Mexican Chicken Soup (Caldo de Pollo)

🐔🍵 Caldo De Pollo Mexicano Recipe

My family loves soup. All varieties, broth soups, cream soups, chicken, beef, seafood...you name it. This Mexican chicken soup is no exception!

Caldo (meaning 'broth') de Pollo (meaning 'chicken') is a Mexican version of chicken soup that's a true delight and some serious comfort food. It's not spicy if you know your kids would object to that, but it is certainly tasty.

I know you'll love some of my other tasty chicken dinners like easy chicken enchiladas made using my cilantro lime chicken thighs.

🥘 Ingredients

• Chicken - Start with a whole chicken, or use bone-in chicken thighs and/or chicken legs. Boneless chicken meat can also be used, and saves time, but is not as common.
• Liquids - Use water to boil the raw chicken, or start with chicken broth or stock.
• Vegetables - Onion, carrots, celery (mirepoix trio) plus garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, and zucchini. Use seasonal ingredients if you have them on hand. I like to add sweet bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange).
• Seasoning - Salt and optional cube of Knorr chicken bouillon (or loose granules to taste).

🔪 How To Make Mexicano Chicken Soup

Cook the chicken. Start with boiling a whole chicken (4 pounds or 1.81 kilograms) that has been cut into pieces, or use bone-in chicken thighs and legs in a large stockpot with 8 cups (1.89 liters) of water or chicken broth with ½ tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat until foam starts to form. Skim foam from the surface and discard it.

Add veggies and simmer. Once the foam has been skimmed, reduce heat and add the ½ medium white onion, 1 tablespoon garlic, 3 ribs celery, 2 large carrots, and 1 cube Knorr chicken bouillon. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Check the chicken. See if the chicken is done cooking after 30 minutes and remove the chicken to cool enough to handle. If needed, continue to simmer until the chicken is cooked through.

Add remaining veggies. When you remove the chicken, add the ¼ cup cilantro, 1 medium jalapeno, and 2 medium zucchini (or chayote squash) plus optional ½ large bell pepper (or corn, potatoes, tomatoes) while the chicken cools enough to handle. Shred the chicken, or cut it into bite-size pieces. Chicken legs are commonly left on the bone.

Add chicken and finish. Return the chicken to the broth and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Skim and taste. Remove any additional foam or fat that rises to the surface. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed (I always start light on the salt, especially when using bouillon).

Serve immediately. Remove from heat and serve over rice that has been portioned into the serving bowls. Garnish with sliced avocados and lime wedges. If you have children who wouldn't want the jalapeno in the soup, it can be added as garnish if desired.

🥗🥘🍲 Best Served With

Warmed corn tortillas are also commonly eaten with this soup and are a great way to add to this wonderful soup's filling effect. Top the crispy strips with sour cream and cheese, too.

Or you can snack on some ground beef taquitos while the soup's cooking.

💭 Tips & Notes

• Boost the flavor. Swap the water and bouillon cube for store-bought chicken stock, then add more bouillon as needed. I like to use organic chicken stock and have found some high-protein brands.
• Bone-in or boneless chicken. Traditionally the soup is made from scratch, using a whole chicken or bone-in chicken but you can use boneless just as easily.
• Mix and match veggies. Try different vegetable combinations based on fresh, seasonal produce. Or just use what you have readily available in your freezer or pantry.
• Add some corn. Corn is another common addition, either corn on the cob cut into 3-4 pieces or sliced down the ears for corn off the cob.
• RoTel tomatoes are ideal. Canned Rotel tomatoes with diced chiles are an easy addition to this tasty soup. No need to drain the juices, just pop a can open and add to the broth.
• Make it creamy. Add some cubed cream cheese and stir into the broth before you return the pulled or chopped chicken. This will make a rich, creamy broth.

❓ Mexican Chicken Soup Recipe FAQ's

📖 Recipe Card