Caldo de Pollo (Mexican Chicken Soup) is a beautiful recipe for heartwarming soup that will make you and your family very happy. The combination of simple kitchen staples, like rice, chopped cilantro, and chicken, makes this traditional Mexican chicken soup a comforting meal.
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. They're often quite easy to make and perfect for an entire meal in a bowl.
If you love soup too, you've got to try my other Mexican soups Sopa Seca de Fideos or Caldo Tlalpeño next!
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🍜 What is Caldo De Pollo
Caldo de pollo is a Mexican-style chicken soup made with chicken and vegetables. It is nutritious, delicious, and comforting. In Spanish, caldo means soup, while pollo means chicken, so it translates to English as chicken soup, which sounds rather ordinary, but this soup is anything but that!
Mexican households each have their own version of this Mexican chicken soup recipe, but the basics are similar to most recipes. What makes this recipe stand out above other sopa de pollo recipes is that the rice and tomatoes are cooked separately from the broth, adding more flavor.
Traditionally, this homemade soup is served with a slice or two of avocado, sliced radishes, and fresh cilantro(coriander) on top. Wedges of lime are also on the side to squeeze into the soup for added brightness and flavor.
I love cooking Mexican recipes! If you are like me, you might love these popular recipes for Mexican Fajitas, Papas con Chorizo, Easy Mexican Rice, Homemade Guacamole, or Tinga recipe.
💝 Why You Will Love This Caldo De Pollo Recipe
- Comforting: This classic Mexican chicken soup is one of our favorites and is in heavy rotation from November to April especially during the winter months.
- Simple Ingredients: The combination of simple ingredients and also kitchen staples, like chicken, rice, cilantro, and vegetables, make this delicious Mexican soup an authentic 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.
- Kid-Friendly: This soup is one the whole family, even the 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.
📝 Ingredients
Here's a look at the simple ingredients you need to make one of the best caldo de pollo recipes out there. Be sure to review the full list and quantities of each ingredient listed in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Chicken: This might be the most important part of this simple soup. I prefer using chicken drumsticks, thighs, or wings with bones and skin, which makes the soup more flavorful. Traditionally, caldo de pollo is made with a whole chicken cut into pieces for a rich, family-sized soup.
- Vegetables: Good soups and hearty stews always make use of vegetables. You will need carrots, onions, potatoes, green celery, fresh tomatoes, and garlic.
- 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 instead. I am not going to watch you.
- Tomato sauce: I used canned tomato sauce. You can also use tomato paste instead of the sauce but reduce the amount to 1-2 tablespoons of paste.
- Rice: I used long-grain white rice however you can also use brown rice as well if you prefer whole grains.
- Water: You do not need store-bought chicken stock for this recipe because the vegetables and meat in the soup cook down to make a homemade 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 to the soup as a garnish. Yum!
- Corn tortillas: Warm corn tortillas are the way to go for an authentic pollo de caldo experience.
💡 INGREDIENT PRO TIP: Use 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.
🔄Caldo Soup Variations
- Do You Want It Spicy? Add some hot sauce to it for serving if you want a touch of heat. Salsa Valentina is traditional and really tasty. Traditionally the preparation of the soup is simple and doesn't include adding spices.
- Using Chicken Breasts or Boneless and Skinless Chicken. These options are less ideal, but they're fine if that's all you have. However, if using ordinary chicken, I suggest adding extra back pieces and giblets for a more flavorful broth.
- Adding More Vegetables. You can add more vegetables if you want. Cabbage, zucchini, and Mexican chayote squash are other traditional vegetables added to the caldo de pollo.
- Added Flavor. You can add bay leaves or chicken bouillon cube for additional flavor though I don't usually cook this soup with them.
- Instant Pot Method. You can also make Caldo de Pollo in an Instant Pot or a pressure cooker.
Video Recipe
👩🍳 How To Make Caldo De Pollo Mexicano
- Step 1. Cook the chicken. Place the chicken, salt, black pepper, and garlic cloves in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Add water to the pot to cover the ingredients and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and allow everything to simmer for about 15 minutes.
PRO TIP: Skim the foam that forms on top of the soup as it cooks using a spoon.
- Step 2. Cook the rice. Heat the oil in a separate pan and cook the rice until the color is golden brown. Stir frequently and watch closely to avoid burning it.
