Mexican Chicken Soup {Caldo de Pollo}

Caldo de Pollo — Mexican Chicken soup at its best. Tender chicken in a flavorful spicy broth is a comfort food for mind, body and soul. 

Soup. It’s magical, isn’t it? While it bubbles and simmers and infuses with any of a host of lovely flavours, the anticipation has the power to transform a stressed out heart into one that is pretty darned psyched about what’s to come.

I know it isn’t just me. With so many tasty options that range from hearty Vegetable Beef Barley Soup to  Creamy Tomato Soup , there’s a soup to suit every taste and mood.

Caldo de Pollo

In the wide, wonderful soup world, I tend to gravitate toward the ones filled with goodies. I want some interest, some texture, something on which to chew proverbially and literally. Is there anything better than filling a stock pot with delicious ingredients and letting it cook all day to steamy, flavorful perfection?

I have quite a few great, last-minute soup recipes  on deck for those days when time is of the essence. Filipino Soup (Beef Pares Mami) is a favorite along with this Ribollita ( Tuscan Vegetable Bean Soup). From time to time, though, I want an old-school, all-day, boy-was-that-worth-it soup.

Mexican Chicken Soup {Caldo de Pollo} is just such a soup.

Caldo de Pollo Recipe {Caldo de Pollo Receta}

I’m going to tell you straight up; this chicken soup is going to take a commitment of time. It’s not difficult, it’s not complicated, it isn’t fraught with timing issues, and it doesn’t require babysitting; it’s just slow.

Isn’t that nice somehow, though? You toss goodies in a pot and let it simmer and develop itself into something that transcends all of its individual components. It’s the culinary equivalent of your mom shoving you into a chair, pulling a blanket up under your chin, and telling you to relax while she takes care of things.

It’snot that you napped or your mom washed your dishes or walked the baby or swept your floor or put away your laundry, it’s that you had room to breathe and a better place in which to stand up after resting. Not that I’m advocating standing in soup. Lousy analogy for a mom who’s helping their kid study for the SATs, but do you see what I mean? It’s all love!

How to Make Caldo de Pollo {Como Hacer Caldo de Pollo}

Caldo de Pollo is made in two stages. First, the broth; then, the soup!

STEP 1. Make the broth

For the broth, you need:

• Chicken (whole roasting chicken, giblets removed)
• onions
• garlic
• carrots
• jalapeño
• cider vinegar
• cilantro
• dried chile peppers {optional, but delicious}

Add all of the broth ingredients to a large stockpot, countertop roaster oven, or slow-cooker. Cover by 1-inch of water. Cook over a low heat for 8 hours, or until the chicken is so tender it falls apart easily.

Use a slotted spoon and tongs to fish out all of the solids and put them in a bowl. Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth lined colander. Let the broth rest in a pitcher or bowl in an ice bath long enough for the fat to separate. At that point, you can skim off the fat and proceed to making the soup, or cover the broth and refrigerate overnight, making the fat solidify for easier removal. Discard the vegetables that simmered in the stock and reserve the chicken.

Step 2. Make the Soup

Along with the broth and the chicken reserved from making it, you need more carrots, a few potatoes and a bit of salt to complete the Caldo de Pollo.

Add the broth, diced potatoes and carrots, and salt to a large stockpot or soup pan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until the potatoes and carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.

While the vegetables simmer, pull the broth chicken from the bones, discarding the skin and bones. Shred or chop the chicken into bite sized pieces and add it to the broth to heat through.

Taste the mixture all together and add more salt to taste. I often add another 2 teaspoons.

How to Serve Caldo de Pollo

I serve each bowl of this soup topped with a garnish of cilantro, onion, jalapeno and avocado, tossed with lime juice. If serving a crowd, place bowls of the garnish on the table for everyone to top theirs the way they like. We like this with extra rings of sweet onion and avocado on top as well.

The beauty of Mexican Chicken Soup–much like my beloved Pho–shines in the melt-in-your-mouth tender vegetables and chicken falling apart in flavourful, hot broth, and the fresh crunch and vibrant flavours of the herb and jalapeno garnishes. It manages to be hot and comforting and fresh and WOW all at the same time. There aren’t a lot of foods that can hit those notes all at the same time.

