Colombian Chicken Recipes

Steps:

• In a 5-quart pot, combine the chicken, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 8 cups water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and skim any foam or impurities from the top. Add the onion, garlic, bay leaf, cilantro stems and scallion whites. Simmer, partially covered, until the chicken is tender and releases easily when pierced with a knife, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a bowl to cool, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile make the aji sauce: In a food processor, combine the scallion greens, hot sauce, tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup of the cilantro leaves and pulse to a coarse sauce. Set aside. (Alternatively, the ingredients can be chopped by hand and stirred to combine.)
• Add the potatoes to the soup along with 1 1/4 teaspoons salt. Cover, bring back to a simmer and simmer another 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, remove the chicken meat from the bones and shred with your hands or 2 forks (discard the bones and skin). Set aside.
• Add the corn to the soup and cook until the corn and potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken meat back to the soup and return the soup to a simmer. Add salt if needed.
• Divide the soup among 6 bowls and serve with sliced avocado, sour cream, capers, aji sauce and remaining cilantro leaves.

Steps:

• In a blender, puree the garlic, carrots, peppers, onion, chile, and 1 cup cilantro.
• In a large pot, combine the puree with the water, bouillon cubes, and cumin, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Add the chicken and simmer for another 20 minutes.
• Add the yucca and green plantain and simmer for 10 minutes more. Add the potatoes, ripe plantain, and corn and simmer for another 15 minutes.
• In a blender, combine the remaining 1 cup cilantro and a little of the stew broth and puree. Stir the puree into the soup, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Steps:

• Place all ingredients, except cream and cilantro, in a large stockpot or dutch oven, and cover with 10 cups of water; cook about 30 minutes until chicken is tender but not falling off the bone, adding additional water as needed to maintain a soup consistency.
• Stir in cilantro and cream.

Steps:

• Combine potatoes, onion, tomato, chicken pieces, bay leaves, and a large pinch of salt in a pressure cooker.
• Toss with hands or stir to combine.
• Seal lid and once at pressure cook for 25 minutes.
• Release pressure, remove lid, season to taste, and serve.

Steps:

• In one cup of the chicken stock, simmer the scallions, cilantro, and cumin for 5 minutes. Set it aside until it is cool, then process in a blender or food processor until you have a smooth, green-colored puree to be added to the final soup.
• In the remaining 1 ¼ quarts of chicken stock, simmer the quartered, skinned chicken breasts. Skim off the scum that results and discard. The chicken will take about 1 hour to cook.
• As the chicken is simmering, add the cut up, peeled yucca, and the cut up potatoes. Continue to skim off the scum after the yucca and potatoes are added.
• 30 minutes prior to the end of cooking, add the cut up plaintains.
• 10 minutes before completion of the cooking phase, add the processed scallions-cilantro-cumin mixture and the juice from the 2 lemons.
• Combine the flour and the butter for the roux and microwave for 30 seconds. The result should be a yellowish sludge.
• Add the roux to the soup and stir to blend well.

Steps:

• Pat chicken dry and season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Heat butter in a wide heavy 7- to 8-quart pot over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then brown chicken in 2 batches, skin side down first, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Transfer chicken as browned to a plate.
• Add onion to pot along with oregano and remaining teaspoon each salt and pepper and sauté, stirring, until light golden, about 5 minutes. Peel and coarsely grate russet potatoes and add to pot with chicken, broth, and water. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Transfer chicken with tongs to a cutting board to cool. Drain cubed yellow potatoes and add to pot.
• Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until cubed potatoes are almost tender, about 10 minutes. Add corn and simmer, covered, until tender, 5 to 10 minutes more. While corn is cooking, remove skin and bones from chicken and coarsely shred meat. Add meat to pot and heat through.
• Serve stew with accompaniments in separate bowls.

