Locro de Gallina (Chicken Soup With Squash, Green Plantains and Yuca)

“Hey, Ham, what are you making?” “Hi, today I’m making locro de gallina. Aggressively season our water. Add our hunky yuca. We’re going to let that simmer until the yuca is fall-apart tender. In here, I’ve got turmeric, paprika and annatto seeds. You’re going to cook this until the annatto stains the oil red. Garlic, bay leaf and onion. And we’re just going to cook this out until the onion turns translucent and starts to soften. In goes the chicken. We’re going to add my salt — make sure everything is evenly coated. And now we add our water. And at this point, we’re going to add our rice. As it simmers, the rice is going to break down and thicken the soup and give it a lot more body. Broth is ready. Pull out the back and the neck. In go my squash and my plantains. Bring that up to a simmer, and cook that until the squash is fully tender and the plantains are as well. Smells like lunch at my grandmother’s house. Oregano, fresh parsley. So my yuca is all done. You can see how soft they are. Ladle full of soup right on top. Thigh in there and a hunk of squash. Check it out. Let me know what you think.”