Caldo Tlalpeño is a hearty, heartwarming traditional Mexican chicken soup with a zesty kick.
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Who can resist the aroma of chipotle, fresh tomatoes, and tender chicken simmering away in the pot? It smells and feels like home to me!
One spoonful, and you’ll feel like you’re wrapped in the warmth of Mexican cuisine.
Table of Contents
🥘 Ingredients
To Cook the Chicken
- Boneless chicken breast (or thighs)
- White onion
- Garlic clove
- Bay leaves
- Water
- Salt
Yes, you can skip this step and use leftover chicken from the night before, even shredded rotisserie chicken. Just be sure to remove the skin.
You’ll Also Need
- Oil
- White onion, finely chopped
- Tomatoes, quartered
- Garlic cloves
- Chipotle peppers in adobo
- Salt
- Carrots, peeled and sliced
- Green Beans, chopped
- Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- Cilantro
We’re using fresh carrots and green beans here.
Feel free to use frozen or canned carrots and green beans, but add them 2 minutes before you finish cooking. They just need to be heated through.
Topping Ideas
- Avocado
- Cheese
- Chipotle chiles in adobo
- Lime
🧀 Type of cheese to use: Monterey Jack Cheese, Queso Oaxaca, Chihuahua Cheese, Queso Panela, Mozzarella, or Queso Fresco. Whatever you like and prefer work well.
🧀 Above, you see diced Chihuahua Cheese. I like it because it melts slightly in the hot soup broth.
🥣 Instructions
- To cook the chicken, place it in a stockpot with the onion, garlic clove, bay leaf, water, and season with 1 tsp. of salt.
- Cover the large pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for about 30 minutes until the chicken is ready.
- Remove the cooked chicken meat, onion, bay leaf, and garlic.
- Discard the solids except for the chicken.
Leave the chicken broth in the pot. This will form the base of your flavorful broth. Let the chicken cool slightly before shredding.
✏️ Note
Don’t confuse this recipe with traditional Caldo de Pollo or Chicken Fideo Soup. This is also an authentic Mexican soup recipe made with a tomato-chipotle broth, garbanzos, and loaded with chunky veggies. Regular Mexican chicken soup traditionally does not include a tomato-chipotle sauce or garbanzos.
- While the chicken is cooling, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat on the stove.
- Add the onions, tomatoes, and garlic to the large saucepan and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Pressed for time? Skip this step and use 1 can of tomato sauce. Blend the can of tomato sauce with the chipotle. Taste for salt.
- Ladle in a spoon of the chicken broth to the skillet and pour everything from the skillet into a blender.
- Add 1 chipotle in adobo sauce and ½ teaspoon salt to the blender. Blend until you get a smooth sauce.
To make it spicier, add 2 chipotle in adobo sauce. Adding the chipotle will give it a smoky flavor.
- Pour the tomato mixture into the pot of chicken broth.
- Stir to combine.
✂️ Short Cut
Use store-bought chicken broth. Simply mix the broth with the tomato-chipotle sauce and continue with the recipe.
- Add the carrots, green beans, and chickpeas to the pot.
- Simmer until the carrots are tender. About 10 minutes.
Give everything a good stir to combine. Taste it. Does it need salt? If so, add some salt.
Epazote is often used in this soup. To use, add it here with the veggies.
- Shred the chicken.
- Set aside.
Cover with foil paper to keep it warm. Although, even if it does get cold, the warm broth will warm it up again.
- To serve, add some of the shredded chicken individual bowls, then ladle the veggies and broth over the chicken.
- Add your toppings and enjoy!
Garnish this dish with some avocado slices, cheese, one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (per bowl) and lime wedges for that extra zing!
You can also add any other of your favorite toppings. Enjoy with a warm corn tortillas.
🙋🏻♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
The story takes us back to the bustling streets of Tlalpan, Mexico City, around the 1900s. The spicy soup was popular with street vendors, especially near tram stations. And the best part? You can make it your own with toppings like avocado, limes, onions, and cheese.
Caldo Tlalpeno, pronounced CAHL-DOH T (just the t sound)-LAHL-PEYN-YO. It features chicken and veggies in a spicy tomato chipotle broth.
“Caldo” in Mexico means “broth.” The word “sopa” means “soup.” People will use either of these words to say soup.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Spice Level: Serve with more chipotle peppers to the bowl for an extra kick. Or, serve with dried chile de arbol.
- Cooking Options: You can make this soup in a slow cooker or Instant Pot, making it a versatile main course for any day.
- More Vegetables: As is, this soup is very hearty. But feel free to add peas, chopped broccoli, or fresh spinach.
- For additional flavor: Consider using a whole chicken chopped up. You can also use leftover chicken for you tlalpeño soup.
- Great carb additions: Add potatoes when cooking or serve with rice.
🍲 More Soup Recipes:
Traditional Caldo Tlalpeño is a hearty soup that’s perfect on rainy days. You’re going to love the rich, complex flavors of this authentic Mexican chicken soup. Easy to make and oh-so-delicious. iBuen provecho!
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Caldo Tlalpeño
Ingredients
To Cook the Chicken:
You'll Also Need:
Optional Toppings:
- Avocado sliced or diced
- Cheese Monterey Jack Cheese, queso oaxaca, or whatever you prefer
- Chipotle peppers in adobo
- Lime
Instructions
- To cook the chicken, place it in a stockpot with the onion, garlic clove, bay leaf, water and season with 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Cover the stockpot and bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Cook for about 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is ready.
- Remove the cooked chicken, onion, bay leaf, and garlic. Discard everything but the chicken.
- Leave the chicken broth in the pot. This is the base for your soup.
- Let the chicken cool slightly before shredding.
- While the chicken is cooling, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the onions, tomatoes, and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Ladle in a spoon of the chicken broth to the skillet.
- Gently scrape the bottom of the skillet with your spatula.
- Pour everything from the skillet into a blender.
- Add 1 chipotle in adobo sauce and ½ teaspoon salt to the blender.
- Blend until smooth and pour the tomato mixture into the pot of chicken broth.
- Add the carrots, green beans, and chickpeas to the pot.
- Cook until the carrots are tender. About 10 minutes.
- Taste for salt.
- Shred the chicken and set aside.
- To serve, add some of the shredded chicken to a large bowl, then ladle the veggies and broth over the chicken.
- Serve and top with diced avocado, cubed cheese (of your choice), 1 whole chipotle in adobo sauce (per bowl), and lime wedges.
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