Cook’s Notes

• You can use a stockpot, countertop roaster pan, or slow-cooker to make the broth in Stage 1. I often use my countertop roaster because I can do a double batch and we love this soup enough to want a double batch!
• Some things from Stage 1 don’t make it into the final soup. For example, carrots, onions, and jalapenos cook in the broth -imparting depth of flavour and colour to it- but they’re not much good for nibbling on after simmering for a few hours. The dogs, chickens, ducks, and guinea fowl benefit from the super soft simmered vegetables. No critters hanging around your home? No problem! Compost that veg!
• Skimming fat from the broth is easiest when you let it sit, covered, in the refrigerator overnight. The fat rises to the top and solidifies making it FAR easier to remove. If you’re in a hurry, though, you can let the broth sit, undisturbed, in a large bowl or pitcher for a half an hour or so and use a spoon or ladle to remove as much fat as possible.
• Let the chicken cool in a bowl while you begin Stage 2; the amount of time it takes the second addition of vegetables to become tender in the broth should give you more than enough time to pull the cooked chicken from the bones and shred or chop as necessary. In that time, you’ll also be able to prepare the various fresh garnishes.
• Speaking of garnishes, I feel obliged to mention that squeezing the lime juice over the chopped onion has a dual purpose. 1) It lends flavour, but just as importantly, we have the fact that 2) the acidity of the lime diminishes the raw bite of the onion. I don’t advise skipping this step!
• Avocados are strictly optional, but undeniably tasty as a garnish. Go Team Avocado!
• Yes, there is lime in the cilantro and onion garnish, but I wouldn’t leave off the extra wedges of lime for all the world. A wedge of lime in each bowl of soup really makes all of the flavours you worked  so hard to develop POP!
• Also optional but lovely are the slices of fresh jalapeno. This is a non-negotiable addition when our household is passing around head colds like politicians do with blame.
• Some folks like to serve this over hot, cooked rice and I certainly wouldn’t push away a bowl of it on rice, but I like this particular soup just like it is!

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Caldo de Pollo

Mexican Chicken Soup {Caldo de Pollo}

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Rebecca Lindamood

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

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The beauty of Mexican Chicken Soup -much like my beloved Pho- shines in the melt-in-your-mouth tender vegetables and chicken falling apart in flavourful, hot broth, and the fresh crunch and vibrant flavours of the herb and jalapeno garnishes. It manages to be hot and comforting and fresh and WOW all at the same time. Inspired by Caldo de Pollo by Liz of the Lemon Bowl.

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the Broth:

• 1 large whole roasting chicken, giblets removed
• 3 large carrots scrubbed and trimmed
• 2 large onions peeled and halved
• 10 cloves of garlic peeled but left whole
• 3 fresh jalapeno peppers scrubbed and pierced several times with a knife
• 2 stems of cilantro
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• Optional but tasty: 2 dried chile peppers guajillo or ancho, preferably, wiped clean with a damp cloth

For the Soup:

• 1 batch of the broth strained of the solids
• 3 Yukon gold potatoes scrubbed and diced into 1/4-inch cubes
• 2 or 3 carrots scrubbed and diced into 1/4-inch cubes
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• meat from the chicken that simmered in the broth
• additional kosher salt to taste

For the Garnish:

• 1 large sweet onion or mild white onion peeled and diced into 1/8 to 1/4-inch cubes
• 3 limes separated: 2 juiced and one sliced into wedges
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 handful cilantro leaves coarsely chopped
• 1 fresh jalapeno scrubbed and thinly sliced into rounds
• 1 ripe avocado halved, pitted, and cubed

Instructions

 

To Make the Broth:

• Add all of the broth ingredients to a large stockpot, countertop roaster oven, or slow-cooker. Cover by 1-inch of water. Cook over a low heat for 8 hours, or until the chicken is so tender it falls apart easily. Use a slotted spoon and tongs to fish out all of the solids and put them in a bowl. Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve or a cheesecloth lined colander. Let the broth rest in a pitcher or bowl in an ice bath long enough for the fat to separate. At that point, you can skim off the fat and proceed to making the soup, or cover the broth and refrigerate overnight, making the fat solidify for easier removal. Discard the vegetables that simmered in the stock and reserve the chicken.

To Make the Soup:

• Add the broth, diced potatoes and carrots, and salt to a large stockpot or soup pan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until the potatoes and carrots are tender, about 20 minutes. While the vegetables simmer, pull the broth chicken from the bones, discarding the skin and bones. Shred or chop the chicken into bite sized pieces and add it to the broth to heat through. Taste the mixture all together and add more salt to taste. I often add another 2 teaspoons.

To Make the Cilantro Onion Garnish:

• Toss the juice of two limes and the teaspoon of kosher salt with the chopped onion. Let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, then toss in the chopped cilantro leaves.

To Serve the Soup:

• Ladle the finished soup into individual serving bowls. Pass the garnishes at the table. We serve each bowl with a scoop of the Cilantro Onion Garnish, two or three jalapeno rings, a lime wedge, and a few cubes of avocado.

Nutrition

Calories: 416kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 27gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 85mgSodium: 2584mgPotassium: 1301mgFiber: 6gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 6715IUVitamin C: 69.9mgCalcium: 115mgIron: 4.8mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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This post was originally published October 30, 2014.