Description
Caldo de Pollo is a comforting traditional Mexican chicken soup featuring tender chicken leg quarters simmered with a medley of fresh vegetables like carrots, potatoes, zucchini, and chayote. Richly flavored with garlic, chicken bouillon, and fresh cilantro, this hearty soup offers a warm and nutritious meal perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Broth
- 5 pounds chicken leg quarters
- 2 gallons water
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 cube chicken bouillon
Vegetables
- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 4 large potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 4 zucchini, cut into large chunks
- 1 chayote, cut into large chunks
- 1 large white onion, cut into large chunks
Herbs
- 0.5 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Gather Ingredients: Collect all ingredients to prepare for cooking, ensuring vegetables are peeled and cut into large chunks and chicken is ready for simmering.
- Initial Simmer: Place the chicken leg quarters into a large stockpot and pour in the water. Add minced garlic, salt, and garlic powder. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the chicken meat falls off the bones, approximately 1 to 2 hours.
- Add Vegetables and Bouillon: Stir in the chicken bouillon cube until fully dissolved. Then, add the carrots, potatoes, zucchini, chayote, and white onion chunks. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue simmering the soup until the carrots and potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Finish with Cilantro: Stir the chopped fresh cilantro into the soup. Let it simmer for an additional 5 minutes to infuse the flavors.
- Serve: Ladle the hot caldo de pollo into bowls and serve immediately. Enjoy the rich, hearty soup!
Notes
- Caldo de pollo is a simple but richly-flavored chicken soup packed with a variety of vegetables and seasoned with garlic and fresh cilantro.
- Simmering the chicken slowly ensures tender meat that falls off the bone and a deeply flavorful broth.
- Fresh cilantro added at the end brightens and enhances the soup’s flavor.
- Feel free to add other vegetables such as corn or green beans to customize your soup.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (approximately 1/8th of recipe)
- Calories: 606 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 2080 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 52 g
- Cholesterol: 160 mg