Steps:

• Place chicken in a large stockpot and cover with water; add green onions, bay leaves, cilantro (see NOTE) and peppercorns.
• Bring to a boil, skimming the surface if necessary; once boiling, reduce heat and cook until chicken is tender, about an hour.
• Remove from heat and allow the chicken to cool in its cooking liquid.
• Remove the chicken and cut into eight pieces: 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, cut each breast into 2 pieces, for a total of 4; discard the rest of the carcass.
• Skim off any fat from the stock, then strain it into a clean Dutch oven or large pot.
• Bring to a boil and add russet potatoes (or yuca) and the Yukon gold potatoes; cook about 15 minutes.
• Stir in the new potatoes and corn and simmer for an additional 20 minutes.
• Return the chicken to the pot, season with salt, if needed, and heat through.
• Meanwhile, just before serving, rough chop the egg, then mash in a small bowl; in another small bowl, scoop out the avocado flesh and mash that.
• Add the egg to the avocado, stir in the green onion, cilantro, green chili, and season with salt.
• Serve the chicken mixture in a heated casserole or earthenware dish, with the avocado salsa, capers, and sour cream on the side.
• NOTE: I, personally, find the taste of the cilantro too strong when it is added to make the stock, so I add it (like a bouquet garni) when the new potatoes are added (the last 20 minutes of cooking), then remove for serving.

Steps:

• Prepare the marinade the night before you plan to make the tamales. Chop one bunch of green onions. Mince 2 garlic cloves. Combine, then add 1 teaspoon ground cumin and 1 packet of sazon. Rub mixture all over both chicken and ribs. Place meat in separate plastic baggies to marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
• Next make the "hogao," a kind of sofrito. Combine chopped tomatoes, 1 bunch of chopped green onions, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 packet of sazon, 1/6 cup of chopped cilantro, olive oil and salt to taste in a skillet and saute until everything is soft and tender, kind of like a mush. Cool and refrigerate until ready to assemble tamales.
• Now you can make the "pique" sauce. Combine 1 bunch chopped green onions, 3 cloves minced garlic, fresh lemon juice, remaining chopped cilantro, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, sugar, vinegar and salt to taste. Make this at least 2 hours before serving so flavors develop.
• Prepare masa harina according to package directions except use chicken broth in place of water and salt to taste. This mixture should have flavor unlike an arepa which is more bland (my husband says the masa is the best part). It should be fairly moist, but still stay together like a dough when pressed. If it is too wet you can still use it, it is just more messy.
• Now the hardest part is assembling them. Place about 1/4 cup of dough in the center of a banana leaf and spread it out. Put one rib and one chicken thigh piece on top. Place about 3 slices of the carrots, 6 potato sticks and 3 slices egg on top of the meat. Sprinkle with peas. Spoon 3 tablespoons of the "hogao" (sofrito) over all, then top with another 1/2 cup of spread out masa. This does not have to be uniform or even neat.
• Next pull up the sides of the banana leaf to form a packet. Tie with kitchen string, but do not let any of the filling seep out (I told you it was hard). If the leaves break just reinforce with extra banana leaves. Wrap packet in aluminum foil. Repeat 5 times.
• They are now ready to steam. Use a large Dutch oven with a steamer insert so the tamales do not touch the water in the bottom of the Dutch oven. These need to cook about 3 hours. You probably will have to replenish the water during the cooking process. Stack the tamales all the way to the top in the steamer pot and turn up the heat to high. If your pot does not hold all of them, just refrigerate or freeze the rest until you can steam them later. When you hear the water boiling furiously, turn the heat down to medium.
• Serve the tamales on a section of banana leaf. With the "pique" sauce on the side to be drizzled on bites of the tamale.

Steps:

• Put chicken in a 6- to 8-quart pot and add water, broth, onion, guascas, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil, skimming foam, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until chicken is cooked through, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool slightly (reserve broth).
• Add papas criollas to reserved broth (if using russet potatoes, peel and coarsely grate first) and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are falling apart and beginning to thicken broth (mash if necessary), 20 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, peel Yukon Golds and boiling potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces, then add to pot and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until almost tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add corn, 1/4 cup cilantro, and 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper and simmer, covered, until corn is tender, 5 to 10 minutes.
• While corn cooks, coarsely shred chicken, discarding skin and bones.
• Add chicken to stew and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Season with salt.
• Serve stew with crema, capers, avocados, and remaining 1/2 cup cilantro, each in separate bowls (or add them to stew in pot just before serving).