Description
Caldo de Pollo is a comforting and flavorful Mexican chicken soup featuring tender chicken pieces simmered in a rich, savory broth with hearty vegetables like carrots, celery, corn, and potatoes. This wholesome soup is garnished with fresh cilantro and lime for a refreshing finish.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Soup Base
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 8 cups water
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and halved
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Vegetable Puree
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 3 Roma tomatoes
Vegetables
- 3 medium carrots, chopped
- 3 ribs celery, chopped
- 3 ears corn, halved
- 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
Garnishes (Optional)
- Chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Prepare the Broth: Heat 8 cups of water in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken thighs, quartered onion, halved and seeded jalapeño, garlic cloves, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and let simmer gently for 20 minutes.
- Make the Vegetable Puree: Remove 1 cup of broth from the pot and pour it into a blender. Using a strainer, remove the onion, jalapeño, and garlic from the pot and add them to the blender with the broth. Add chicken bouillon powder, oregano, and Roma tomatoes. Blend until smooth.
- Shred the Chicken: Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it with two forks.
- Combine and Cook Vegetables: Return the shredded chicken to the pot. Add the blended vegetable puree, chopped carrots, celery, halved corn, and chopped potatoes. Cover and allow the soup to simmer gently for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro and lime wedges if desired. Optionally, serve with hot sauce or Mexican rice on the side.
Notes
- Use bone-in chicken thighs for richer flavor if preferred.
- Adjust seasoning with more salt or pepper to taste before serving.
- Remove seeds from jalapeño to reduce spiciness or leave them in for extra heat.
- For a heartier soup, add other vegetables like zucchini or green beans.
- Leftover soup tastes even better the next day as flavors meld.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
