Caldo de Pollo, a cherished traditional Mexican chicken soup, captures the essence of home-cooked comfort in a bowl. It's a symphony of chicken, rice, cilantro, and assorted vegetables, all swimming in a delicious tomato broth.
I love Mexican food, and if you are like me, here is the place where you can find some fun recipes to try, like Authentic Mexican Fajitas, Papas con Chorizo, Easy Mexican Rice, or Tinga de Pollo, just to mention a few.
I'm a devoted soup lover myself, and scarcely a week goes by in my home without a steaming pot of soup bubbling away on the stove, ready to be relished at lunch or dinner.
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What is Caldo De Pollo
Caldo de pollo is a Mexican-style chicken soup made with different parts of chicken and vegetables. It is nutritious, delicious, and comforting.
Caldo means soup, while pollo means chicken.
Every Mexican household has its own version of Caldo de Pollo. However, any 'sopa de pollo' recipe has chicken, lots of different vegetables, and a little rice or pasta.
The soup is served perhaps with a slice or two of avocado and fresh cilantro(coriander), and there are always wedges of lime on the side.
Why do I love this recipe
Comforting: This classic Mexican chicken caldo is one of our favorites and is in heavy rotation from November to April. It has some incredibly devoted fans.
Simple Ingredients: The soup uses basic kitchen staples like chicken, rice, cilantro, and vegetables, making it an authentic and easy-to-prepare comfort meal.
Warm and Cozy: Whether you're feeling under the weather or just need some warmth, this soup has a way of making you feel safe, happy, and cozy from the inside out. There's something magical about a warm bowl of chicken soup on a cold day.
Healing Properties: There's an old saying that a good chicken soup can heal anything, from a bad cold to a broken heart. And I truly believe there's a lot of truth in that.
Boosts Immunity: Even the medical field recognizes that chicken soup can do wonders for your immune system and overall well-being.
Kid-Friendly: This Caldo de Pollo recipe is something that kids can enjoy, too, making it a wonderful choice for family meals. It serves well as both a main dish for dinner and a light lunch.
Authenticity: Above all, this is an authentic Mexican caldo de pollo recipe, letting you enjoy a true taste of Mexican cuisine right in your own kitchen.
What chicken parts work for this soup
I used chicken drumsticks and bone-in chicken thighs for this soup, but any chicken part is good. Go for the wings, the back of the bird, or the legs.
I do not recommend skinless, boneless chicken breasts, as the meat will not infuse the broth with many flavors, but go for it if this is all you have.
Traditionally, the best "Caldo de pollo" is made with whole chicken pieces that are not deboned. Sometimes, an entire chicken is used to make a good homemade chicken soup for the whole family.
I like meat with bones and skin on it. They bring so much flavor to the dish! If you have to use ordinary chicken, buy extra back and giblets to strengthen the flavor.
Ingredients for chicken soup Mexican style
For specific amounts, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the article.
Vegetables: good soups always make use of vegetables. This recipe will need carrots, onions, potatoes, green celery, fresh tomatoes, and garlic.
All these items are easy to store in your kitchen in a cool place. They are also perfect to make lots of soups and stews in the winter.
You can add more vegetables if you want. Cabbage, zucchini, and Mexican chayote are generally the traditional vegetables added to the caldo de pollo.
Tip:
You need a potato that holds well in the soup and doesn't fall apart during cooking. Waxy potatoes are a good option. Yukon gold or red potatoes work well too.
Cilantro: This is a truly popular herb in Mexican cuisine.
Some people have a love-hate relationship with it, so I will say this: if you want an authentic taste of this Mexican soup, use it. If you absolutely hate it, use parsley. I am not going to watch you.
Pantry items:
Tomato sauce: I used canned tomato sauce. You can also use tomato paste instead of sauce(You will need about 1-2 tablespoons of paste).
Olive oil (or vegetable oil): use what you have
Rice: I used long-grain white rice. Brown rice is good as well.
Water: you do not need store-bought chicken stock for this recipe. You will flavor the soup with vegetables and meat and make your own chicken stock.
You will see how easy it is to make a flavorful broth that is so much better than anything from the store.
Lime: brings an extra layer of flavor to the soup. Cut it into wedges and squeeze some juice over it.
Avocado: Slice and add it on top of the soup as a garnish. Yum!
