Chilean turkey cazuela with chuchoca, or cazuela de pava con chuchoca, is a traditional country soup of turkey pieces simmered until tender, then cooked with potatoes, onion, bell pepper, celery, and chuchoca, a coarse ground dried corn that thickens the broth. It takes 30 minutes of preparation and about 85 minutes of cooking, and serves 6.
It is a very traditional rural Chilean dish that remains popular thanks to turkey farms, and it is served piping hot with fresh cilantro.
How to Make Turkey Cazuela with Chuchoca?
Ideally use a turkey under a year old, since older birds take longer and need a vegetable sofrito for flavor. The pieces are boiled in salted water until the meat begins to come off the bone, then the potatoes, vegetables, and chuchoca are added and cooked until the potatoes are tender.
Nutritional Information
Each serving of turkey cazuela with chuchoca contains approximately 450 kcal, 35 g of protein, 18 g of total fat (5 g of saturated fat), 50 g of carbohydrates, 5 g of sugars, and 700 mg of sodium. These values are estimates and may vary depending on ingredients and portion sizes.
Homemade Chilean Turkey Cazuela with Chuchoca Recipe
Preparation: 30 minutes
Cooking: 85 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1½ kg of turkey pieces
- 400 g of chuchoca (coarse dried corn meal)
- 10 medium potatoes
- 3 liters of water
- ½ onion, sliced
- ½ red bell pepper, cut into strips
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- Fresh cilantro
- Fine salt
Instructions
- Wash the turkey pieces, trim any excess fat, and pat dry with paper towels. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot, add a tablespoon of salt and the turkey pieces, and cook over medium high heat for 50 to 60 minutes, until the meat starts to come away from the bone.
- Add the peeled potatoes, onion, bell pepper, chopped celery, and chuchoca, stirring the chuchoca in little by little, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until the potatoes are tender but not falling apart. The final thickness of the broth depends on how much chuchoca you add. Serve right away, piping hot, sprinkled with freshly chopped cilantro.
Additional Tips
Avoid lumps
Add the chuchoca little by little while stirring constantly. You can also toast it lightly in a dry pan first, which improves its flavor and helps it blend into the hot broth.
Use a pressure cooker
Cook the turkey under pressure for about 30 minutes, then open the pot, add the potatoes, vegetables, and chuchoca, and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes more until thickened.
Adjust the thickness
For a lighter, soupier cazuela, use less chuchoca. For a thick, porridge like cazuela, add the full amount.
| Original ingredient | Substitute | Ratio | Flavor note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | Chicken pieces | 1:1 | Classic cazuela de ave, cooks faster |
| Chuchoca | Polenta | 1:1 | Finer, smoother texture |
| Red bell pepper | Carrot | 1 medium | Sweeter broth |
| Cilantro | Parsley | 1:1 | Milder |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is cazuela de pava the same as cazuela de pavo?
Yes, it is made the same way. Pava is the female turkey, so in practice the dish is made with turkey pieces. What matters most is the age of the bird, since a younger one cooks faster and is more tender.
2. How much chuchoca goes into turkey cazuela?
This recipe uses 400 g of chuchoca for 3 liters of water and 6 servings. The thickness depends on how much you add, so use a little less for a soupier cazuela.
3. Which turkey should I use?
Ideally one under a year old. If the bird is older, the cooking takes longer and it is best to add a vegetable sofrito to round out the broth.
4. How long does turkey cazuela cook?
First the pieces simmer for 50 to 60 minutes until the meat begins to come off the bone. Then the potatoes, vegetables, and chuchoca cook for 20 to 25 minutes more.
What Is Chuchoca?
In Chile, chuchoca is corn that is cooked, dried, and ground into a coarse meal. It is one of the most traditional ingredients of the Chilean countryside, used to thicken cazuelas and stews and to make dishes such as pastel de chuchoca.
What Is Cazuela?
Cazuela is Chile’s national soup, a hearty broth with a large piece of meat, potato, squash, and corn on the cob or other vegetables in every bowl. Versions with beef, chicken, lamb, and turkey are made all over the country.
Did You Know?
In Chilean Spanish, pava is the female turkey, a bird of the order Galliformes that, like the male pavo, has a long neck with red fleshy wattles.
How to adapt this recipe to a vegan or vegetarian version?
How to adapt this recipe to a gluten-free version?
How to adapt this recipe to a keto (ketogenic) version?
Recommended
- Chilean Potatoes with Chuchoca Recipe
- Chilean Pastel de Chuchoca Recipe
- Chilean Caiquén Goose Cazuela Recipe
- Chilean Beef Cazuela Recipe
