The soup is served with a variety of garnishes, including a special salsa, “Aji”, that truly defines the dish.
What is Ajico Soup?
Ajiaco soup has all sorts of variations, but they all seem to rely on potatoes – some of which are cooked so long they dissolve, thickening the soup – corn (usually on the cob), and chicken. We decided to finely dice russet potatoes so they would dissolve quickly, and we pureed the soup base with an immersion blender, which saved hours of cooking time. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can either puree the soup base in a blender, or just cook it until the diced potatoes dissolve. It’s important to use bone-on pieces of chicken here, as they are both cheaper and will make your soup broth more flavorful.
Garnishes for Colombian Chicken Soup
Garnishes are up to you. They almost always include capers, avocados and cilantro, and will often include a salsa or a crema, which, depending on your perspective is either thin sour cream or a thick regular cream. We used tiny, multi-colored potatoes to finish the dish, but you can use any mix of potatoes — just make sure to not use all russets. Red skinned potatoes, purple potatoes, fingerlings and small Yukon Golds are all good choices.
3 pounds chicken thighs and legs, skin removed, rinsed well
1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt
1 1/2 quarts water
1 quart chicken stock
1 tablespoon cumin
3 bay leaves
2 pounds small potatoes, of various colors
2 ears fresh corn, cut crosswise into 1 to 2 inch rounds
Aji Ingredients:
4 scallions (white and light green parts only)
2 Roma or other plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 fresh Scotch bonnet or habanero chiles or 2 fresh hot red chiles, stems and seeds removed (wear gloves, do NOT touch your eyes!)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Garnish: capers, sour cream, avocados, cilantro
Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat to a vigorous simmer. Add the cumin, bay leaves and salt to taste. Simmer this until the meat wants to fall of the bones of the chicken — anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour, 15 minutes.
