Description
Caldo de Pollo is a comforting and flavorful Mexican chicken soup featuring tender shredded chicken, hearty vegetables, and a rich savory broth, perfect for a nourishing family meal.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Chicken and Broth
- 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
Seasonings and Vegetables
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- 3 medium chopped carrots
- 3 ribs chopped celery
- 3 ears corn, halved
- 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
Optional Garnishes
- Chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Prepare the broth: Heat 8 cups of water in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs, quartered onion, seeded and halved jalapeño, garlic cloves, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes to develop the broth flavor.
- Make the vegetable puree: Remove 1 cup of broth from the pot and pour it into a blender. Strain out the onion, jalapeño, and garlic from the pot and add them to the blender. Add chicken bouillon powder, oregano, and Roma tomatoes. Blend until smooth to create a rich vegetable base for the soup.
- Shred the chicken: Remove the chicken pieces from the pot and shred them using two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the pot.
- Combine and cook vegetables: Add the blended vegetable puree, chopped carrots, celery, halved corn ears, and chopped russet potatoes to the pot. Cover and gently boil the soup until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with optional chopped cilantro and lime wedges. Serve fresh with hot sauce or Mexican rice if desired.
Notes
- You can substitute chicken thighs with bone-in pieces for deeper flavor.
- Adjust salt to taste, especially if using salty chicken bouillon.
- The vegetable puree adds thickness and depth, but can be omitted for a clearer broth.
- For spicier soup, leave jalapeño seeds in or add additional chili peppers.
- Leftovers keep well refrigerated for 2-3 days and reheat gently on stovetop.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
