The Best Sancocho de Pollo, Panama’s Traditional Chicken Stew

Sancocho de pollo is the heart and soul of the Panamanian kitchen in Lisa Kear’s childhood.

When Lisa was raised by her grandmother, aunt and uncle in Panama, she learned to make this hearty chicken stew from her uncle, whom she calls her dad. He was also el jefe, the boss, of any kind of sancocho made in their house, including this much-loved version.

Almost every Saturday morning, Lisa remembers he would prepare this sancocho, which he nicknamed “sancho,” for lunch, with a side of steamed rice and sometimes habanero hot sauce to spice things up. Saturday was the day their family would go to the market early in the morning and return with fresh produce. Lots of which went into this soup/stew.

He would usually add four different kinds of roots: — yuca, ñame, ñame morado, and otoe (the Panamanian name for malanga) — and always used the entire chicken, head and claws included. Lisa remembers how her grandparents never even filleted fish, since they viewed leaving behind any part of the fish or any animal as a waste of good food. While she never did take to eating the chicken head or claws, Lisa says she misses the variety of roots that her family had access to in their back yard in their native Panama. 

Lisa created this recipe to honor her father’s sancocho, with the aim that it would be as traditionally Panamanian as possible, while keeping in mind ingredients that are readily available in American grocery stores. For example, Lisa prefers to use deboned chicken breast when she cooks this stew today, but sometimes goes for chicken with bones to add nutrition and healthy collagen to her dish.

An important ingredient in Panamanian sancocho is whole corn on the cob, which is usually not seen in U.S. stews, says Lisa. Her father liked to make his sancocho with maiz viejo — older corn — since it was tougher than fresh corn and would not overcook during the long stewing process. Lisa also remembers him using the less sweet, white corn variety popular in Panama. She notes that in American grocery stores, usually only new corn is available, but white corn can often be found in various specialty grocery stores or in the frozen section.

Today, if it’s Saturday, you’re likely to find Lisa in her cocina in Knoxville making sancocho. Or if it’s a cold winter day. Or if someone in her family is feeling under the weather. That’s what makes this recipe sancocho de pollo such a go-to and well-rounded dish, she says. Any time of year, it’s hearty, healthy, comforting—and delicious.

If you like this traditional dish, check out Lisa’s other authentic Panamanian recipes, including: her family-famous beef empanadas, her Familia Kitchen Recipe Contest-winning Panamanian flan, her sweet guava-and-cheese empanadas, her Panamanian pollo guisado (stewed chicken) with spaghetti, and her amazing handmade Panamanian corn tortillas.

Ready to Make Lisa’s Authentic Panamanian Sancocho de Pollo?

The Best Sancocho de Pollo—Panama’s Traditional Chicken Stew

Recipe by Lisa Kear

4.3 from 23 votes

Cuisine: Panamanian

Servings

8 to 10

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

45

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, cut in 8 or 10 pieces, or any mix of chicken pieces

• 6 cups water, or to cover the chicken

• 1 onion, chopped

• 1 cup celery, chopped

• 1 carrot, sliced into ½-inch thick rounds

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 lb yuca, chopped into 2-inch cubes

• 1 lb ñame or yams, chopped into 2-inch cubes (if not available, use 2 total lbs of yuca instead)

• 2 cobs corn, cut into 4 pieces each

• 4 leaves culantro, chopped (if not available, use parsley or cilantro)

• 1 tsp oregano, dried or fresh

• 1 tsp thyme, dried or fresh

• 1/2 tsp rosemary, dried and ground or fresh

• 3 bay leaves, whole dried

• 3 cubes chicken bouillon

• 3 tsp salt, or to to taste, divided

• 1/2 tsp black pepper, or to taste, divided

Directions

• Place the cut pieces of chicken in a large pot of water to cover, over medium-high heat. Add 2 tsp salt to the water. Boil until chicken is cooked, about 20 minutes.
• Remove chicken and set aside. (You can remove the skin and bones at this time, if desired. Lisa recommends you do, for ease of eating.)
• Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot, still set to medium heat, except the salt. Stir together. Return the cooked chicken to the pot and add more water to cover, if necessary.
• Bring to a gentle boil. Cover the pot and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, until the yuca and ñame or yam are soft, but still firm.
• Add 1 tsp salt and black pepper to taste, and cook for another 10 minutes to let all the flavors meld together. Taste and ajust salt and pepper, as needed. Lisa recommends serving with habanero sauce to heat things up, if you wish.
• It’s ready. Serve hot or warm with steamed white rice.

Notes

• Lisa encourages you to experiment with your choices of root vegetables. If you can’t find fresh yuca, look for frozen in the Latino or Asian section of your grocery store.

Sancocho photo by Michelle Ezratty Murphy