Caldo de Pollo Recipe (Mexican Chicken Soup)

Chunky Caldo de Pollo in a bowl with lots of chicken and vegetables

5 from 10 votes

Caldo de Pollo Recipe (Mexican Chicken Soup)

Caldo de pollo is the ultimate Mexican chicken soup recipe that is loaded with flavor, with lots of chunky chicken, vegetables and seasonings simmered in homemade chicken stock. Easy to make!

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 30

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Keyword: carrots, chicken, chile de arbol, potatoes, soup, zucchini

Servings: cups

Calories: 192kcal

Author: Mike Hultquist

Ingredients

FOR THE HOMEMADE CHICKEN STOCK

3 pounds chicken pieces use a whole chicken or your favorite pieces
8-10 cups water
1 large onion rough chopped
2 celery stalks rough chopped
10 cloves garlic rough chopped
5 chile de arbol peppers you can use other dried pods, if desired
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon salt

FOR THE CHICKEN SOUP

3 potatoes cut into bite sized pieces
2 carrots cut into bite sized pieces
2 zucchinis cut into bite sized pieces
2 jalapeno peppers sliced (if desired)
2 ears of corn quartered
3 medium sized tomatoes cut into bite sized pieces
1/4 head cabbage chopped
8 ounces tomato sauce
Juice from 1 lime
Other optional vegetables and seasonings see recipe notes

FOR SERVING

Spicy red pepper flakes fresh chopped cilantro, hot sauce, lime wedges

Instructions

MAKE THE HOMEMADE CHICKEN STOCK

To a very large pot, add the chicken parts with the water, onion, celery, garlic, chiles de arbol, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. You can simmer longer if you'd like to develop more flavor.
Carefully remove the chicken and set them into a large bowl. Shred the chicken from the bones and discard the bones. You can keep or discard the chicken skin, as desired. Set aside for now.
Strain the chicken stock and discard the solids.

MAKE THE CALDO DE POLLO (Chicken Soup)

Add the chicken stock back to the same large pot and heat to a simmer. Add the potatoes and carrots and simmer for 20 minutes. The vegetables should start to become tender.
Add the zucchini, jalapenos, corn, tomatoes, cabbage and tomato sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables have all become tender to your preference.
Add the shredded chicken back to the pot and stir in juice from 1 lime. Heat through. Taste and adjust for salt.
Serve into bowls and garnish with red pepper flakes, fresh chopped cilantro, hot sauce, and lime wedges. Enjoy.

Notes

Makes about 4 quarts.

You can easily include other vegetables in your caldo de pollo. This soup was made to load it up. Some favorites include onion, celery, garlic, peppers, chayote, squash, beans and others.

Some recipes skip the tomatoes and tomato sauce for a clearer chicken stock base.

Try your caldo de pollo with rice.

Nutrition