Corn tortillas: warm corn tortillas are the way to go for an authentic taste of this Caldo de pollo recipe.
Why is this soup different
This Caldo de pollo/chicken soup is made with rice and tomatoes cooked separately from the broth. This is what sets this soup apart from other Caldo de pollo recipes.
Cooking the rice, tomatoes, and onions together, separate from the broth, adds tremendous flavor to the soup, so I encourage you to follow the recipe as I wrote it.
In Mexico, chicken soup or Caldo de pollo is served simply or with different toppings added at the time of serving, like lime wedges, slices of avocado, jalapenos, or sliced radishes.
Do you want it spicy? Add some hot sauce to it. Salsa Valentina is traditional and really tasty.
However, the base of the soup is made simply, without adding spices.
How to make caldo de pollo
Step 1. Cook the chicken.
Place chicken, salt, black pepper, if you like, and garlic cloves in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add cups of water to the pot to cover the ingredients and bring them to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium and allow everything to simmer for about 15 minutes.
Note: If you would like to add bay leaves chicken bouillon cube, you can do it. I usually don't cook with bouillon cubes. That's why you will not find this ingredient in any of my recipes.
Skim the foam that forms on top of the soup using a spoon.
Step 2. Cook the rice.
While the chicken is simmering, in a separate pan, heat the oil and cook the rice until the color is golden brown, without burning.
On a cutting board, chop the onions and add them to the rice. Cook them until translucent, stirring once in a while.
Chop the fresh tomatoes and add them to the rice. Cook everything together for a few minutes.
Step 3. Add the rice mixture to the soup.
This mixture goes into the soup pot next to the chicken.
The combination brings another layer of flavor to the soup, making it delicious.
Step 4. Add the vegetables to the soup.
Add carrots, celery, and potatoes to the soup and allow them to come to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high. Let the soup simmer until vegetables cook through, about 20-30 minutes.
At this point, your chicken should be cooked enough.
You can leave the cooked chicken pieces in the pot as they are, or you can remove them from the soup and shred the meat for easier serving.
Step 5. Add tomato sauce.
Add tomato sauce and a little bit of cilantro during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Check again for salt.
Step 6. Serve.
Ladle soup into bowls, including chicken for each serving, and serve with lime wedges and warm corn tortillas.
If you prefer, you can remove the bones from the chicken, shred the meat or cut it into bite-sized pieces and return it to the soup.
Tip: When you serve it, add some sliced avocado and radishes to the serving bowl, squeeze some lime juice over it, and serve it with warm corn tortillas. Your meal will be perfect.
How to store this Caldo De Pollo (Chicken Soup Mexican Style) Recipe
In the refrigerator: This homemade caldo should be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also store it in airtight containers. Warm it up on the stove or microwave.
Are you interested in more Mexican recipes? Try some of these 15 authentic Mexican recipes.
Learn how to make this recipe of Caldo de Pollo in an Instant Pot or a pressure cooker. You can also adapt the recipe to make it in a slow cooker. Slow cooker caldo de pollo might be a great idea if you don't own an Instant Pot.
Enjoy!
More recipes to love
📖 Recipe
Caldo De Pollo (Chicken Soup Mexican Style)Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 cups water
- 8 chicken thighs or drumsticks
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup white long grain rice
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 2 tomatoes chopped Roma tomatoes
- 2 carrots sliced
- 3 potatoes quartered
- 1 green celery chopped
- ⅓ cup tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 1 Lime sliced wedges for serving
- Corn tortillas for serving
- optional 1 avocado sliced
Instructions
Cook the chicken.
- Place the water, chicken, salt, pepper, and garlic cloves in a large pot. Bring the ingredients to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. While the broth is simmering, skim the foam that forms on top of the water.
Cook the rice separately.
- In a separate skillet, heat the oil on medium heat, add rice, and cook, occasionally stirring, until browned, about 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to burn it.
- Add chopped onion and continue cooking until onion is translucent, for about 2 minutes.
- Add chopped tomato and cook for another 3 minutes.
Add the rice mixture to the pot with the chicken.
- Stir in the carrots, celery, and potatoes to the soup and let come to a boil. Reduce heat. Allow it to simmer until vegetables cook through, about 20-30 minutes.
- Add tomato sauce, cilantro during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Check again for salt.
Serve.
- Ladle soup into bowls including a piece of chicken for each serving, and serve with lime wedges and warm corn tortillas.
