Caldo de Pollo

Bowl filled with homemade caldo de pollo soup.

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5 from 8 votes

Grandma's famous caldo de pollo is a cozy chicken soup filled with chicken, rice, and Mexican spices and flavors!

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Total Time1 10

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings:

Author: Kristyn Merkley

Ingredients

Soup

6 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1¼ pounds chicken tenders
2 corn cobs, cut in thirds
3 large chicken bouillon cubes, such as Knorr®
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
salt black pepper, to taste
½ large white onion, chopped, to taste
carrots and zucchini, optional

Rice

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup white rice
2 cups chicken broth
4 ounces tomato sauce
1 teaspoon cumin

Garnish

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

In a large pot add 6 cups chicken broth, water, chicken tenders, corn cob cut in pieces, chicken bouillon cubes, minced garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper to taste.
Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and cover the pot. Simmer for about 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
While the soup is simmering make the rice. Add olive oil to a frying pan. Add rice and fry it until the rice begins to brown.
Reduce the heat and add 2 cups chicken broth, tomato sauce, and cumin. Stir and cover the pan with a lid.
Simmer the rice mixture for 15-20 minutes, or until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed.
When the soup is done simmering use 2 forks to shred the chicken. Add the chopped onion and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Spoon the rice into serving bowls and top it with the soup. Garnish with the avocado and cilantro.

Video

Notes

Recipe Tips.

This is a perfect dish to make using leftover Spanish rice!
If corn isn't in season, you can often find already-cut cobs in the freezer section.
My grandma often made this soup to use up items in the fridge. You can make it your own and add carrots, zucchini, or potatoes, or other veggies you have on hand.
Serve jalapeños or hot sauce on the side for people to heat up thier own bowls.
To make the corn easier to eat, you can remove the corn from the soup, cut the kernels off the cob, and place the kernels back into the soup. You can also provide corn picks/corn forks for people to use to eat the cobs.

Store leftovers in an airtight container(s) in the fridge for 2-3 days or in the freezer for 6 months. Thaw, if applicable, and reheat gently on the stove, and add a splash of broth if needed.

For more substitutions and tips, check out the full recipe post

Nutrition