Caldo de Pollo is my favorite simple chicken soup.
There’s a little Mexican restaurant 2 blocks from my house known for theirs and I love to pick it up for dinner from time to time.
It’s such a simple chicken soup to make though – about as easy as it gets.
And, just like anything else, when you make it yourself it’s not only cheaper, you get a much larger quantity, and can control the quality of ingredients as well.
I made this soup the other night with an organic whole chicken I got for $12 — what I’d have spent on just one serving of soup from the Mexican restaurant!
When you add the rest of the ingredients, you can probably make this soup for $20. And feed a family of 4 twice!
We had it for dinner and there’s enough leftover to cover another night’s dinner as well.
And the steps couldn’t be simpler, no fine chopping or mincing – everything’s rough chopped – so prep moves pretty fast.
Using the Whole Chicken
I do recommend making this soup with a whole chicken for the value.
When cooked and you take the whole chicken out of the broth, the meat literally falls off the bone. It’s so easy to separate and get the chicken for the soup.
I totally get the aversion to handling the whole bird. It took me years to work up the nerve to roast a whole chicken. I can tell you though, especially if you’re feeding a family, it really is the most economical.
You’ll save money and get more for your money when you do go for the whole chicken.
I promise it’s a lot easier than it sounds, and cooking it this way is a great place to start. Because like I said, the meat really does just fall off. Very little elbow grease required.
Bonus points: you can transfer the chicken bones and scraps to a slow cooker, cover with water and add a splash of apple cider vinegar and continue cooking to make a bone broth.
When you do this you get even more out of your whole chicken — you get about 3 cartons worth of broth – what you’d spend another $15 on at the store.
Simple Chicken Soup Comfort
This soup is so warming and comforting. Perfect for a cold night when you want something warm and cozy to eat.
It’s my go-to when someone’s sick too because of how easy it is to make and also how nourishing it is to eat.
I also love the simplicity of just the chicken and vegetables, no fancy herbs or extra steps. You literally just throw everything in a pot. Seriously, can’t mess it up!
Highly recommend giving this one a try – especially if you want to get over the hump of conquering the whole chicken. You’ll feel like a champ in the kitchen. Go for it!
And then if you want to take it up a notch — grab So Flippin’ Easy — my 4 week course that’ll turn you into a kitchen ninja — doing things with a whole chicken you never thought you would. ;)
Caldo de Pollo (Simple Chicken Soup)
- For the stock:
- 1 whole chicken
- 8-10 cups water
- 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
- 1 white onion, roughly chopped
- 10 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- For the soup:
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1 yellow squash, chopped
- 1-2 ears corn, cut into 4ths
- ¼ head green cabbage, chopped
- At end:
- 1 lime
- avocado
- cilantro (optional)
- In a large stock pot immerse chicken in water and add aromatics (under "For the Stock") to make broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Can simmer longer for richer broth if desired.
- Remove chicken from pot and set aside. Strain broth and discard solids. Return stock to pot.
- Add soup ingredients to pot and cook until tender about 10 minutes. While soup cooks, remove skin from chicken and discard, remove chicken meat from bones. When vegetables are tender, add chicken back to the soup pot and heat thoroughly.
- Add juice of 1 lime. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve topped with avocado and cilantro.