- Optional: Add slices of avocado to your soup.
Chuy says
Please stop calling caldo soup. Soup in spanish is sopa. Caldo is stew. Just saying.
The Bossy Kitchen says
Chuy, with all due respect, my friend, caldo is interchangeable with sopa. You have caldo de pollo, caldo tlalpeno, but you also have sopa de tortilla, sopa de elote, or sopa de aguacate. Also, caldo means broth. Broth is the liquid that results after meat, vegetables, or both are simmered in water. This broth can be consumed by itself or can be used to make a stew, as it has lots of flavors.
A stew is called guisado, guiso, cazuela, or estofado and it has less liquid than a caldo or a soup. And there are also hearty soup-stews that are called pucheros. So, my soup is a caldo (broth) because the chicken is cooked in water first,then other ingredients are added to the pot to create a delicious caldo de pollo.
I have been a food blogger for almost ten years, and I do a lot of research before putting a recipe on my blog. I know what I am doing. Just saying.
Rick T says
I've made this caldo several times and it's good. I add my own spices to my individual taste ..
Debbie says
Just finishing up cooking the soup. I can already tell it will be amazing!!!!
I did not “spice it up”, as this is one of our favorite dishes at a local authentic restaurant, and theirs seems to be made like your recipe. I do believe most soups need to be first served the day after they are made. So, it will be tomorrow’s dinner.
I am going to use radish, avocado, lime juice , cilantro to garnish.
Thank you for sharing your tips and your recipe!!!
The Bossy Kitchen says
You are so very welcome! Thank you for your comment!
Ric says
Have you adapted this recipe for a slow cooker? I'm definitely making it today but was hoping for a slow cooker version.
The Bossy Kitchen says
Hi, I adapted this recipe for the Instant Pot. Here is the link to that recipe: https://www.thebossykitchen.com/instant-pot-caldo-de-pollo-chicken-soup-mexican-style/
Donna says
Wow! Chicken soup with a twist. So good! The entire pot was eaten by the family and they loved it. The squeeze of lime is absolutely necessary and delicious.
The Bossy Kitchen says
Wow! Thank you so much for your review! This soup is indeed a keeper!
Heidi O says
My family has the flu and I made this instead of our typical chicken noodle. This is my new favorite soup. I had several bowls and thought it could easily be served in a restaurant as it’s that good. Thank you for posting! I’ll be making this again for sure.
The Bossy Kitchen says
I am so happy to read your comment, but I am sorry your family had the flu. I am going through a cold right now and chicken soup is the only one that helps. Thank you so much for leaving a comment!
Sarah says
Wow! For such a simple recipe and no seasoning, it's got alot of flavor. I will definitely make this again. My family loved it.
The Bossy Kitchen says
Thank you, Sarah!
Radhuraj says
I made this for my family for a homemade healthy dinner and we enjoyed it tremendously…even the lefties two days later were amazing in taste. Thank you for this delicious recipe. It’s a keeper and a game changer to our typical weekday dinners.
WenofSF says
This is very authentic caldo de pollo, it reminds me of what my grandmother used to make for me as a child. Caldo de pollo is supposed to be a light soup, not a heavily flavored, spicy soup. I think your version is delicious.
If you know, you know! 🙂
Natalie says
Love the recipe, reminds me of my my grandmothers soup. It’s perfect!
Haley says
This caldo is just like my mom's.. it's perfect and authentic.
She is from Guadalajara and would make this any time we were sick and now I do the same for my family. Thank you and God bless!
The Bossy Kitchen says
What a nice compliment! Thank you, Haley! I love this soup too!
Margarita says
I had this for lunch 10 days in a row. Added a small avocado + lime + nutritional yeast for extra protein. Loved it! Next time I'm adding Peruvian corn shelled .
Vlad says
I recently experimented with this classic Mexican chicken soup recipe by adding a variety of extra veggies, and the result was absolutely delightful! This vibrant twist brought a whole new level of freshness and flavor to the traditional dish. Overall, I highly recommend this modified version of Mexican chicken soup. The extra veggies add an exciting twist, creating a fresh and nutritious culinary experience that will satisfy both your taste buds and your soul
Gabriela says
Hi Vlad, Thank you for your comment. You sound like you really like the soup, but what kind of veggies did you add? Please let us know.