ECUADORIAN AGUADO DE GALLINA

Aguado de gallina is a typical Ecuadorian soup made with chicken and rice or "gallina" (female chicken). It has always struck me as a little odd that soup is referred to be watery when it is actually thick. When my husband first sampled this soup, he raved about it and inquired as to its other ingredients (besides chicken). 

He seemed a little astonished when I informed him it contained rice. Aguado de gallina, like many other traditional Ecuadorian recipes made with chicken or poultry, is cooked over low heat until the chicken is extremely soft and tender. In this instance, the rice is cooked until it dissolves in the soup, giving it a creamy and nearly sticky to watery thickness.

Aguado de gallina may be made with simply chicken, rice, potatoes, onions, and spices in traditional recipes; my version is a little more up-to-date and includes bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, peas, and herbs. For more taste, I also prefer to use chicken broth rather than water.

Ingredients 

• 3 pounds of chicken or hen mixed prey 
• ¾ cup uncooked rice 
• 2 tablespoons of oil or butter 
• 1 cup diced red onion 
• 1 cup diced bell pepper 
• 2 Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced 
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley 
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano 
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
• 1 teaspoon of ground annatto 
• 8 cups of chicken broth or water 
• 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped, about 
• 3 ½ cups 1 cup diced carrots 
• 1 cup of fresh or frozen peas or peas 
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro 
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation 

1. For around 30 minutes, soak the rice in water.
2. To create the refried sauce, combine the onion, garlic, bell pepper, tomatoes, parsley, oregano, cumin, achiote, salt, and pepper in a large saucepan with the oil or butter. Cook for 10 minutes while continuously stirring. 
3. Bring to a boil after adding chicken broth. 
4. Cook the chicken pieces for 30 minutes over medium heat after adding them. 
5. Potatoes should be diced, and rice should be added. Cook for 45 minutes on low heat, stirring regularly. 
6. After adding, boil the carrots for 5 minutes.
7. When the carrots and peas are both soft, add the peas and simmer for a further 5-7 minutes. 
8. Add the chopped cilantro after taking the pan off the heat.
9. Serve the diluted with avocado and chili slices.

The chicken flesh needs to be cooked over a low heat for a considerable amount of time in order to become more tender and soft. Anyone who has tasted a genuine chicken watering vs a chicken watering will understand what I mean when I say that the chicken gives this soup far more flavor. I have no option but to try to add flavor to it with chicken broth and other watery components as it is nearly hard for me to obtain an old chicken here in the US; I should actually refer to it as chicken watery. 

You could find that the aguado is cooked with chicken these days, even in Ecuador. It is more probable that you may have a genuine and authentic aguado de "gallina" (female chicken) if you are in the country or a small town where people grow their own chickens. This is true especially in large cities. I had the good fortune to have one of the nicest aguados on my most recent trip to Ecuador. It was made using a chicken that had spent a brief period of time wandering the fields and was cooked in a clay pot over fires.

As always, I hope this post has been helpful and you have increased your cooking knowledge. If you are interested in learning more about the subject, I invite you to see the other posts we have on the subject, surely you will find one that interests you. and let me know which recipe you would like to know.