Description
Caldo de Pollo is a comforting and flavorful Mexican chicken soup featuring tender chicken thighs, hearty vegetables like carrots, celery, corn, and potatoes, simmered in a rich savory broth with fresh herbs and spices.
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 carrots, chopped
- 3 ribs celery, chopped
- 3 ears corn, halved
- 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
Optional Garnish
- 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, jalapeño halves, garlic cloves, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and gently simmer for 20 minutes to infuse flavors.
- Make the vegetable puree: Remove 1 cup of broth and pour into a blender. Using a strainer, remove and discard solids of onion, jalapeño, and garlic from the pot, then add those reserved solids to the blender. Add chicken bouillon powder, oregano, and Roma tomatoes to the blender. Blend until smooth.
- Shred the chicken: Take the chicken out of the pot and shred it finely using two forks.
- Add vegetables and puree: Return shredded chicken and the blended vegetable puree to the pot. Add chopped carrots, celery, corn halves, and chopped potatoes. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with optional chopped cilantro and lime wedges. Optionally serve with hot sauce or Mexican rice on the side.
Notes
- Using boneless thighs reduces cooking time but bone-in can add extra flavor.
- Seed the jalapeño to reduce spiciness or leave some seeds for extra heat.
- The blended vegetable puree thickens the soup and adds depth; don’t skip this step.
- Leftovers keep well refrigerated for up to 3 days and can be frozen up to 1 month.
- Substitute potatoes with yucca or sweet potatoes for variation.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (about 1.5 cups)
- Calories: 250 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
