 Comments This post may contain affiliate links

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columbian chicken soup in a black bowl and a close up of some colombian chicken soup in a soup pot

There's no cream in this delicious creamy Colombian chicken soup. Ajiaco (the Spanish name) is thickened with potatoes and corn and has plenty of tender shredded chicken, vegetables and potatoes to make this a super satisfying meal.

Bowl filled with thick rich chicken soup that has lots of shredded chicken, corn, potatoes and cubes of avocado on top

Ajiaco a very hearty soup, verging on stew. In this recipe, the broth is rich and creamy but without any cream or dairy. It's made from chicken stock, pureed corn and grated potatoes. Once the soup has cooked down to a wonderfully thick consistency, more corn and potatoes are added, along with shredded chicken, carrots, cilantro, and lime juice.

The final tasty layer of this flavorful soup is a topping of cubed avocados and salty capers.

roast chicken for soup

Chicken thighs are so delicious when you simply salt and pepper them, drizzle a little olive oil over them, and roast them in the oven for 20 minutes. Then they can easily be shredded and added to the soup.

Shredded roast chicken for Colombian Chicken Soup

An Adaptation of Traditional Ajiaco

Ajiaco is a very popular dish in Bogota, Colombia's capital city. My version is inspired by the classic Colombian dish but not quite the same. If you're looking for the traditional Ajaco, here's an authentic recipe.

The traditional recipe calls for whole chunks of corn on the cob. I opted for kernels. 

bowl of thick chicken soup filled with shredded chicken, cubes of potato, corn kernels, sliced carrots and topped with cubes of avocado

Another ingredient always found in the traditional version is an herb called guasca, which is common in South America but also not so easy to find outside of SA, at least not in Newton Massachusetts. Luckily, a couple of bay leaves simmered in the broth make a good substitute.

Dutch oven filled with chicken soup that's loaded with shredded chicken, corn kernels and cubed potatoes

I like to serve Colombian chicken soup with this citrusy green salad. It makes a great weeknight dinner but I also wouldn't hesitate to serve it to company.  

More Flavorful Hearty Soup Recipes:

  • Coconut Curry Chicken Soup
  • Beef Mushroom Soup
  • Minestrone Soup with Beef
  • Greek Lemon Chicken Soup with Rice
  • Rich Homemade Chicken Soup

Colombian Chicken Soup with creamy corn-potato broth and lots of veggies

Here's the recipe for Ajiaco: Colombian Chicken Soup. If you try this recipe I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and a comment. I'd love to know what you think!

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Recipe

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Colombian Chicken Soup: Creamy with no cream or dairy - thickened with potatoes and corn.

Colombian Chicken Soup: Ajiaco


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.7 from 20 reviews

  • Author: Lisa Goldfinger
  • Total Time: 55 mins
  • Yield: 6-8 1x
Print Recipe

Description

Creamy chicken Soup, thickened with potatoes and corn, brimming with tender chicken, potatoes and vegetables. naturally gluten-free and dairy free.

Adapted from a recipe in Cooking Light Global Kitchen


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 12 boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • several grinds of fresh ground black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 cup chopped onion (1 medium onion)
  • 5 cups low salt chicken broth (such as Swanson's), divided
  • 2 cups corn kernels, divided (fresh or frozen & defrosted)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 bay leaves (substitute 2 teaspoons chopped guasca, if you can find it)
  • 2 medium baking potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and grated or finely diced.
  • 3 medium yukon gold potatoes or other waxy potatoes (about 1 pound) peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes.
  • 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise (about ¾ cup)
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce or other hot pepper sauce
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Garnish

  • 1 cup cubed avocado, spritzed with a little lime juice to keep it from turning brown
  • 1 ½ tablespoons capers, rinsed

