Make Caldo de Pollo All Year Long

August 7, 2024

By Miguel Guerrero

Caldo de pollo, or Mexican chicken soup, is comforting no matter the weather. My mama had a penchant for making it even during a heat wave. You start by simmering chicken with garlic, bay leaves, and onion to create a richly flavored broth. Add in your favorite vegetables like carrots, potatoes, zucchini, and corn.

I've added an optional twist to my mama's original recipe (a tiny rebellion that gives it an extra kick): a quick blender salsa that gets stirred into the pot along with the veggies. You know, just in case you want to sweat it out a bit more!

Caldo de Pollo

Miguel Guerrero

Servings

8

Ingredients

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1 whole chicken (4-5 lbs) or bone-in, skin on quarters
4 cloves garlic
½ white onion
4 carrots, cut into large chunks
3 russet potatoes, cut into eighths
2 zucchini, sliced in ½ inch chunks
4 whole ears of corn, halved
Cilantro (use 1 whole bunch with stems, or ¾ cup roughly chopped)
½ cabbage head, cut into eighths

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4 Roma tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
1 white onion
1 serrano pepper
1 tsp oregano
Pinch of cumin
Broth from pot, enough to blend, 1-1.5 cups

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Corn tortillas
Lime wedges
Chopped jalapeños
Pura Macha

Directions

In a large pot, add chicken, garlic, bay leaves, onion, and salt, and cover with water (leaving room for the vegetables that will be added). Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to a low simmer, and cook for 1 hour.
In a blender, add the tomatoes, white onion, serrano pepper, garlic, oregano, cumin, and enough broth from the pot to blend. Blend until smooth.
Skim and discard any foam from the top of the pot, as well as the garlic and bay leaves.
Before adding the vegetables, you can break apart or shred the chicken if you prefer.
Add the salsa, along with potatoes, corn, zucchini, carrots, and cabbage. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until all the vegetables are tender.
Once the vegetables are cooked, add the cilantro (either chopped or as a whole bunch). Taste for salt and season to your preference.
Cover and simmer for 10 more minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Ladle into bowls and serve with tortillas, jalapeños, lime, and Pura Macha.

12 comments

ANGELICA NOEMI JUÁREZ CRÚZ | August 25, 2025

Gracias por esta respeta sorprendí a mi madre

LILY | January 21, 2025

So good! Almost skipped the optional salsa part bc my mom doesn’t it make it like that. But really glad I didn’t skip it, it was delicious and the dish actually tastes just like my mom’s caldo! Next time, I’m adding Chayote! This also makes so much food, it provided about 8 servings – I ate all week ;)

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