- Step 3: Chop the onions. Add them to the rice and cook until the onions are translucent, stirring once in a while. Chop the fresh tomatoes and add them to the rice. Cook everything together for a few minutes.
- Step 4. Add the rice mixture to the soup. Add the rice and vegetable mixture to the soup pot along with the chicken. Cooking the vegetables and rice separately brings another layer of flavor to the soup making it even better.
- Step 5. Add the vegetables to the soup. Add the carrots, celery, and potatoes to the soup and allow them to come to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-high.
- Step 6: Simmer the soup. Until the vegetables are cooked through, about 20-30 minutes. At this point, your chicken should be cooked enough.
PRO TIP: 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 7. Add the tomato sauce. Also, add a little bit of cilantro during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Give it a taste and add more salt if it's needed.
Step 8. Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls, including a piece of chicken, and serve with lime wedges and warm corn tortillas.
PRO SERVING TIP: Add some sliced avocado and radishes to the serving bowl, squeeze some lime juice into the soup, and serve it with warm corn tortillas. Your meal will be perfect.
📦How To Store
- Refrigerator: This homemade caldo de pollo should be fully cooled before placing it in an airtight container and storing it in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Freezing: If you have a large amount left storing it in the freezer is a great option. Transfer it to individual servings or one large container and freeze it for up to three months. Allow it to thaw out in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Reheat: Warm up the leftover soup on the stove or individual bowls in the microwave.
💡 Expert Tips
Here's a recap of my top tips for making the best tasting bowl of soup.
- Use Bone-In and Skin-On Chicken. It simply makes a much tastier broth. I am partial to chicken legs but bone-in chicken thighs work great too!
- Leave the Chicken Whole or Shred It. If you prefer to shred it, remove the chicken from the pot and let it cool slightly. Then use two forks to remove the chicken from the bones, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and return it to the pot.
- Use Potatoes That Holds Shape. Waxy potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, or Russets all work great.
- Don't Skip the Lime. It adds such an incredible burst of flavor to the soup.
🌮 More Mexican Recipes to Love
Are you interested in more Mexican recipes? Try some of these 15 authentic Mexican recipes, or my new recipe on the blog Mexican Red Rice (Arroz A La Mexicana). Here are some other favorites to try!
📖 Recipe
Caldo De Pollo Recipe (Mexican Chicken Soup)
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.
Video
Notes
- Use Bone-In and Skin-On Chicken. It simply makes a much tastier broth.
- Leave the Chicken Whole or Shred It. If you prefer to shred it, remove the chicken from the pot and let it cool slightly. Then use two forks to remove the chicken from the bones and return it to the pot.
- Use Potatoes That Holds Shape. Waxy potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, or Russets all work great.
- Don't Skip the Lime. It adds such an incredible burst of flavor to the soup.
Elisabeth says
I thought this soup was very bland and I had to add a lot of spices and jalapeños
The Bossy Kitchen says
Interesting..Sorry to hear that! This is a recipe that is very popular on the blog and a lot of people made it. What kind of spices you added to the soup, if you don't mind sharing?
Phoenix Aldana says
Don't worry bout what those people say. Traditional indigenous food is very simple. They also don't understand that paprika is not a traditionally used ingredient. I think they were seeking something Tex-Mex or Americanized, with added spice mixes such as those we commonly see marketed as 'taco seasoning'. Also, I don't think they understand that traditional soups are simple foods especially used to feed babies, children, elderly, and sick people. Meaning not a lot of spices or flavorings added.
People also don't seem to have understood where you said that different toppings are added after it is served, according to the consumer's palate. Want spicy? Add it to your bowl. Want spice mixes? Add it to your bowl.
I think majority of European Americans (and other non-indigenous americans) have this misconception that southwestern US(or south of the US border) indigenous foods are always spicy (as in hot) and always very spiced (seasoned)... usually to imitate these notions, over spicing or over seasoning is often done.
I loved your soup. It reminded me of my grandma's.
The Bossy Kitchen says
You are so awesome, thank you for your kind and thoughtful comment.
Michelle says
All homemade soup tastes sort of bland right after it's made. Soup is always better if left to sit overnight in the fridge. I seriously don't believe it has anything to do with nationality or whether someone is "indigenous" or not. It's more about not understanding how soup works. Most soup in restaurants are made ahead of time and have lots of time to simmer before serving, and that's why some people expect it to taste more flavorful. They expect it to taste like restaurant soup.
