Puerto Rican · soup

Asopao de Pollo

Asopao de Pollo reads umami 6.8, richness 5.0 and salinity 4.6 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Puerto Rican soup, about 1 hr 30 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 7.3 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 3.7 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 3.8 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 1.2 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 5.1 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 2.9 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.8 · Richness 5.0 · Salinity 4.6 · Sourness 3.4 · Fruity 2.9 · Sweetness 2.7 · Herbaceous 2.6 · Warm Spice 1.5 · Citrus 1.2 · Earthy 1.1 · Bitterness 0.9 · Heat 0.6

What's in it (15)

• chicken thighs — 1200 g
• adobo seasoning — 30 g
• achiote oil — 41 g
• sofrito — 150 g
• sazón con culantro y achiote — 7 g
• tomato sauce — 200 g
• chicken stock — 1800 g
• bay leaf — 1 g
• fresh culantro — 4 g
• white rice — 300 g
• alcaparrado — 60 g
• frozen green peas — 100 g
• pimientos — 100 g
• salt — 5 g
• freshly ground black pepper — 5 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 30 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 96.9 kcal, 7.6 g protein, 3.5 g fat, 8.8 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

1. Asopao sits between a soup and a rice — the name comes from sopa, and the target is a loose, spoonable stew where the grains are swollen and just holding their shape. It thickens as it stands, so it is served the minute it is ready.
2. Rub the chicken all over with the adobo and let it sit 30 minutes at room temperature.
3. Heat the achiote oil in a wide heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the chicken in two batches, about 4 minutes a side. Take the pieces out.
4. Lower the heat to medium, add the sofrito and the sazón and fry 5 minutes until the raw green smell has gone.
5. Return the chicken, pour in the tomato sauce and stock, and add the bay leaves and whole recao leaves. Simmer gently, partly covered, for 25 minutes.
6. Stir in the rice and cook at a lazy boil for 18 minutes, stirring every few minutes so it does not catch. Add a ladle of hot water if it tightens before the rice is done — the finished dish should pour off the spoon.
7. Fold in the alcaparrado, peas and pimiento strips and cook 4 minutes more.
8. Taste and correct with the salt and black pepper, remembering that the adobo and the olives have already brought salt. Serve immediately in deep bowls with tostones.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Tlayuda Oaxaquena — Mexican
• Quick Enchilada Sauce — Mexican
• Nioquis (Potato Gnocchi) — Argentine
• Tarhana Çorbası (Fermented Wheat and Yoghurt Soup) — Turkish
• Arroz con Gandules — Puerto Rican

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.