Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 kgchicken pieces, on the bone
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbspoil
The green
- 2large bunches coriander, leaves and stalks
- 200 mlwater or stock, for blending
Base
- 1red onion, finely chopped
- 4 clovesgarlic
- 2 tbspají amarillo paste
- 1 tspground cumin
Also
- 150 grice
- 2potatoes, cubed
- 1carrot, diced
- 150 gpeas
- 150 gsweetcorn, or a corn cob in rounds
- 1.5 litreschicken stock
- 100 mlbeer, optional
To serve
- lime wedges
- sliced red onion
- ají sauce
Directions
- Use two large bunches, stalks and all, for six servings. The coriander is blended into a purée that colours and flavours the entire soup, and a small handful gives a pale, thin result.
- Blend it thoroughly, since any coarse fragments float unpleasantly in the finished soup. Set it aside and do not cook it yet. Season the pieces and brown them hard in oil in a heavy pot.
- Brown them properly, since that colour is the base of the broth and pale chicken gives a weak soup. Lift the browned chicken pieces out. Fry the finely chopped red onion in the same oil for 10 minutes until completely soft.
- Cook the onion until it dissolves rather than merely softens, which is the standard Peruvian approach. Add the garlic and cook a minute. Now add the ají amarillo paste and fry it for 4 or 5 minutes.
- Add the ground cumin to the pot. Return the chicken, add the stock and the beer if using, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the potato and carrot first, then the rice, then the peas and corn later. Use less rice than seems right, since it swells and keeps absorbing. Aguadito should stay brothy.
- Cook until the rice is done, about 15 minutes. Stir it in for the last 5 minutes only. Add it late. The soup should turn a vivid green. Taste it and season it generously.
- Serve lime wedges, sliced red onion and a dish of ají sauce alongside. The squeeze of lime at the table is what lifts it, and it should not be added in the pot.
Technique
- It is strongly associated with late nights and mornings after.
- The coriander purée goes in at the end to keep the colour.
- It thickens on standing as the rice keeps absorbing.
Substitutions
- A little chilli paste and paprika if ají amarillo is unavailable.
- Seafood in place of chicken.
Variations
- Aguadito de mariscos, with seafood.
- Made with duck, as aguadito de pato.
- With more rice, closer to arroz con pollo.
Frequently asked questions
What is Aguadito de pollo?
Aguadito de pollo is a soup & stew from Peru: brothy cilantro rice soup with chicken; late-night revival.
How long does Aguadito de pollo take to make?
Aguadito de pollo takes 25 min of preparation and 45 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Aguadito de pollo?
Yes, within limits. A little chilli paste and paprika if ají amarillo is unavailable. Seafood in place of chicken.
What is the most important thing to get right in Aguadito de pollo?
Use two large bunches, stalks and all, for six servings. The coriander is blended into a purée that colours and flavours the entire soup, and a small handful gives a pale, thin result.