Lizz Tsosie says
I agree with it being bland. This is not how I’ve had Caldo De Pollo. I mean no disrespect but it seems like the recipe is missing seasoning. I can’t imagine anyone making this soup and not adding any seasoning otherwise NONE of those ingredients make a tasty Caldo De Pollo. Only a super bland one. I found other websites that don’t have any seasoning either, and again ...I mean no disrespect but I wonder if they are all just copying off each other and the first person forgot to add the season song. I can’t even think of what I used but Paprika is definitely supposed to be in here. Literally going to make it today again and actually save what spices I used to make it taste like real Caldo De Pollo
The Bossy Kitchen says
Lizz, Thank you for your comment, but with all due respect, traditional caldo de pollo doesn't have paprika in it. If you want to add it, go ahead and make this recipe your own, but again, this is not traditional. I can understand that the soup might be bland if for example you use chicken breast instead of other parts of the chicken. The flavor comes from the bones, the skin and in general from the quality of meat.
Just remember that it is not supposed to have much punch because it is the type of soup you would serve when someone has a cold or a sensitive stomach. If you would like more flavor, feel free to add more spices to make it to your family's liking. Everyone's tastes are different. This soup has an abundance of vegetables besides meat, plus the garlic and the cilantro that bring a lot of flavor. Lime juice added to the bowl when you serve it should also add flavor.
Sorry you did not like it. I personally take pride in my work and I do not copy recipes from other sites. I test recipes, I work on them and make them multiple times before I put them on my site. I also do a lot of research before. However, I am not surprised that you did not find seasoning in other recipes on other websites. The traditional Mexican soups are not complicated, especially caldo de pollo. The ingredients are basic, most of them carry onions, carrots, potatoes, good meat, garlic, epazote, sometimes Mexican oregano, cilantro, lime juice and that's about it. There is definitely a misconception in the US about what traditional Mexican food should be.
However, feel free to use the recipe and add whatever ingredients you like(as you seem to do already). Nothing wrong with that. Thank you for your visit!
Elisabeth says
Thanks! I didn’t realize it is for an upset tummy! I love spicy food!
Christine says
This soup is delicious and so reminds me of what my grandma used to make!
I can’t believe some people think it’s bland! It’s perfect!! Just the traditional caldo I was looking for!"
Taylor says
@Lizz Tsosie,
We lived in Mexico for three years. Normally they add the bouillon chicken cubes by Knorr in their soups. This adds the “seasoning” or flavor a lot of people refer to.
I thought this version of the soup was good! 🙂
debbie says
I LOVE your caldo recipe, it's the real deal, just like my mom's, her sisters', my cousins' and my grandpa's. I'm not sure what taste your readers expect but this is as authentic as it can be. We've never used a recipe for Caldo de Pollo. I don't think our family has ever had one. Today I followed your recipe exactly, served it to my mom and family. She loved it, I loved it, we all loved it and now we have a recipe! As I remember my grandpa used legs and thighs from the butcher, my mom used the whole chicken. Today I used chicken leg & thighs, perfect! I think quality chicken is important too. I have only recently found your blog and Mexican recipes. Thank you, Gabrielle, I look forward to trying more of your recipes. My husband and I have traveled quite a bit and love ethnic foods but too often only americanized recipes are available and authentic is difficult to find.
The Bossy Kitchen says
Hi Debbie,
Thank you so much for your comment. I do a lot of research for these recipes before I put them on the website. I also traveled and love ethnic foods. You are so right, quality chicken is a big thing if you want to make a good soup. I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe and thank you so much for visiting and taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it.
Cynthia Meineke says
I made caldo for the first time tonight using your recipe. I did use a combination of chicken broth and water and all chicken legs. I found your recipe easy to follow and for my first time, I think it came out well. My mother makes hers without a recipe and she complimented my soup so I look forward to making it again. Thank you for helping me try something new.
The Bossy Kitchen says
Hi Cynthia, I am so happy to hear you liked the recipe and especially for taking the time to come back and write a review. This recipe is really a good one and quite easy to follow. Thank you again for visiting. I hope this recipe inspired you to come back and try some other recipes as well.
