Colombian Chicken Stew (Sudado de Pollo)

Delicious moments are better shared!

This quintessential Colombian sudado de pollo is more than just a stew. The star of the dish, chicken (pollo), is slowly cooked in water with a mosaic of flavors, including tomatoes, onion (cebolla), garlic, and in this case, red potatoes, and a colorful spectrum of spices and herbs to create a comforting and homey dish that exudes warmth and richness.

It’s customary to place a generous spoonful of the stew over a bed of freshly cooked jasmine rice for the perfect combination of flavors.

This Colombian chicken stew is the perfect family-friendly meal, it’s incredibly easy to make, and you can cook it for a large number of people.

What is Sudado de Pollo?

In Spanish, sudado translates to ‘sweaty’; however, the name doesn’t give this dish the credit it deserves. This Colombian chicken stew embodies the art of slow cooking. And the ingredients simmer and come together, and the flavors are enhanced every step of the way.

There are variations of this dish in different regions of Colombia, but the core recipe is still the same. It’s a slow-cooked, incredibly delicious chicken stew.

In this recipe, I included cumin, adobo, and sazon. Traditionally, this recipe is made with cumin without the additional spices, but feel free to experiment.

Take a look at the latest sudado de pollo web stories.

The Spices

The spices truly take this dish to the next level. In this recipe, I included organic cumin, adobo, and sazon. Traditionally, this recipe is made with cumin without the additional spices, but I love a good blend of quality spices and herbs. The combination of cumin, adobo, sazon, bay leaves, sauteed onions, tomatoes, and garlic is a match made in heaven.

Sudado de Pollo: How to Serve Sudado de Pollo?

It’s customary to place a generous spoonful of the stew over a bed of freshly cooked rice, like jasmine rice, for the perfect combination of flavors.

Pour the stew over cooked rice so that it’s swimming in the brothy goodness of this dish. Then arrange some potatoes around the plate and add fresh cilantro for garnish – perfect presentation!

Each bite is filled with perfectly cooked chicken soaked in a tangy-sweet broth.

Variations

Make it spicy:

Make it spicy by adding cayenne pepper or hot sauce, and adjust it based on your preferred level of spiciness. For an extra kick, add freshly diced jalapeños.

In Colombia, we add Colombian hot sauce (Aji) that is slightly and not overbearingly spicy and tangy. It’s a refreshing sauce.

Slices of Avocado:

Top the rice and stew with perfectly ripened avocado slices with a pinch of salt and lime juice.

Seafood and Chicken Blend:

Add shrimp, mussels, or clams along with the chicken to make a delicious blend of seafood flavors.

Lemon Chicken Stew:

Load this stew with lemon or lime juice like a Greek lemon chicken soup for a citrusy and tangy version.

Veggie & Chicken Stew:

Add cauliflower, broccoli, or mushrooms to make a delicious veggie and chicken stew.

Experiment on your own for the best version of this dish. Add ingredients that you love to this dish.

FAQs

Top Tips for the Best Colombian Chicken Stew

Take your time.

Stews cook slowly and carefully come together over low heat to develop flavor layers. The longer the stew cooks, the greater the chance of extracting flavors from every ingredient.

Season at every turn.

Seasoning at every level is incredibly important because a stew is multi-dimensional. From the point at which you sear the chicken to the sauteeing of the onion and tomato mix, there is an opportunity to truly level up the seasoning to create a robust and delicate stew.

Skim the fat.

Before adding the potatoes, skim any excess fat. If you prefer to serve the chicken without the skin, this is the perfect opportunity to remove the skin of the chicken.

Leave the cilantro for last.

Cilantro is a delicate herb, unlike its cousin, culantro, which is used in sofrito like Puerto Rican Sofrito, which are made to cook over time. Cilantro is ideally added at the end of a hot dish to prevent it from turning brown and overcooking. Cilantro is optional and based on your personal preference.

Colombian Chicken Stew (Sudado de Pollo)

Print Recipe

Incredibly delicious and easy chicken stew.

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Colombian

Keyword chicken stew, colombian chicken stew, rice and chicken, sudado de pollo

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Servings 5 people

Calories 584

Author Olga Muñoz

Equipment

• 1 Dutch Oven
• 1 Chef Knife or Pairing Knife
• 1 Potato Peeler
• 1 Mixing Bowl
• 1 Cutting Board
• 1 Large Spoon

Ingredients

• 10 pieces Chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 2 whole Tomatoes
• 1 whole Onion
• 6 cloves Fresh Garlic
• 1/2 tsp Tomato Paste
• 3 whole Red Potatoes

Spices and Salt

• 3 leaves Fresh or Dried Bay Leaves
• 1/4 tsp Sazon with Salt
• 1 tsp Salt-free Sazon
• 1 tsp Cumin Powder
• 1/2 tsp Adobo
• 1/8 tsp Sea Salt

Water and Vinegar

• 6 cups Filtered Water
• 1/4 cup White Distilled Vinegar

Garnish

• 1/4 cup Cilantro

Instructions

Prep

• Dice:

  The tomatoes, onion, garlic, and set aside. A rough chop works well.

  Peel:

  Peel the potatoes, slice them, and set them aside in a bowl of cold water and salt to prevent them from browning.
  
• Step One:

  Set the dutch oven on medium heat.

  Salt the chicken. Once the dutch oven is warm, add the avocado oil, and pan-sear the chicken on all sides (roughly 5 minutes on each side). Make sure the chicken is brown on all sides to develop good flavors and add the bay leaves to the chicken.

  Once the chicken is golden brown, set aside.
  
• Step Two:

  Add the diced onions, tomatoes (fresh and tomato paste), and garlic to the dutch oven and stir for 5 minutes.
  
• Step Three:

  Then add the spices to the sauteed garlic, onion, and tomato mix.
  
• Step Four:

  After 15 minutes, or once the onions are slightly translucent and the spices and tomato paste have caramelized, add the chicken back into the pot.
  
• Step Five:

  Fill the pot with six cups of filtered water, and place the cover on for 10 minutes. Continue to cook on medium heat.

  Uncover, then cook for 20-30 minutes until the chicken is fork-tender.

  Tip! Remove any excess fat with a large spoon. If you prefer chicken without the skin, remove the skin before serving.

  Step Six

  Drain the potatoes, and add them to the chicken stew. Continue to cook for 15 minutes on medium heat. Test the potatoes with a fork. Once they're cooked, it's ready to serve!

  Season as desired.

  Enjoy on a bed of white rice, slivers of avocado, and fresh cilantro. Add a spoonful of aji picante for an extra kick!
  

Notes

Top Tips for the Best Colombian Chicken Stew

Take your time.

Stews cook slowly and carefully come together over low heat to develop flavor layers. The longer the stew cooks, the greater the chance of extracting flavors from every ingredient.

Season at every turn.

Seasoning at every level is incredibly important because a stew is multi-dimensional. From the point at which you sear the chicken to the sauteeing of the onion and tomato mix, there is an opportunity to truly level up the seasoning to create a robust and delicate stew.

Skim the fat.

Before adding the potatoes, skim any excess fat. If you prefer to serve the chicken without the skin, this is the perfect opportunity to remove the skin of the chicken.

Leave the cilantro for last.

Cilantro is a delicate herb, unlike its cousin, culantro, used in sofrito like Puerto Rican Sofrito, which are ideal for cooking over time. Cilantro is ideally added at the end of a hot dish to prevent it from turning brown and overcooking. Cilantro is optional and based on your personal preference.