Mexican Chicken Soup- Caldo de Pollo

Mexican chicken soup, caldo de pollo. Quite a few months back I was chatting with my sister, Nancy, and of course we always end up talking about food. Mom’s recipes of course. We happened to be discussing caldo de pollo, Mexican chicken soup that day. She mentioned how she remembered mom’s recipe to be very simple with just minimal vegetables. I remember she used drumsticks and thighs, probably because it was economical for a family with eight kids. Really, it was the best. There were no written recipes and anything we try to recreate is simply from memory.

Mom’s and Abuela’s Recipes Will Always Be The Best!

If I only knew how important those moments in the kitchen with mom and my abuelita would have served me today, I would have paid more attention! I hear comments like this from followers every day. My excuse with my abuela is that I was too young and not interested in cooking then. When I was finally old enough, she was elderly and didn’t cook anymore. With mom, I did pay more attention, but I feel like I didn’t ask enough questions. If you are lucky enough to have your mom or abuela cooking for you, ask questions about the recipes. Write them down. It’s so important.

Fancy Is Nice! But Simple Is More Delicious!

Maybe it’s all the nostalgia I feel when I am recreating one of mom’s recipes, but I feel such a sense of joy and satisfaction when I eat them. I am a foodie, through and through! Thrilled and excited when I have had the opportunity to enjoy high end gourmet Mexican dishes. But, more thrilled when I could sit down with family and enjoy a simple plate of food that was prepared with their own two hands, with love. That’s way more important and the memories that will stay with me forever.

The Bog Is A Way For Me To Share.

Not just share recipes, but many times the stories behind the recipes. What inspires you to walk into your kitchen and recreate dishes that remind you of home, of your childhood? Maybe it that feeling of love and security. I know it’s not like that for everyone. I truly feel like I was blessed with the best parents. They both expressed their love through the foods they shared with us. Whether it was a simple plate of scrambled eggs with beans or caldo de pollo.

Great Things Are Coming!

I have not shared my news officially on my blog, but I am currently writing cookbook #2! I am excited, thrilled, blessed, stressed, anxious and some days overwhelmed with the whole process. How do you fill your whole food life story in one small book? Lol! The recipes will speak for themselves and I hope the love comes through and you browse through the pages of my favorite home style Mexican recipes. Of course many of the recipes are inspired by mom’s recipes, the foods I experienced growing up and some of my favorite recipes. The title is to be determined, but hoping it will be out early this summer! Stay tuned!

Big Or Small Vegetables?

In many Mexican soup recipes that include vegetables, you may see them in big pieces. The size is really up to you though. For this chicken soup recipe, I decided to slice them all into bite size pieces. Leave room for those big drumsticks!

Mexican Chicken Soup- Caldo de Pollo

There is nothing morecomforting than a big bowl of this chicken soup on a chilly evening. Warm corntortillas and a squeeze of fresh lime!

4.67 from 6 votes

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Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 Servings

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lbs chicken drumsticks, about 8-9 pieces washed
• 2 ½ quarts water
• 1 white onion, 95 gr
• 6 cloves of garlic, 22 gr peeled
• 4-6 bay leaves
• 2 tsps. Salt plus more as soup cooks
• 1/3 tsp. black pepper
• 3 sticks of celery, 5 oz
• 2 carrots, 8 oz
• 1 russet potato, 8 oz
• 1 chayote squash, 9 0z
• 12 sprigs fresh cilantro
• 2 ripe roma tomato, 132 gr
• 1 chile serrano, 6 gr
• 1/2 c long grain rice
• 2 tsps oil

Garnish

• Lime wedges
• chopped cilantro

Instructions

• Wash the chicken under cool water. Set it aside. Pour 3 quarts of water into a large pot set at medium heat. To the pot, add ¾ of the onion all the garlic, bay leaves, chicken, and 2 tsps. of salt. Bring up to a boil. Reduce heat slightly. Skim the foam that comes to the top as needed. Simmer for 25 minutes.
• Peel the carrots and chayotes. Chop washed vegetables into bite size pieces. Set it aside. After the chicken simmers for 25 minutes, add the vegetables and cilantro. Prepare tomato sauce and fry the rice while chicken and vegetables cook.
• In a skillet, at medium heat, add the quartered tomato, remaining onion, and sliced serrano pepper. Drizzle in 2 tsps. of avocado oil. Sauté for 6 minutes. Transfer to the blender. Pour in 1 cup of chicken broth from the pot into the blender jar. Season with 1/3 tsps. of salt and 1/3 tsps. of pepper. Cover blender jar, holding lid firmly with a kitchen towel. Blend on high until very smooth.
• At medium heat, in that same skillet you sautéed tomato, pour in ½ cup of long grain rice. Drizzle in 1 1/2 tsps. of oil. Fry and toast the rice for 5 minutes, stirring as needed.
• To the pot, mix in the tomato sauce and fried rice. Stir well to combine. When it comes up to a boil, reduce heat, taste for salt, and continue cooking until rice cooks through. Check rice for doneness after 15 minutes.
• Garnish with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and finely chopped cilantro. Serve with warm corn tortillas.

Notes

Tips- Frying the rice will add more flavor, but you can still add it without frying. Any small pasta like fideo would works as well.

Tried this recipe?Mention @pinaenlacocina or tag #pinaenlacocina!

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