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Caldo de pollo is a hearty Mexican chicken soup made from homemade chicken broth, chicken thighs, and a medley of vegetables like carrots, zucchini, corn, cabbage, and potatoes. It’s perfect for any season and contains flavors that nourish the soul.
There’s nothing better than a warm bowl of caldo de pollo to make you feel better when you’re under the weather. This soup is just like the one my mom used to make for me when I was a kid and feeling sick – it always made me feel better and loved.
I previously shared my family’s recipe for caldo de res, and now I’m excited to share the chicken version with you. Today is the day, friends! Let’s make some caldo de pollo.
What is Caldo de Pollo?
Caldo de Pollo is a delicious Mexican chicken soup made with a rich and flavorful chicken broth loaded with vegetables like zucchini squash, carrots, corn, green cabbage, and potatoes.
The kinds of vegetables that are used vary from region to region in Mexico, but the way the broth is prepared is always the same – by cooking whole chicken pieces in water and seasonings to create the tastiest homemade broth that’s better than anything you can buy from a store.
Ingredients in Caldo de Pollo
- Water: Used to make the homemade chicken broth.
- Bone-in chicken thighs: Using bone-in chicken gives the broth more flavor, but you can use boneless if you prefer. I recommend removing the skin before placing the thighs in the water, so the broth isn’t overly greasy. You could also use other bone-in chicken pieces like drumsticks or even a whole chicken.
- Garlic and bay leaves: Helps infuse more flavor in the broth.
- Potatoes: You can leave the skin on or peel it off – that’s totally up to personal preference. Idaho, Russet, and Yukon potato varieties all work.
- Corn: I used frozen mini corn because I couldn’t find fresh, but you can use 3 large ears of corn if it’s in season.
- Zucchini squash: Traditionally, chayote squash is used to make caldo de pollo, but that’s not available in some places. Zucchini squash is a great option. You could also use yellow squash if that’s what you have.
- Carrots: A staple in any homemade chicken soup!
- Green cabbage: This is one of my favorite ingredients in the soup. The cabbage gets super tender and flavorful!
- Cilantro and lime juice: This is mixed into the soup at the very end right before serving. It adds a nice touch of acidity and brightness that helps to elevate the chicken broth.
How to Make Caldo de Pollo
Start by cooking the chicken in water with garlic cloves, bay leaves, and some salt. This will create the most important part of the soup – the broth. Once the chicken is cooked and tender, carefully remove it from the pot and set it aside to cool slightly. Discard the garlic cloves and bay leaves, and skim off any white foam that has collected on the surface of the broth.
At this point, you can either leave the chicken thighs as is, or you can remove the meat off the bone and shred it for easy serving. Traditionally, the chicken pieces are served bone-in, but I personally find it easier to eat when the meat is shredded.
All that’s left to do is add all the remaining veggies and cook until tender. Then add the shredded chicken back to the pot, mix in some cilantro and lime juice, and it’s ready to serve!
How to Serve Caldo de Pollo
When serving caldo de pollo, I recommend using big bowls because all the vegetables in the soup take up a lot of space. Make sure to get a little bit of everything, including an ear of corn. If you’d like to make it easier to serve, you can remove the corn from the soup, cut the kernels off the cob and place the kernels back into the soup.
Just like with caldo de res, I like adding in a few dashes of Tabasco hot sauce, which I’m not usually a fan of, but it totally works in this dish. It completely transforms the broth and gives it a little acidic spice that’s perfect!
All that’s left to do is add all the remaining veggies and cook until tender. Then add the shredded chicken back to the pot, mix in some cilantro and lime juice, and it’s ready to serve!
How to Serve Caldo de Pollo
When serving caldo de pollo, I recommend using big bowls because all the vegetables in the soup take up a lot of space. Make sure to get a little bit of everything, including an ear of corn. If you’d like to make it easier to serve, you can remove the corn from the soup, cut the kernels off the cob and place the kernels back into the soup.
