Chicken Aguadito Step by Step

A step-by-step guide to making classic Peruvian chicken aguadito, a thick green rice soup with chicken, vegetables, and chicha de jora. Includes detailed technique notes on caramelizing onions and producing the perfect velvet-smooth texture.

20m Prep

45m Cook

1h 5m Total

5 Servings

chicken soup rice-soup streetfood aguadito negocios chicha-de-jora green comfort-food family standardized

Ingredients

5 g salt (final seasoning) (1 tsp, adjust to taste)

aderezo

50 ml vegetable oil
150 g white onion (finely chopped)
10 g garlic (finely chopped)
10 g salt (for sofrito) (2 tsp)
100 g yellow chili paste (pasta de ají amarillo)

base

250 g round-grain white rice (high starch) (not washed)

especias

1.5 ml ground cumin (freshly ground)
ground white pepper (freshly ground)

liquidos

120 ml chicha de jora (fermented corn beer)
15 ml soy sauce (sillao)

proteina

722 g chicken legs / drumsticks (or offal) (salted with 7g salt, lightly seared)
7 g salt (for chicken)

verde

200 g cilantro (culantro) (washed, blanched, roughly chopped)
138 g spinach (washed, blanched)
30 g kion (ginger) (grated, juice only)

verduras

50 g carrot (peeled, cut into diamonds (rombos))
150 g corn kernels (choclo)
100 g green peas (alverjas) (frozen or fresh)
80 g red bell pepper (pimentón) (cut into julienne strips)

Steps

1

Season the chicken (722g) with 7g of salt and mix well. Let it rest so the salt penetrates the meat.

~5 min
2

Heat a steel pan, add 30ml oil, and lightly sear the chicken over medium heat — just until lightly golden, not fully cooked. Remove the chicken and set aside.

Tip: Do not over-brown the chicken — excessive browning will discolor the green sauce to an unpleasant oxidized color.

~5 min
3

In the same pan, add the remaining oil (20ml), finely chopped onion (150g), and garlic (10g). Cook over very low heat with 2 tsp (10g) of salt until the onion is completely caramelized — about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Tip: Finely chopped onion caramelizes faster and dissolves better into the base, avoiding the raw onion taste that lingers in the palate.

~20 min
4

Add the yellow chili paste (100g) to the caramelized onion. Continue sautéing over low heat, stirring to integrate. Let it cook until the oil separates and the sofrito deepens in color.

~8 min
5

Blanch the cilantro (200g) and spinach (138g) in boiling water just until wilted, then drain immediately. Transfer to a blender along with the chicha de jora (120ml), soy sauce (15ml), and grated ginger juice (30g). Blend on high until very smooth. Strain through a colander, pressing firmly. Reserve a small portion of the green for finishing.

Tip: Always blanch green ingredients in uncovered pots so the carbonic gas that causes oxidation can escape freely.

~10 min
6

Add the blended green sauce to the sofrito. Add the seared chicken and enough water to make a soup. Add cumin and white pepper. Bring to a boil, then add the high-starch rice (250g, unwashed). Stir regularly to prevent the rice from settling and burning.

Tip: Use a high-starch round-grain rice for the characteristic velvety texture of aguadito. Do not wash it — you need that starch.

~30 min
7

Add the carrot diamonds (50g), corn kernels (150g), and green peas (100g) to the pot. Cook until all vegetables are tender.

~10 min
8

Add the bell pepper julienne (80g) and the reserved fresh green blend. Stir well, season with 1 tsp salt, skim any foam, and bring to a final brief boil. Turn off heat, serve immediately.

Tip: The reserved fresh green added at the very end gives the final dish its brilliant color.

~5 min

Nutrition (per serving)

400

Calories

28g

Protein

52g

Carbs

Fat

Fiber

Cultural Context

Aguadito de pollo is a Peruvian dish derived from arroz con pollo — when leftover rice with chicken remained, home cooks would thin it with broth, add chicken offal or pieces, and bring it back to the table. Today it stands as an independent classic with its own street-food identity. Victor adds chicha de jora (fermented corn beer) in place of the traditional dark beer to give it a distinctly Peruvian umami character.