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Spread chicken thighs out in a large baking dish that holds them in a single layer. Sprinkle with 1 ½ teaspoons salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Roast in the middle of the oven for 20-25 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Remove baking dish from oven. Cover with foil and set aside for 10-15 minutes. Shred chicken by hand or by pulling it apart with two forks.
  2. In a blender, puree 1 cup of corn with 1 ½ cups chicken broth. Set aside.
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large dutch oven or soup kettle over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until softened. Pour corn puree to the pot, along with the grated or finely diced baking potatoes, the remaining 3 ½ cups chicken broth, oregano, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cubed Yukon gold potatoes and sliced carrots to the pot. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
  4. Add shredded chicken and any accumulated juices in the baking dish, the remaining cup of corn, cilantro, lime juice, salt, pepper and Tabasco. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until soup is heated through. Remove bay leaves.
  5. Ladle into bowls and garnish with avocado and capers

Notes

Nutrition Information: The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and is not a substitute for a the advice of a professional nutritionist.

  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 40 mins
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: stove top
  • Cuisine: Colombian

Did you make this recipe?

If you make this recipe, please let me know how it turns out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on instagram with the hashtag #panningtheglobe

This post was first published on May 2, 2014. It was refreshed and updated on Feb 9, 2023 with clarifying information added to the written post and to the recipe. The same delicious recipe!

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Filed Under: All Recipes, Chicken, Cooking Light, Dinner, Entertaining, Most Popular Recipes, Soup, South America, Stew Tagged With: dairy-free, gluten-free

Reader Interactions

Comments

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    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

  1. Lexie

    December 09, 2024 at 11:09 pm

    Tried this recipe and its delicious. Thank you for posting.

    Reply
  2. Taty

    February 24, 2023 at 8:25 am

    This is not ajiaco. Ajiaco does not have carrots, lime juice, tabasco nor avocado chopped inside. The herbs used are all wrong. Points for creating something new but don't call it ajiaco because that's very misleading

    Reply
    • Lisa Goldfinger

      February 24, 2023 at 3:25 pm

      Thanks for your note. I don't want to be misleading. I did say in the post that this is not authentic ajiaco however I see that's not enough. I'll go back and make some changes and be sure to make it clear from the get go that my version is not authentic - it's simply inspired by the authentic recipe.

      Reply
  3. Yo

    February 13, 2023 at 3:19 pm

    This is not Colombian Ajiaco. Totally different. We don’t use more than half of the ingredients here listed.

    Reply
    • Lisa Goldfinger

      February 13, 2023 at 3:30 pm

      Yes, my version is inspired by the traditional Ajiaco but certainly not an authentic recipe for Ajiaco.

      Reply
    • Suzanne H

      March 25, 2025 at 9:31 pm

      Delicious and very filling. I did substitute 1/2 the amount of potatoes for 1/2 a head of cauliflower. Put the cauliflower in with the corn and stock in the blender. Was great. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
  4. Mary Lou

    March 14, 2022 at 3:11 pm

    I keep making this soup and sharing it with friends. It never lasts long. To save time, I shred a roasted chicken from Sam’s Club.
    This is a wonderful recipe and so delicious! A friend who moved here from Columbia said it reminds him of home/his mother’s recipe. Enough said.

    Reply
    • Lisa

      March 14, 2022 at 4:28 pm

      Hi Mary Lou - I'm so happy you like the ajiaco and extra happy to know that your Colombian friend is a fan. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe with your friends - great recipes are meant to be shared, which is why I write this blog! What a wonderful note to receive - Thank you - You totally made my day!

      Reply
  5. Kate

    December 24, 2021 at 10:39 pm

    My husband lived in Colombia for a few years and this soup takes him back! It’s become our Christmas Eve tradition for several years now and everyone that we introduce this soup to loves it as well!

    Reply
    • Lisa

      December 25, 2021 at 5:59 am

      Hi Kate - I'm so happy you and your husband love the soup! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a rating and comment. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and your family!

      Reply
  6. Shoaa

    July 15, 2021 at 8:30 pm

    Loved this recipe! Delicious, thank you.

    Reply
  7. John C Richmond

    July 12, 2021 at 3:05 pm

    Excellent soup. followed the recipe, came out great
    Thanks
    John

    Reply
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