A rich, hearty chicken soup with yuca, plantains, corn, and culantro (sawtooth coriander). Panama's soul-warming national dish.
Nutrition & Info
Equipment Needed
Presentation Guide
Vessel: deep bowl
Garnishes: fresh cilantro, sliced culantro
Accompaniments: steamed rice, hot sauce
Instructions
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1
Season the chicken pieces with salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano. Place in a large pot with the quartered onion, garlic, and eight cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming the foam that rises to the surface for the first five minutes.
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2
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer the chicken for thirty minutes until partially cooked. Add the yuca chunks first since they take the longest to cook, and continue simmering for another fifteen minutes until the yuca begins to soften.
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3
Add the potato quarters and corn pieces to the pot. Continue simmering for another fifteen minutes. The vegetables should be added in stages according to their cooking time so that everything finishes cooking at the same moment without any piece becoming mushy.
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4
Add the plantain pieces during the last ten minutes of cooking. The ripe plantains add a gentle sweetness to the broth that balances the savoury chicken and starchy root vegetables. Stir in the chopped cilantro during the last five minutes.
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5
Check that all the vegetables are tender and the chicken is falling off the bone. The broth should be rich and slightly thick from the starch released by the yuca and potatoes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and cumin as needed.
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6
Ladle the sancocho into large, deep bowls, ensuring each serving has chicken, corn, and a variety of the root vegetables. Serve with a mound of white rice on the side and lime wedges for squeezing. This is Panama's most beloved comfort food.
Did You Know?
Sancocho is Panama's hangover cure, served after festivals and parties.
Chef's Notes
Equipment Tips
- large stockpot
- knife
- ladle
Garnishing
fresh cilantro, sliced culantro
Accompaniments
steamed rice, hot sauce
The Story Behind Sancocho
The Story: Sancocho is Panama's national dish: a rich, hearty soup of chicken simmered with yuca, name (a starchy tuber), otoe (another root vegetable), corn on the cob, plantain, culantro, and oregano until the broth becomes thick and deeply flavored. The dish is served with white rice on the side, and diners add their own squeezes of lime. Sancocho belongs to the broader Latin American family of one-pot soups, with versions found from Colombia to the Dominican Republic, but the Panamanian version is distinguished by its use of culantro and its specific combination of root vegetables.
On the Calendar: Sancocho is everyday comfort food, but it holds special significance as a restorative meal, prescribed for hangovers, illness, exhaustion, and post-celebration recovery. It is also a celebration dish, served in enormous pots at family gatherings, community events, and national holidays.
Then & Now: The recipe has remained consistent for generations, with each family claiming a superior version. Sancocho competitions are a feature of rural fairs and festivals. The dish has become a symbol of Panamanian national identity, transcending regional and ethnic boundaries.
Legacy: Sancocho is Panama's liquid embrace, a soup that heals, nourishes, and brings families together around a pot that seems to contain the entire warmth of Panamanian culture.
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