By Ongani Mwagombat. February 21, 2025
Chanka de Pollo is a traditional Bolivian chicken soup, known for its hearty and comforting qualities. It’s a rustic dish that originated in the Andean region and is often enjoyed as a nourishing meal in colder climates. The soup is made with simple, wholesome ingredients, making it both flavorful and satisfying.
Key Ingredients:
- Chicken: Typically, bone-in pieces for richer flavor, usually chicken leg quarters, thighs and drumsticks
- Potatoes: A staple in Bolivian cuisine, often Andean Potatoes, which can mainly be found in Andean regions.
- Vegetables: green onions, fresh fava beans (habas) with the skin off.
- Spices: Simple seasonings like garlic, onion, and salt to enhance the natural flavors.
Preparation:
1. Wash your chicken and trim excess fat
2. Peel and wash your potatoes
3. Cook the chicken with the potatoes in water, for extra flavor add other parts of the chicken like the neck and back. You can also add garlic and onions, this is totally optional though. Add salt and pepper too. Let everything simmer together
4. Peel and Wash your fava beans, then put them in a small pot and boil almost till they are tender. Make sure you also peel from the inside shell as shown in the picture on the left
5. Put the beans in a small pot and cook until tender.
6. Wash and slice the green onions.
7. Add the green onions to the bean pot and cook for 5 minutes.
8. To serve, Put a piece of chicken and 1 or 2 potatoes in a bowl, add broth and garnish with fava beans and green onions.
You can top with fresh parsley and serve hot, often with a side of llajwa (a spicy Bolivian sauce) for added flavor.
Chanka de Pollo is cherished for its simplicity and the way it warms you up, making it perfect for family gatherings or when you’re in need of comfort food.
RECIPE
- Ingredients:
- 4 pieces of chicken leg quarters
- 8 cups of water
- 4 whole medium potatoes peeled
- 1 cup of fava beans (or substitute with lima beans)
- green onions
- 1 bunch of fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Wash your chicken leg quarters and trim any excess fat that´s on the chicken. Wash and peel your potatoes. Add the chicken pieces and the potatoes to the boiling pot of water and the chicken bones, add a pinch of salt and pepper. Let it simmer for about 20–30 minutes, skimming off any foam or impurities that rise to the surface, simmer for another 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and chicken is fully cooked.
If your fava beans are shelled, take them out of the shell, peel the outer layer skin, wash and cook in a small pot with water until beans are just about tender, meanwhile wash and slice the green onions then add them to the pot of fava beans and cook for another 5 min and set aside.
Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls, making sure each portion has a piece of chicken and potatoes. Add a spoon or 2 of cooked fava beans. Garnish with green onions and optionally sprinkle of fresh parsley.
Tips:
- You can add a touch of quinoa or rice if you’d like a thicker soup.
- For an authentic Andean touch, use Peruvian potatoes if available.
- Remove chicken skin for serving
- Cook some ingredients apart to assemble the plate and make it look nice
- If you want to cook everything in one pot you can certainly can and it will reduce dirt dishes.
Freezer Meal Tip: You can prepare this as a freezer meal after everything is cooked you can store the broth and the chicken together in one bag or container, blanch the fava beans and the green onions don’t cook them all the way through as they will cook further once you heat them when you are ready to eat the meal.
Enjoy your comforting and nutritious Chanka de Pollo!
