Caldo de Pollo, or Mexican Chicken Soup is pure comfort food!
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Coming home with soaking wet feet after a day of struggling with your umbrella in the wind and enjoying a bowl of this incredibly cozy soup… Yes that!
No penicillin needed to heal the heart and calm the mind. Just delicious soulful goodness.
Table of Contents
- 1 More Mexican Soup Recipes:
- 2 How to Make It
- 3 What type of chicken meat to use?
- 4 Leftover Chicken Recipes:
- 5 👩🏼🍳 Pro Tip
- 6 More Mexican Chicken Recipes:
- 7 Vegetables
- 8 Chicken Broth vs. Water
- 9 Slow Cooker Instructions
- 10 Instant Pot Instructions
- 11 🫙 Storing Instructions
- 12 🌶️ To add more spice
- 13 You Might Also Like
- 14 😋 Hungry for More?
- 15 Caldo de Pollo, or Mexican Chicken Soup
More Mexican Soup Recipes:
How to Make It
- Cook the chicken over medium heat.
- Simmer for 1 hour until the chicken is tender.
What type of chicken meat to use?
In Mexico, every part of the chicken is used. There is no waste. If you go to a restaurant, you might see chicken legs or bone-in chicken in your Mexican Chicken Soup.
- Remove the chicken and reserve the broth.
- Let cool slightly before shredding.
This is shredded and cooked chicken thighs and chicken breast.
Leftover Chicken Recipes:
- Chop all the veggies.
- Set them aside until ready to use.
See that corn staring back at you? Chop the ear into small 3-inch pieces and let them cook with the other ingredients.
The longer they simmer, the better. Yum! Yum!
This is an authentic Mexican chicken soup recipe that you are going to love.
This Mexican squash, or calabacitas (see picture above) is easy to find in California. If you can’t find it, you can very well use zucchini.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tip
- Chop your veggies as soon as you get home from the grocery store. That way, cooking is easier throughout the week.
- When it comes to the vegetables, why chop twice? If you know you are using carrots for a dish tomorrow, chop extra and save them in a plastic container.
More Mexican Chicken Recipes:
Vegetables
- Carrots
- Onions
- Corn
- Calabacitas (or zucchini)
- Chayote
- Celery
- Cabbage
- Parsely
- Cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Potatoes
A mixture of any of these vegetables (or all) will make a hearty Caldo de Pollo. Omit the chicken, and you have Caldo de Verduras (or Mexican Vegetable Soup).
Chicken Broth vs. Water
- If you have homemade chicken broth, use it! There’s a depth of flavors in it that are awesome and hard to duplicate.
- Instead of chicken broth, add 8 cups water + 2 cubes of chicken bouillon.
- Even just water by itself is good in this recipe, but be sure to add salt.
- You can also use pre-made chicken broth and skip to step 9 in the recipe instructions.
Slow Cooker Instructions
Yes, you can make this chicken soup in the crockpot. Yay!
- Skip to Step 9.
- Add all the ingredients in the slow cooker.
- Set on low for 6 hours, or high for 4 hours.
- Shred the chicken before serving.
Instant Pot Instructions
This comes together really, really fast!
- Skip to Step 9.
- Add all the ingredients to the instant pot.
- Place lid on. Press Pressure Cook. Set timer 10 minutes.
- Full natural release. Enjoy.
- Shred the chicken before serving.
🫙 Storing Instructions
- Place any leftovers in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat before consuming.
- Place leftovers in a freezable bag, remove as much air as possible. Store in the freezer for up to 5 months. Thaw and reheat before consuming.
🌶️ To add more spice
Garnish with more jalapeño, a few slices of fried dried ancho chile, crushed chile de arbol or chile piquin. Or add spices like 1 teaspoon ground chile de arbol or ground cayenne to the cooking.
You Might Also Like
Chicken Drumsticks in Tamarind Chile Sauce
Mexican Chicken Torta
Pollo al Chipotle
Pollo Adobado, Pozole Blanco
Pollo en Crema
Caldo de Pollo, or Mexican Chicken Soup, is a comforting and tasty dish that everyone will enjoy. Serve with rice, diced avocados, and tortillas.
😋 Hungry for More?
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Did you make this recipe? Please rate the recipe below!
Caldo de Pollo, or Mexican Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 5 lbs chicken
- 4 celery sticks chopped (divided)
- 1 onion diced (divided)
- 4 garlic cloves finely minced (divided)
- 2 carrots chopped
- 4 Mexican squash or zucchini, chopped
- 1 jalapeño finely diced
- 2 ears of corn chopped into 3-inch pieces
- 8 cups water
- Salt and pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- Juice of 2 limes
- Handful of cilantro chopped
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, add 8 cups of water, chicken, 2 celery sticks, ½ onion, 2 garlic cloves, salt, pepper.
- Cover and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and let simmer for 1 hour.
- Skim the fat off the top of the liquid.
- Reserve the liquid.
- Discard the other ingredients from the pot except for the chicken.
- Set the chicken aside and let it cool.
- Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove meat from the bones.
- In the same pot, add the remaining celery, onion, garlic, carrots, squash, jalapeño, corn, reserved liquid from the cooked chicken, salt and pepper, bay leaves, lime juice, and chicken.
- Make sure the liquid is 2 inches above everything in the pot.
- If not, add water and more salt.
- Cover and cook for 45 minutes on low heat.
- Serve and top with cilantro.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Cook the chicken. Shred the meat.
- Add all the ingredients (except the calabacitas) in the slow cooker.
- Set on low for 6 hours, or high for 4 hours.
- One hour before done, add the calabacitas.
- Cook the chicken. Shred meat.
- Add all the ingredients to the instant pot.
- Place lid on. Press Pressure Cook. Set timer 10 minutes.
- Release pressure. Enjoy!
Good morning Maggie! I’m so excited to have discovered you ,your website,and recipes!
I’ll be making this soup today. But one of my challenges in the kitchen is my husband has to stick w/a low sodium diet. Luckily I’m a former professional chef so I kinda know how to create food we can eat,but also food that taste great!
My question: and I did QUICKLY read your post that accompanies your recipe. I saw the part where you discussed in Mexico they have no waste in the kitchen, and for ex use the whole chicken when making this recipe. Can I get away with using boneless,skinless chicken breast? Also, I’ll be using fresh cilantro, good quality bay leaves,etc., and it will all be placed in our slow cooker so the flavors will have time to grow,etc…
Thanks ahead of time for answering my question!
Absolutely, go ahead with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. It will still be delicious, although the broth may turn out lighter and with less consistency.
As usual you didn’t disappoint. Had a migraine made this for dinner, the next morning I was better than ever. Thank you for sharing your family’s recipes, my family truly enjoys them.
So glad you and your family enjoyed this recipe and others. Makes me happy to hear!
Yum! I love a good soup and this one looks delicious, I can’t wait to try it out 😋🤗
It’s delicious. Hope you try it!
This Mexican chicken soup looks so flavoursome and delicious, I’ve been looking for a recipe like this. Thank you!
Hope you try it! It’s so flavorful
Love this recipe. I make this sometimes for my family.
Nothing warms the soul like Caldo de Pollo. So happy you loved it.
I don’t think I’ve ever had anything like this. I can’t wait to try it.
So flavorful! Hope you try it