Colombian Chicken Stew With Potatoes, Tomato, and Onion Recipe (2024)

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Ridiculously tender meat, perfectly cooked potatoes, and richly flavorful broth. Ready to eat in less than 30 minutes.

J. Kenji López-Alt

Culinary Consultant

Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.

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Updated March 06, 2019

Why It Works

The lack of water in the recipe leads to broth of concentrated chicken and tomato flavors.
Pressure cooking ensures tender chicken meat that falls off the bone.

This is the first—and probably tastiest—dish that my wife ever taught me how to cook from her home in Bogotá, high in the mountains of Colombia. The capital city of 10 million people sits in a valley at over 8,000 feet above sea level, which means that the pressure cooker is a staple in pretty much every kitchen. Not only does it make it possible to cook beans (at that altitude it can take hours and hours of cooking at a full boil to get them to soften properly; a pressure cooker reduces this time to about an hour), it also helps to produce the rib-sticking soups and stews that form the backbone of mountain cuisine.

This one is about as simple as they come, combining just five ingredients: chicken (I use legs and thighs, though you can use a whole chicken cut into pieces), potatoes (russets work well, as do Yukon Golds), fresh tomatoes, onion, and a bay leaf.

No stock, no water, no nothing except a bit of salt and pepper. Everything gets tossed raw into the pressure cooker, the lid gets snapped on, and then the lot gets cooked at high pressure for half an hour.

What emerges is nothing short of miraculous. As there's no added liquid, all the soupy broth you'll find in the pot is taken directly from the tomatoes, potatoes, onion, and chicken, giving it an intense flavor. Without even reducing it, it has that rich, sticky-lip-inducing quality that you get from the finest demi-glace. You'll want to drink it all with a spoon (or directly out of the pot) before you even get to the other ingredients.

Colombian Chicken Stew With Potatoes, Tomato, and Onion Recipe (3)

Over the course of its brief, high temperature, high pressure cook time, the tomatoes and onions will have nearly completely broken down, melting into the stew. Meanwhile, the potatoes get infused all the way to their core with flavorful chicken juice. They're arguably better than the chicken itself, which comes out buttery and tender, literally falling off the bone at the slightest touch. It's pretty easily alterable to suit your own taste. Prefer yuca to potato? Go ahead. Like the flavor of cilantro or parsley? Stir some in at the end. Olives, capers, orange zest? Be my guest. The basic technique is the same.

Fans of crisp skin won't get any of that here, but truth be told, I'm willing to give up some skin for the ridiculously tender meat. It's that good.

Oh, and did I mention that the whole dish takes one pot, no bowls, no measuring, and only five ingredients? I did? Well let me reiterate:One pot. No measuring. Five ingredients. 30 minutes.How's that for easy?

Recipe Details

Colombian Chicken Stew With Potatoes, Tomato, and Onion Recipe

Prep0 mins

Cook35 mins

Active5 mins

Total35 mins

Serves4 servings

Ingredients

4 large Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1- to 2-inch chunks
1 large onion, sliced into 1/4-inch slices (about 1 1/2 cups)
4 medium beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 1- to 2-inch chunks (about 3 cups)
1 whole chicken, back removed, cut into 8 pieces (about 4 pounds), or 4 whole chicken legs, cut into thighs and drumsticks
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Combine potatoes, onion, tomatoes, chicken pieces, bay leaves, and a large pinch of salt in a pressure cooker. Toss with hands to combine. Seal lid and cook under high pressure for 25 minutes. Release pressure, remove lid, season to taste, and serve.

Special equipment

Electric or stovetop pressure cooker

Colombian
Pressure Cooked Chicken
Whole Chicken
Russet Potatoes

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
433	Calories
7g	Fat
71g	Carbs
24g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	433
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g	8%
Saturated Fat 2g	9%
Cholesterol 82mg	27%
Sodium 415mg	18%
Total Carbohydrate 71g	26%
Dietary Fiber 9g	30%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 24g
Vitamin C 47mg	236%
Calcium 73mg	6%
Iron 4mg	24%
Potassium 2115mg	45%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Colombian Chicken Stew With Potatoes, Tomato, and Onion Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why put potatoes in stew? ›

Simmering the potatoes will contribute all the starch the stew needs, and it'll be plenty thick.

What is sudado de pollo made of? ›

This Colombian Chicken Stew, made with chicken, potatoes, and plantains, is hearty and comforting. Its name in Spanish is Sudado de Pollo, and it is a traditional Colombian food. Depending on the region of Colombia, the ingredients and cooking methods for this dish can vary.

Learn More ›

When should I add potatoes to a stew? ›

Cut the potatoes into bite-sized chunks and add to the already cooking stew about 30 minutes before you stop cooking and plate the stew for serving (If the potatoes cook too long, they'll just get mushy or even fall apart and add nothing but a thickening starch to the sew.

Discover More ›

Do you have to boil potatoes before adding to stew? ›

Pre-cooking the potatoes is not necessary for most stew recipes. When added raw, the potatoes will absorb the flavors from the stew, creating a rich and delicious taste. However, if you prefer your potatoes to be softer and creamier, you can parboil them for a few minutes before adding them to the stew.

Get More Info ›

What is pollo Sinatra? ›

Sautéed chicken breast, eggplant, provolone cheese, mushrooms, marinara, white wine butter sauce.

Learn More Now ›

What culture is caldo de pollo from? ›

Caldo de pollo (chicken broth) is native to Mexico and has variants using beef, vegetables, corn and more. Countries from Guatemala and Colombia to Brazil and Paraguay have their own versions of caldo too, some with native ingredients and others served as breakfast.

What is Pica Pollo in English? ›

PICA POLLO (meaning fried chicken combo) is one of the most common food in Dominican Republic 🇩🇴!

View Details ›

Do potatoes help thicken stew? ›

Potato starch naturally thickens soups and stews and can be a gluten-free option if you're looking to make a gluten-free stew. Add cubed potatoes to the stew to absorb excess liquid, or add potato flakes, mashed potatoes, or a potato purée to thicken your stew.

Do potatoes absorb water in stew? ›

In contrast to oven baking, when potatoes are boiled the starch granules absorb not only the internal moisture but also some of the surrounding water.