Colombian Chicken Stew (Sudado de Pollo)

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.

This Colombian chicken stew is the perfect family-friendly meal. It’s incredibly easy to make and can be cooked for many 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.

The Spices

The spices truly elevate this dish. 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 spicy and tangy and not overbearingly spicy. 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 where 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. This is the perfect opportunity to remove the skin if you prefer to serve the chicken without the skin.

Leave the cilantro for last.

Cilantro is a delicate herb, unlike its cousin, culantro, which is used in sofrito, like Puerto Rican Sofrito, which is 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 personal preference.

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