This Aguadito De Pollo (Peruvian Chicken Soup) recipe is easy to make, and full of the best fresh and delicious flavors, including lots and lots of cilantro!
Hey hey! It’s new soup day!
Well, this one is at least a new favorite of mine. Have you ever tried aguadito before? It’s basically the Peruvian version of chicken and rice soup, and it is muy delicioso. The base of the soup is the basic chicken, rice and veggies that we all know and love. But the Peruvian version adds an extra fresh and fun kick by having you puree a ton of cilantro, chile peppers, onions, garlic and lime juice in a blender. Then just before serving, you stir in the cilantro mixture in with the chicken and rice, and — poof — it instantly turns this classic into a show-stopping vibrant, fresh, and flavorful green soup! (And yes, it really is that green. It practically glows!) ?
So if you happen to be feeling all the spring vibes lately — but mayyyy not be quite ready to transition out of winter “soup season” just yet (I’m a 365-soup girl myself ) — I feel like this recipe is the perfect bridge between seasons. It’s definitely been the delicious bridge between mine this year.
Let’s make some.
Aguadito (Peruvian Chicken Soup) Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Alright, so let’s talk about this magical cilantro sauce that takes this simple chicken and rice soup from classic…to fantastic. ? ?
Before you start making your soup base, begin by sauteeing some poblano pepper and onions and garlic and aji amarillo paste (or a serrano or jalapeño pepper) in your stock pot until they’re soft and cooked.
Transfer them to the blender, and let them sit and cool down a bit while you make the rest of the soup. Then, once your soup has been simmering for awhile, the potatoes and rice are nearly cooked and ready to go, finish up that sauce! Just add a bunch of fresh cilantro leaves (some stems are ok) and lime juice to the blender…
…then puree the heck out of it until the mixture is super-smooth (about 1 minute). Once the soup is ready to go, stir in the cilantro mixture at the last minute until combined. Garnish with extra cilantro and green onions…
…and serve!
See? SO GREEN! And seriously, SO GOOD.
Also, if you want, you can totally make it SO SPICY. The traditional Peruvian version of this soup uses aji chiles (or much easier to find in the U.S. — this aji amarillo paste) as the heat in this soup, and you can add as much or as little as you’d like. Or if you can’t find the paste, feel free to just add in a serrano or jalapeño pepper. (Or skip the chile peppers altogether, if you’re not into spicy food.)
However you make it,
Aguadito De Pollo (Peruvian Chicken and Rice Soup)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or olive oil)
- 1 large poblano pepper, cored and diced
- 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon aji amarillo paste (or 1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, cored and diced)
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 6 cups chicken stock, divided
- 2 cups shredded or diced cooked chicken
- 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, diced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup white or brown rice
- 1/2 cup peas
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves
- juice of 1 lime
- optional garnishes: extra chopped fresh cilantro leaves, thinly-sliced green onions
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the diced poblano pepper and white onion, and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and translucent. Stir in the aji amarillo paste (or diced serrano or jalapeño) and garlic. Continue sautéing for 1-2 more minutes, until the garlic is fragrant. Transfer the entire mixture to a large blender, and set aside to cool.
- Return the stockpot to the heat. Add 5 cups chicken stock, cooked chicken, potatoes, carrots, rice, peas, cumin, and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low so that the soup maintains a low simmer. Cover partially and cook, stirring occasionally, for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender and the rice is cooked.
- Once the soup is ready, add the cilantro leaves and lime and remaining 1 cup chicken stock to the blender along with the pepper mixture. Pureé for 1-2 minutes, or until the mixture is completely smooth.
- Stir the cilantro mixture into the soup. Taste, and season with a generous pinch (or more) of salt and black pepper as needed.
- Serve immediately, topped with your desired garnishes.
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!This post contains affiliate links.
Just eat it. Follow the recipe as written and eat it over and over again. It’s extra great. Don’t fuck with it. ✌️
How spicy is this? I don’t handle chili peppers very well so would leave out the pepper paste/Serrano chili, but might manage the poblano. How hot peppery does this come out? I had it in a restaurant and it was delicious and fine for my super taster taste buds…I’m a wimp. But how about this version?
Delicious! My husband and I really enjoyed this soup.
Gorgeous color and the flavors sound amazing, I love cilantro. I’m bookmarking this one!
Hi Ali! New to your blog, I made this recipe last night and it was awesome! I got curious about Peruvian dishes after eating out at a restaurant last weekend, and when I saw the bright green of this soup I knew I had to try it.
I didn’t have peas, but had some frozen edamame instead, and fyi, that works just as well! :)
I also did not have it with rice, but increased the potatoes a bit.
I looked at another recipe for aguadito that called for two cloves of garlic, I did five cloves and I think that’s definitely a good amount (am a garlic lover though), as your recipe suggests.
Will have to check out more of your recipes. Once again, this was so great. Thanks for sharing with us!
Thank you for this great recipe! We have a local Peruvian restaurant and love their soup. Yours is perhaps even better. Followed your directions exactly and received rave reviews from my family. Thanks, again!
OMG ! This is best of soup ever ! It is very similar or exactly same as our neighborhood Peruvian restaurant soup ! I just made for tonight . It is awesome taste ! Definitely keep your recipe ! Thank you so much !
Oh my gosh! This is SOOO GOOD!!!
My new son-in-law was raised in Peru and turned me onto this soup. In Peru it’s known for it’s properties to detox, and you will be served this for everything from a cold to a hangover.
It’s better yet if you add choclo (Peruvian corn), which is a big kernel not sweet kind of white corn. That might be a bit hard to find, but hominy is a pretty good stand in, and you can find a can of that anywhere Mexican or Southern food is sold. Or you could cut some sweet white corn off the cob. It’s not authentic, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good.
Super useful: good for detox after drinking, and try hominy next time instead. Check, check.
This is delicious! Very fresh and healthy too. Also good leftover the next day. I had never tried aji paste before but it is a wonderful addition to my kitchen.