Sancocho de Gallina Panameño

Ingredients

• 1.5kg bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin removed
• 2 limes, halved, for washing the chicken
• 12 leaves culantro (recao), roughly chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp salt, for the marinade
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 2.5 litres water
• 800g ñame, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 300g otoe (taro), peeled and cut into chunks
• 300g yuca, peeled and cut into chunks
• 2 ears of sweetcorn, cut into thick rounds
• 1 chicken stock cube, crumbled
• Salt, to taste
• To serve: white rice and hot sauce

Before you cook

• Remove the skin from the chicken, rub the pieces with the cut limes, rinse and pat dry.
• Toss the chicken with half the culantro, half the onion, half the garlic, the oregano, two teaspoons of salt and the black pepper, and leave it for thirty minutes.
• Peel and chunk the ñame, otoe and yuca, keeping the yuca in cold water.
• Cut the sweetcorn into thick rounds.

Steps

1. Set a large heavy pot over medium-high heat and add two tablespoons of oil.
2. Add the marinated chicken pieces and brown them for six minutes, turning once, until the surfaces take on colour.
3. Add the remaining onion and garlic and cook for three minutes until softened.
4. Pour in two and a half litres of water and scrape the base of the pot.
5. Add the crumbled stock cube and bring the pot to a boil.
6. Skim off the foam that rises, then lower the heat to a steady simmer.
7. Cover partially and cook for thirty minutes, until the chicken is falling from the bone.
8. Add the ñame to the pot first, because it is what thickens the broth and gives sancocho panameño its body.
9. Simmer for fifteen minutes, letting the ñame begin to break down at the edges.
10. Add the otoe, yuca and sweetcorn.
11. Simmer uncovered for a further twenty-five minutes, until all the roots are soft and the broth has turned cloudy and thick.
12. Crush two or three pieces of ñame against the side of the pot with a spoon to thicken the broth further.
13. Stir in the remaining culantro, which should go in late so its flavour stays green and forward.
14. Taste and add salt until the broth tastes bright rather than flat.
15. Simmer for five more minutes to let the culantro infuse.
16. Ladle chicken, roots and plenty of broth into deep bowls.
17. Serve with a mound of white rice on the side, to be stirred in spoonful by spoonful.