Ajiaco Santafereño (Bogotá Chicken and Potato Soup)

Method

1. 1

   Cut half the starchy potatoes into large chunks and set the rest aside with the sliced sweet potato and the corn, cut into thick wheels.

2. 2

   Put the chicken and the first batch of potato chunks in the pot, cover with about 2.5 liters of water, and season with salt. Bring to a simmer and cook 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and those potatoes have started to fall apart.

3. 3

   Lift out the chicken and shred it into bite-sized pieces with two forks, then return it to the pot.

   💡 Shred the chicken while it's still warm — it pulls apart far more easily than once it cools.

4. 4

   Stir in the remaining potato, the sweet potato and the corn wheels along with the dried oregano. Simmer 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the potatoes are tender and the broth has thickened into something like a light chowder.

   💡 The soup thickens itself — no flour, just the starchy potato from step two dissolving in.

5. 5

   Taste the broth and adjust the salt; it should taste rounded, not thin.

6. 6

   Ladle into bowls with a piece of corn in each, then bring the cream and capers to the table for everyone to stir in themselves, with the avocado alongside — that's how Bogotá insists on eating it.