Just like with caldo de res and caldo de camaron, I like adding in a few dashes of Tabasco hot sauce, which I’m not usually a fan of, but it totally works in this dish. It completely transforms the broth and gives it a little acidic spice that’s perfect!
Quick Tip
For easier serving, remove the cooked corn from the soup, cut off the kernels, and add them back into the soup. Discard the cobs.
Suggested Toppings
- Corn tortillas
- White rice or Mexican rice
- Diced avocados
- Diced white or yellow onions
- Homemade tortilla chips
- Chopped cilantro
- Lime juice/lime wedges
- Tabasco sauce or your favorite hot sauce
Variations
- Feel free to include whatever veggies you have on hand, this recipe is pretty versatile. Tomatoes and celery in particular are not part of my recipe, but are very popular additions for a lot of folks!
- Tomato sauce is another popular variation that adds a different layer of flavor to the soup. If you’d like to include tomato sauce, add 4-8oz when you add the veggies to the pot.
Storing and Reheating
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week or in the freezer for up to three months.
More Mexican Recipes
Caldo de Pollo
Ingredients
- 12 cups water
- 6 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 2 medium potatoes, cut into eighths (Idaho, Russet, or Yukon Gold)
- 6 frozen mini ears of corn
- 2 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and then sliced into ½-inch chunks
- 4 medium carrots, sliced into thick coins
- ½ small green cabbage, cut into eighths
- 1 white onion diced
- 4 tablespoons lime juice
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Optional mix-ins and toppings: White rice or Mexican rice, Tabasco hot sauce, lime juice, cilantro, thinly sliced jalapeños
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, combine the water, bone-in chicken thighs, garlic, bay leaves, and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to a low simmer, and cook for 1 hour.
- Skim off and discard any foam floating at the top of the pot as well as the bay leaves and garlic cloves. Transfer the cooked chicken to a medium bowl and set aside to cool slightly.
- Add the potatoes, corn, zucchini, carrots, cabbage, and onion. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer, and cook for 15 minutes until all the vegetables are tender and cooked through.
- While the vegetables are cooking, remove and discard the bones from the chicken and shred the meat.
- When the vegetables are fully cooked, stir in the shredded chicken, cilantro, and lime juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve soup in large bowls, making sure that each bowl gets a little bit of everything. Top each bowl with desired toppings and mix-ins like jalapeños, rice, and a few dashes of Tabasco hot sauce. This really brings out the flavor of the broth!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
WOW ! I loved this recipe! Easy to follow and flavorful.
Yep, I made it, it is AMAZING, reminds me of Tita in Panama… Great Memories.
Thank you, Drew!
Can this be made in the crock pot? I know it’s not ideal but I work 48hr shifts and want to start this early before I for to work! Thank you!
Hi Savannah! Yes this recipe definitely can!
Made the Pollo Caldo this evening. Delicious! Left out the corn but other than that followed the recipe. This will be my go to recipe from now on! Loved it.
Thank you, Jennifer!
My entire family really loved this caldo. I made it twice last month and I got a request to make it again this week. Thank you
Hi isabel… if I use drumsticks instead, how many should I use?? TIA 😊
Hi Amanda! You can use 6-8 depending on the size, but feel free to add more if you think it needs it!
Hi!
My husband remembered his grandmother used to make this. So I tried your recipe and he loved it! I added in some garbanzo beans as his grandmother used to put that in the soup but overall, homemade, tasty, and healthy. Thanks for the recipe!
This is delicious I just added tomato sauce to give it color
This recipe is the closest to my MOM’S
Hi Maria! That is the best compliment, thank you!
I made this for my boyfriend who is from Mexico and he said it tasted exactly like how he remembered when his mom and grandma used to make it! Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe, it was easy to make for someone like me, inexperienced in cooking Mexican food.
Hi Lydia! That is the best compliment, thank you so much!
Made the Caldo de Pollo and it was awesome! As good as grandma’s.
Hello! Thank you, that is the best compliment! We are glad you enjoyed our recipes.
I added Chihuahua black smoked salt. It adds so much richness to this great recipe.
Hi Dawn! That sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing!