Sancocho Recipe – a hearty and absolutely delicious stew made with different kinds of meat in one pot, sausages, vegetables and starches. A very satisfying meal on its own. Perfect for this fall season!
Nothing is as good as digging into a big bowl of stew during this season. Now that it’s already October and fall is on full swing, it’s time to dust off those big pots for stews and soups. What I would usually do is make a big batch of soup and freeze any leftover for easy hearty meals anytime. And my first batch of stew for this October is this traditional dish Sancocho.
What is sancocho?
From the Spanish verb , sancochar or to parboil, Sancocho is a traditional stew popular in several Latin American countries like that of Dominican Republic, Colombia, Cuba and Puerto Rico, among others.
It has different variations among those countries, but the common ground is that sancocho is a hearty stew (sometimes referred to as soup) made of meat, broth, starches and tubers, depending on the region. This hearty stew is often served during special occasions and the holidays.
What are the ingredients in sancocho?
Although there are slight different variations for this recipe, a sancocho stew often features different kinds of meat, vegetables and tubers. The meat would usually be a selection of pork, beef, chicken and fish with an addition of smoked ham or sausages. As for the starches, it would often be yucca, potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, rice and plantains. Some would even add corn on the cob to it.
For this recipe, I adopted the Puerto Rican version that features corn on the cob, sazon and sofrito – which somehow sets this apart from the other sancocho. Of course, I added my own spin into this dish to up the flavor in this mighty fine comfort food. 😉
Sancocho Dominicano vs. Puerto Rican Sancocho
In the Dominican Republic, Sancocho Dominicano is considered one of the national dishes that speaks about celebrations and big milestones in life. One thing that blew me away though is that they have the traditional version of sancocho and the “ULTIMATE” sancocho which is popularly called as sancocho de siete carnes which features not just three (3) meats in one pot, but seven (7).
Yes, seven!! How crazy is that!! Goat meat, pork ribs, smoked ham, longganiza (a type of pork sausage) are also used in this recipe. Then, it is seasoned with some oregano, garlic, parsley or cilantro, garlic and usually with a kiss of lime juice.
On the other hand, a Puerto Rican Sancocho closely resemble to that of the Dominican version only that it is seasoned with sazon and its popular sofrito. To those who are new to Puerto Rican cooking, a sofrito is a versatile aromatic green puree made of bell peppers, tomatoes, cilantro, garlic and onions. It makes a powerful base for dishes like stews, beans and rice. Delicious is an understatement to describe this dish!
Want to know more about it? Check out sofrito recipe including a sofrito chicken stew. 😉
One thing to add, though, is this recipe also needs a ton of patience as it takes time to cook all of the meats and veggies. Just remember that you need to start cooking it from the longest-cooking to the shortest-cooking ingredient. There’s no magic in here to get it all done at once, but I can assure you’ll be blown away by how hearty and flavorful this stew is. Heck, you can make it not just on Christmas, but on anytime you want.
Dig in. Enjoy!
Sancocho Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound skinless chicken thighs , cut in bite size (see notes)
- 1 pound beef stew meat , cut in chunks
- ½ pound andouille sausage , thick slices
- 1-2 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons sofrito
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 medium onion , chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 6 cups water or broth , adjust to desired taste
- 1 packet sazon (without achiote) OR 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
- 1 large green plantain , peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 ears corn , cut in bite size
- 1 medium potatoes , peeled and chopped into 2 inch pieces
- 1 cup Caribbean pumpkin , (calabaza or butternut squash)
- 1 yucca (about 2 cups)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Season meat (chicken, beef both sides salt and sazon Or just use your favorite spice mix). Let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.
- Heat up a dutch oven or Large pot over medium high heat. Add oil to the pot.
- Then add meat, you may do so in batches if desired, or brown the beef and chicken separately. Let it sear for about 2 minutes before turning chicken around..
- Cook for about 6 minutes or until brown. Add sausage and cook for another two minutes.
- Add sofrito, garlic, cumin, paprika, oregano and sazon. Sauté until fragrant, about a minute. Then add onions, cook for about 5 minutes.
- Pour in water or broth. Return meat back to the pot and bring to a boil and then lower heat, cook for about 15-20 minutes, depending on the beef. Cook less if only using chicken.
- Next add root vegetables – starting with the one that needs the most time to cook – in this case green plantains. Cook for about 10 minutes before adding the yucca, squash, potatoes and corn.
- Continue cooking stew for 10 minutes until they begin to soften.
- Season with salt and pepper and taste for seasoning.
- Continue cooking until root vegetables are tender about 15-20 minutes . The stew should be thick and hearty, if not smashed a few root vegetables.
- Serve in large bowls, top with cilantro.
Tips & Notes:
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
How to Make Sancocho
Season meat (chicken, beef both sides salt and sazon Or just use your favorite spice mix. Let sit at room temperature at least 15 minutes.
Heat up a dutch oven or Large pot over medium high heat. Add oil to the pot. Then add meat, you may do so in batches if desired, or brown the beef and chicken separately. Let it sear for about 2 minutes before turning chicken around . Cook for about 6 minutes or until brown. Add sausage and cook for another two minutes.
Add sofrito, garlic, cumin, paprika, oregano and sazon. Sauté until fragrant, about a minute.
Then add onions, cook for about 5 minutes.
Pour in water or broth. Return meat back to the pot and bring to a boil and then lower heat, cook for about 15-20 minutes, depending on the beef. Cook less if only using chicken. Next add root vegetables – starting with the one that needs the most time to cook – in this case green plantains.
Cook for about 10 minutes before adding the yucca, squash, potatoes and corn. Continue cooking stew for 10 minutes until they begin to soften
Season with salt and pepper and taste for seasoning. Continue cooking until root vegetables are tender about 15-20 minutes. The stew should be thick and hearty, if not smashed a few root vegetables. Serve in large bowls, top with cilantro
Jessica Wolfe says
Where are the nites its referring to for the chicken thighs? Bute size pieces with bones?
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Jessica! You can use boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts and cut them into bite size. 🙂
ROSALIE Figueroa says
It’s ok but I don’t put corn since it makes it sweet not pumpkin I do grate green plantain with pumpkin to make bolitas
Immaculate Bites says
Thanks for sharing, Rosalie! You can opt to not use corn, depending on your taste preference. Since you mentioned plantain, you might want to try my Plantain fritters (Klako) or Plantain Bread/Cake. Enjoy!
Maritza Rodriguez says
Recaito
Sonja Adams says
I made this yesterday and my family loved it! This recipe is a keeper.
imma africanbites says
Yaaay! So awesome to know that. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Nakia says
I remember eating sanchoco at my mami’s (Abuela/Grandma’s) house in Spanish Harlem as a child. It was SO flavorful! I haven’t eaten meat in years, any suggestions on how to turn this into a meatless version?
imma africanbites says
Hi. Sorry, I haven’t tried this recipe though meatless, so I can’t say for sure.
Tania says
While it won’t be the same, you can definitely double down on the starches. Yautia, yellow and green plantain, yuca, ~name, squash, pumpkin, taro. corn and carrots provide a lot of flavor. just make sure you use a good imitation beef or chicken stock. if you wan to thicken up the stew, cook your squash/pumpkin early. Also, i found that eevo is a good alternative to fatten up the stew, without plenty of fat, sancocho is not satisfying.
Tania says
*evoo
Immaculate Bites says
Thank you for sharing, Tania! 🙂
joan says
Does anyone know the name of another green leafy spice similar to cilantro? Raque or Raca Hope …spelling is wrong but sounds similar.
Amanda says
Recaito
Iris says
Recao in Spanish. You can buy them in Asian vegetable stands.
Corey F says
Culantro
Agnes says
OMG this soup is amazing! Made my own sazon mix since it’s not available where I live so avoided MSG. I stuck as close to the original ingredients as I could. The result is great. Takes a lot of work and time to make it, but it’s really worth the effort. Thank you for posting the recipe.
imma africanbites says
You’re welcome, Agnes. I’m glad it turned out great for you. This is such a hearty and comforting dish.
Lydianna says
Hi Agnes
Read that you make your own sazon (no msg). Any chance that you might share this recipe? If not, it is ok but if you do I will love it. My email is lydianna@gibbsca.com
Tamara says
Ooo. Me too!!! I would like that recipe!!!!
(If your willing to share).
Tahutson2@aol.com.
Thank you☺️
Joannmiller says
Black bean soup. Delicious ❤️Thank you. Will have to tell and share with daughters. Thank you. Jo
Joy says
Thank you so much for this recipe! It is basically the same one I grew up with! I’m making it now!
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Thanks for giving a try.
Patty says
This looks like a ‘clean out the fridge’ or ‘last-of-the-harvest’ dish. It’s not far off from the Midwest “Booyah” soup. Sazon has MSG. I prefer to avoid that.
Adrienna Anderson says
Not all Saxon. They make one that doesn’t.