Georgina says
Thank you for this recipe! I have made it many times over and it is always delicious. Everyone loves it! I make it with bone in chicken breast. Sometimes I add a fresh jalapeño with the vegetables for a little spice and also add corn and zucchini.
The Bossy Kitchen says
So glad to hear you liked the recipe and also made it your own! Thank you for visiting!
Alyson says
I added some Sazon Goya and some adobo. I marinated the chicken in those two seasonings for an hour then boiled the chicken. Didn’t put rice in the soup but I cooked the onions and tomatoes in a separate pan like the recipe said. I followed the recipe besides keeping out the rice and adding sazon goya and adobo seasoning. I also squeezed some lime into the pot of soup and at the end took the chicken off the bone. But everyone LOVED the soup I made. Thank you for the recipe.! A good cook takes a recipe and makes it their own and to their own taste. Thank you very much.! My family loved it.!
The Bossy Kitchen says
Awesome! So happy you liked the recipe. It is indeed a good soup.
Joseline says
I think something that a lot of people
Miss is the quality chicken. That’s what makes or breaks a good caldo de pollo. When you use a whole chicken it add tons of flavors even if you don’t add spices. I’m lazy so I do it like my mother in law and just use drumsticks and shredded breast. But when you do that it is going to be a bit bland. So that’s why I think people thinks is bland. It depends on the chicken it is used. At the end of the day that’s the flavor some of us grow up with so to us is not actually bland. I add tons of lime and Chile so it has never txted bond. ? is completely different to the chicken soup Americans are used to. I came to rescue because I making a combination of chicken noodle soups and caldo de pollo.
Alysia H. says
I’m making this recipe now, except I didn’t have a big enough soup pot, so i am finishing it in my crockpot. Left out the potatoes for now so they don’t get mushy,but followed the steps otherwise. Hope mine turns out as good as yours!
Amanda Herron says
Sooo yummy! My fiancé is obsessed with caldo de pollo and it’s his go-to when he doesn’t want anything heavy. We usually order from the Mexican restaurant. He just got out of the hospital and I wanted to make him something special. This was perfect. The method with the rice definitely adds flavor. Also using dark meat and cooking it with skin on the bone makes the broth so rich and healing. I can’t understand anyone saying it’s bland! This will be a go-to recipe for us now. Thank you!
The Bossy Kitchen says
Amanda, you are awesome! Cooking is love made visible! So nice of you to make a soup for your fiance! I don't understand either why some people think it is bland, there are so many good things in this recipe. Even if you want to make it bland, you can't. Thank you for taking the time to write back after making the soup!
Tamme says
I cannot wait to try this, I will be using bone - in chicken breast though as none of my family... Except my dogs lol , like dark meat. Also will add corn and maybe a little cabbage. This sounds like the perfect comfort, cold weather soup to me!! Yum!!
Andrew says
Excellent! I add garbanzos and cut up corn on the Cobb. It’s delicious. I also add chayote
The Bossy Kitchen says
Awesome! I am happy to hear you liked the recipe.
Darlene says
Hello I was looking for a different chicken soup to try and I found this one it’s very tasty the only thing I did was add two teaspoon of chicken bouillon because the soup I make has it and I know my kids would ask for it but even if I didn’t add it this soup is tasty thank you
Georgie says
I can’t wait to make this for my husband tonight for dinner, served with fresh tortillas! Question. Can you cook this earlier in the day and let it simmer until dinner?
The Bossy Kitchen says
Hi, You can make it earlier and warm it up before you serve it. I would not simmer it all day. The soup has rice in it and simmering it all day would make that rice disintegrate.
Tiffany says
It is my boyfriend and I favorite recipe! Comes out awesome every time and so cheap to put together. Feeds a big household. We changed it up by adding the chicken bouillon cubes for flavor and it really enhanced it!
Cindy Rojas says
I tried this recipe and used a little different variety of veggies, but still followed the recipe and it was not only incredibly easy, but also delicious, just like my mama’s! I’ve made caldo many times before and it should always be this simple! Also wanted to notate that I’ve NEVER in my life used paprika in caldo de pollo. That is definitely not authentic caldo!
Miz Janet says
This is my go to recipe. My family loves this every time I make it, rain or shine. 🙂