Aguadito de Pollo con Quinoa – Chicken Soup in Cilantro Sauce with Quinoa

September 22, 2021 SouthAmerica

This recipe was inspired by a friend who back in Reno-Nevada used to make soup out of the store-bought chicken carcass, simply because back in Peru we grew up with the teaching of never waste anything.

One day I was looking for something to cook for dinner and found half a chicken breast and the chicken carcass. We bought the chicken at Costco and used the meat on other recipes. Then it hit me I remembered our Peruvian Aguadito de Pollo. A delicious soup made of chicken pieces consisting of black and white meat, with a cilantro sauce.

Now it was a plan, the only problem was that usually Peruvian food, as I mentioned before includes rice and potatoes in the same dish. There is a logical explanation for this, especially in food prepared in the Peruvian Andes. People over there needed all the carbohydrates they could get in a single meal because they were off to a hard-working day. Usually in the field, walking those alpine fields, dealing with farm animals or agricultural products would make anyone super hungry.

Now that we are living a more sedentary life, we don’t need so many carbs but we do need protein in our diet. This is the main reason why I decided to substitute both rice and potatoes for quinoa in this soup. The result was a very healthy choice, I tried to maintain the rest of the ingredients in this soup.

We hope you give this a try, and enjoy it as much as we did.

For this recipe ideally you need chicken stock but this time I am out of chicken stock instead I have chicken bouillon, and this is what I am using. Plan accordingly if you can.

This recipe is from the Peruvian Andes that moved with the times and now it is made to fit our current lives.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Left over chicken meat with bones, scraps, or store-bought chicken

Cooked quinoa

8 cups of Chicken stock or water

1 bunch of green onions chopped

1 or 2 garlic cloves

1 bunch of cilantro

1 jalapeño (optional)

½ cup of water (for blending)

1/2 cup of baby peas

1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped

Bouillon if not using chicken stock

Salt and Pepper

Serrano pepper as garnish

Preparation:

Cook the quinoa, or use any leftover quinoa.

In a big soup pot add the chicken pieces and scraps if using, or any leftover chicken meat, the water or chicken stock, and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Meanwhile blend the following; green onions, cilantro, jalapeño (if using), garlic, with ½ cup of water. Set aside.

Once the chicken soup is boiling, remove the chicken, add the cilantro sauce, and bring to a boil. Then, add the baby peas, bell pepper, the chicken bouillon, and simmer. Once the vegetables are done add the cooked quinoa.

Meanwhile shred the chicken breast, and bring back to the soup, taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.

Serve and garnish with some fresh hot pepper.