Sancocho or Puerto Rican meat and root vegetables soup is a traditional Caribbean soup made with a variety of meats and root vegetables, which give it a unique taste and texture. It’s rich and thick and delicious. Sancocho is like food for the soul. 

Whenever my kids get sick, I make a big pot of sancocho and it always makes them feel better. I honestly believe it has healing powers! 

What is Puerto Rican sancocho made of?

Puerto Rican sancocho is made with a variety of meats and root vegetables. The meats usually include chicken, beef, pork, smoked ham or sausage. The root vegetables include cassava (yuca), tannier (yautía), kabocha squash (calabaza), potatoes and carrots. Other ingredients include corn on the cob and green plantains.

Is sancocho Dominican or Puerto Rican?

This is the debate that never ends haha! People will argue about the origins of Latin dishes until they are blue in the face. Is sancocho Dominican or Puerto Rican? My answer is neither. Every island in the Caribbean has a version of sancocho.

It is said that sancocho originated in the Canary Islands, off the coast of Africa. Eventually it migrated to the Caribbean and many variations have come from the original recipe. Although each country has its own version, they usually make this dish with meats and root vegetables and it is always DELICIOUS!

Dominican sancocho consists of about seven different meats (beef, pork, goat, chicken, ham and sausage) and also root vegetables which they call víveres. 

Puerto Rican sancocho usually consists of less variety of meats. We typically use beef, chicken and ham. We also like to add corn on the cob which is not always in Dominican sancocho. 

What are Puerto Rican root vegetables?

Some popular root vegetables or vianda as we call them in Puerto Rico include cassava (yuca), tannier (yautía), yam (ñame), sweet potato (batata) and taro (malanga). All of these root vegetables are staples in Puerto Rican cuisine and are cultivated on the island.

How to make Puerto Rican sancocho with chicken?

You can make Puerto Rican sancocho with only chicken, if that’s your preference. You can use chicken thighs and drumsticks, just make sure they are skinless. Also, you can add chicken breast and any other pieces of chicken you like. Follow the recipe as is, just omit the other meats. Chicken sancocho is delicious and a healthier alternative to traditional sancocho.

Best Puerto Rican sancocho recipe

This is by far the best Puerto Rican sancocho recipe I have found. I have made my fair share of sancocho in my life and I believe I have perfected my recipe. The addition of plantain dumplings also takes this soup to the next level! The good thing about my recipe is that you can tweak it to your liking and the end result will still be amazing. If you don’t eat pork you can omit it from the recipe. If you are vegan, you can use vegan ingredients and the sancocho will still be delicious.

The important thing is to cook each ingredient properly so that you don’t end up with a pot of overcooked mush. Some meats cook faster than others. The same is also true for vegetables. For example, calabaza (kobocha squash) cooks very quickly whereas yuca and yautia take a bit longer to cook. If you throw everything in the pot at the same time, some of the meats and also some vegetables will literally disintegrate and you will end up with a big pot of mush! Timing is key when making sancocho.

To make the broth thicker, you can blend some calabaza, potatoes, and the onions, bell pepper, cilantro and culantro. Add the puree to the broth to help thicken it.

As for seasoning, I use Healthy Rican Adobo and Sazón. They are free of harmful ingredients like MSG and dyes. Use my code: madewithsazon for 10% off your order!

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Sancocho (Puerto Rican Meat And Root Vegetables Soup)

Sancocho is a traditional Caribbean soup made with a variety of meats and root vegetables, which give it a unique taste and texture. It's rich and thick and absolutely DELICIOUS! I'm convinced it has magical healing powers!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 hours hrs

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Servings 6 people

Equipment

• 1 Large caldero (soup pot)

Ingredients

  

Meats

• 1 lb beef ribs
• 1 lb rib eye steak cubed
• 1 lb chicken drumsticks skinless
• 1 lb pork chops cut into chunks
• 1 cup sliced kielbasa

Marinade

• 1/2 cup sofrito
• 1/2 cup bitter orange juice can sub with lime juice
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp chicken bouillon paste Better than Bouillon
• 1 tbsp adobo Healthy Rican
• 1 tbsp sazon Healthy Rican
• 1/2 tbsp ground oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Soup

• 28 oz chicken bone broth
• 1 tbsp chicken bouillon paste Better than Bouillon
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 red onion
• 1 green bell pepper
• 4 sprigs of culantro
• 4 sprigs of cilantro
• 1 green plantain grated
• 1 yuca (cassava) cut into chunks
• 1 yautía (tannier) cut into chunks
• 1/2 lb calabaza (kabocha squash) cut into chunks
• 2 carrots sliced
• 1 potato cubed
• 2 ears corn each cut into 4
• 4 sprigs of cilantro for garnish

Instructions

 

• Cut the meat and place in a large bowl. Give it a good rinse with cold water and lime juice or vinegar. Set aside.
• Make the marinade: add sofrito, bitter orange juice, chicken bouillon paste, adobo, sazon, oregano, black pepper and olive oil and blend in a food processor. Pour mixture over the meat and mix until well combined. Allow meat to marinate for at least 1 hour but the longer the better.
• Place a very large pot or caldero over medium high heat and drizzle with olive oil. Add the meats with the marinade, cover and cook for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove chicken and set aside.
• Add chicken bone broth along with the chicken bouillon paste, onion, bell pepper, cilantro and culantro. Cover and cook for 1 hour.
• After 1 hour, remove the onion, bell pepper, cilantro and culantro and any excess oil from the top of the soup. TIP: Save the aromatics to blend later. This puree will help thicken the broth and add extra flavor.
• Add chicken back to the pot along with potatoes, yuca and yautia. Cook for 30 minutes.
• Grate the plantain to make plantain dumplings. Roll balls about the size of regular meatballs.
• Add kielbasa, plantain balls, carrots, calabaza and corn. Cook 30-45 minutes or until vegetables are fully cooked and soup has thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed.
• To make the broth thicker, you can blend some calabaza, potatoes, and the onions, bell pepper, cilantro and culantro. Add the puree to the broth to help thicken it.
• Serve with white rice, tostones (fried plantains) and avocado.

Video

Notes

SUBSTITUTIONS:

Depending on where you live, some of the root vegetables may be hard to find. If you can’t find the yautia, you can use ñame (white yam) or malanga (taro). If those are not accessible, just omit from the recipe.

If you can’t find calabaza, you can use another type of squash like butternut squash or zucchini.

If you can’t find fresh yuca, look for frozen yuca at your local supermarket. Goya sells frozen yuca at most grocery stores.

TIP: To make the broth thicker, you can blend some calabaza, potatoes, and the onions, bell pepper, cilantro and culantro. Add the puree to the broth to help thicken it.

HEALTHY RICAN DISCOUNT:

Use my code: madewithsazon for 10% off your Healthy Rican order!

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