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Peruvian Chicken, Rice and Cilantro Soup (Aguadito de Pollo)
This soup is fresh and vibrant in both flavor and color. The broth is green and herbaceous with cilantro, while carrots, bell pepper and peas add brightly hued bursts of vegetable sweetness. Traditional aquadito includes starchy Peruvian corn. Rather than substitute sweet corn, which is far more sugary, we opted to omit it. The soup gets mild spiciness from ají amarillo, an orange-yellow chili with a fruity yet earthy flavor that is ubiquitous in Peruvian cuisine. In fresh form, the chilies are difficult to find in the U.S., but ají amarillo paste, sold in jars, is available in some well-stocked markets and specialty stores, as well as online. If you can't find it, use 2 or 3 seeded and finely minced jalapeños.
4
Servings
Tip
Don't use boneless, skinless chicken parts in this soup. Both the bones and skin give the broth rich flavor as well as a little body. Don't make this soup in advance; it's best served right away. As it sits, the rice continues to absorb liquid and eventually becomes mushy.
1 hour 10 minutes
30 minutes active
Ingredients
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1
tablespoon grapeseed or other neutral oil
-
4
medium garlic cloves, minced
Directions
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01In a large pot over medium-high heat the oil until shimmering. Add the garlic, onion, cilantro stems, aji amarillo paste and 2 teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the paste begins to brown on the bottom of the pot, about 8 minutes. Add 7 cups water and bring to a simmer, scraping up the browned bits. Add the chicken in an even layer, then return to a simmer. Cover and cook, adjusting heat to maintain a simmer, until a fork inserted at the thickest part of the meat meets no resistance, about 40 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside until cool enough to handle.
Reviews
May 10, 2026
Delish!
Made this for lunch. As my husband is that 1% re cilantro, I had to use parsley. However the taste was great (I used 1/4 c aji) however hubby was late, so it sat for 40 minutes - was still delicious and it is now on rotation. I used bone in legs.
September 29, 2025
So good!
I’m bummed bc I read the reviews and only added 1tbsp of aji Amarillo, mostly because I have kids and didn’t want to blow their tongues off. I couldn’t taste anything at all, wish I would have followed recipe or at least did half of what it asked for. The aji is spicy but I think it mellows as it cooks and you’re diluting it with 7 cups of water. Overall great dish!
January 21, 2025
Delicious soup on a cold day
I have been made this soup frequently the last couple years. It was a keeper from the start. I would agree with the reviews that recommend going easy on the aji amarillo sauce. I find 1 tablespoon is sufficient. I’m not a big fan of cilantro, but it really works in this recipe.
December 1, 2025
Good Soup
The soup was good but like with all soups will taste better left over. I had to add salt and pepper to my bowl. The soup was easy to make except processing the cilantro- separating the stems from the leaves took longer than the rest of the recipe. I would make this again.
October 17, 2023
Delicious soup
My roommate made this tonight. It was so tasty. I will definitely add this recipe to my collection so I can continue making it myself.
Given chicken consumption in the US is roughly 97 lbs. / person / year it may be sacrilege to share that chicken is seldom eaten in our household - somebody is getting the 92 pounds each we don't eat annually. And we almost never choose chicken soup as a "OH, this sounds good, let's try it" recipe option. But that was my response to seeing this recipe because we love all of the other ingredients listed. All of which are staples in our kitchen but for the Amarillo Aji paste which, as luck would have it, I bought a jar of about six months ago and it was sitting in the pantry to figure out a recipe to try it in. Here it was - and it was absolutely delicious made per the recipe. The spice level (heat) from the chili paste seemed just right to us. Recipe says serves 4 but we found 6 more like it. Note: We liked this well enough to be "keeper" and next time I am going to try a shortcut of using pre-cooked chicken and homemade chicken stock I typically have in my freezer made from browned raw chicken backs / bones that I buy from local butcher.
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This is one of my favorite soup recipes (and I enjoy the techniques suggested, too). I have actually cooked it up twice within a few weeks already. One note of caution: the aji amarillo paste is pretty spicy (at least what I have found locally) so unless you have a high tolerance for the spicy consider just a tablespoon's worth the first time. You can always add it, bit by bit, to your bowl after cooking.