This authentic Caldo de Pollo (Mexican Chicken Soup) loaded with chicken, carrots, potatoes, corn, cabbage jalapeños and cilantro. Quick and easy to make, serve with rice, warm tortillas and a squeeze of lime.
Are you craving something warm, cozy, and INSANELY comforting? We got you covered. Our simple caldo de pollo recipe is everything you need and more. Made with shredded chicken, carrots, potatoes, zucchini, corn on the cob, cabbage, jalapeños, garlic and cilantro cooked in a delicious broth and topped with lime juice. You can eat this heavenly bowl as is or serve with white rice and warm tortillas for an even heartier comforting meal. Not to mention it’s super easy to throw together and cooks in under an hour! Stovetop, slow cooker, and Instant Pot® instructions are also included for your convenience.
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Caldo de Pollo Ingredients
- whole chicken quartered or drumsticks and thighs
- garlic cloves
- onions
- carrots
- green cabbage
- corn on the cob pieces
- potatoes
- jalapeños
- cilantro
- lime
- salt and pepper
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements and instructions.
How to Make Caldo de Pollo (Mexican Chicken Soup)
Step 1: Prep Chicken. Rinse chicken and season with salt and pepper.
Step 2: Warm broth. Pour 8 cups water into a large stock pot or caldero (Dutch oven). Set pot over medium-high heat.
Step 3: Add Chicken and aromatics. Add chicken, onions, jalapeño slices, and garlic cloves. Season chicken broth with salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer for 25 minutes.
Step 4: Add Veggies. Add carrots, potatoes, cabbage, corn, and cilantro. Let soup simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through.
Step 5: Serve. Ladle soup into bowls. Serve alone or with white rice, warm corn tortillas, or crusty bread on the side. Finish each bowl with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and extra cilantro.
Sides to Serve with Caldo de Pollo
The typical way to enjoy authentic homemade Mexican chicken soup is with a side of white rice, warm tortillas, avocado, and plenty of lime wedges. Having sides like this with your soup makes it extra hearty and comforting. Make your own flour tortillas using this recipe from Muy Delish.
Slow Cooker Caldo de Pollo Recipe
Step 1: Add Ingredients
For a super quick dump version, place chicken and all ingredients except potatoes and cabbage in slow cooker. Cook on high for 2 hours.
Step 2: Add Potatoes and Cabbage
After two hours cooking time, add potatoes and cabbage.
Step 3: Continue Cooking
Cook another 2-3 hours or until chicken is tender and vegetables are cooked through.
Step 4: Serve
Ladle soup into bowls and serve. Top each bowl with fresh cilantro and lime juice. Enjoy with white rice, warm tortillas, or crusty bread if desired.
Instant Pot® Caldo de Pollo
Step 1. Prep Ingredients
- Rinse the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Chop carrots, potatoes, cabbage, onion, jalapeños, and garlic.
Step 2. Add Ingredients to Instant Pot®
- Add chicken to Instant Pot®. Add onions, jalapeño slices, garlic, carrots, corn, and cilantro. Pour in chicken broth and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Step 3. Pressure Cook
- Close lid and set valve to Sealing. Cook on High Pressure for 15 minutes.
Step 4. Release Pressure
- Let pressure naturally release for 10 minutes, then turn valve to Venting to release remaining pressure. Open lid. Add potatoes and cabbage. Place lid back on and cook on High Pressure for 5 minutes.
Step 5. Serve & Enjoy!
- Spoon soup into bowls and serve hot with fresh cilantro and lime juice. Enjoy alone or with white rice, warm tortillas, or crusty bread.
Cathy’s Expert Tips
- Start with bone-in chicken: Bone-in chicken pieces add more flavor and richness to your broth. You can use boneless chicken too, just replace water with chicken stock or broth OR add two large chicken bouillons to water.
- Avoid mushy veggies: Wait to add potatoes and cabbage towards the end if cooking for long periods of time (like in a slow cooker) to avoid mushy veggies.
- Adjust the spice level: Not into spice? Omit jalapeños or remove seeds. Like things spicy? Keep those babies in!
- Don’t forget fresh herbs: Stir in cilantro right at the end for a burst of freshness.
Recipe FAQ’s
Absolutely! This soup tastes amazing the next day and can easily be made ahead. Make it in advance, store it covered in the fridge, omit the cabbage, and add it when reheating to avoid soggy cabbage.
Yes, store it in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and heat up gently on the stove.
You can eat this as is! If you’d like you can also serve it with white rice, warm flour tortillas, crusty bread, avocado, and extra lime wedges.
Yes! Follow the slow cooker instructions listed above for an easy dump-and-go method.
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📖 Recipe
Caldo de Pollo (Mexican Chicken Soup)
Ingredients
- 6-8 pieces of chicken thighs and drumsticks rinsed and seasoned with salt and pepper
- 8 cups water
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small onion chopped
- 2-3 carrots sliced
- 2 medium zucchinis rinsed and chopped into 1-inch chunks
- 1 cup green cabbage roughly chopped
- 6 corn on the cob quartered
- 3 potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 jalapeño rinsed and sliced
- handful of fresh cilantro rinsed and roughly chopped
- 2 limes cut into wedges
- salt and pepper to taste
Serving Ideas (Optional)
- white rice
- corn tortillas
- crusty bread
- jalapeños thinly sliced for topping
Instructions
- In a large pot or caldero (Dutch oven), pour in the water and heat over medium-high.
- Add the seasoned chicken pieces, onions, jalapeño slices, and garlic to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let it cook for 25 minutes.
- Toss in the carrots, potatoes, cabbage, corn, and cilantro. Let everything simmer for another 20 minutes until the veggies are tender and the chicken is fully cooked.
- Serve soup alone or accompany with a side of white rice, warm corn tortillas, or crusty bread. Finish each bowl with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and a little fresh cilantro.
Louise says
If I could I would only drop a quarter of a star, and that’s only because the large chunks of chicken and corn make it a little difficult to portion/eat, the added salt was too much with the stock cubes I used (my fault – I should have just waited till the end to adjust) and I ended up having to split it 2/3, 1/3 into another pan as it wouldn’t all fit in my stock pot. Maybe my ingredient amounts were off because I’m not used to working to US cup measures? Or maybe my veg was just that bit larger than intended?
I found the recipe via the Supercook app – it’s soooo helpful because you load in all your existing ingredients and it pulls up all the recipes you can make with what you have, as well as telling you what else you need for a load of others!
As I happen to be fighting off a bad cough and cold I added all the juice from a whole lime at the end of cooking, a stick of ceylon cinnamon (one per pan), about 8 or ten whole cloves and five 3mm slices of root ginger (split between the pans). This gave it a very rounded spicy edge.
I appreciate the recipe as I wouldn’t have had the first idea where to start on a wholesome chicken soup. Hope you can forgive my adulterating it with so many extras!
Trish says
This is absolutely delicious! My first time making and my husband is hooked! Thanks for sharing
Krissy Allori says
This soup is delicious and is definitely a whole meal all by itself. It has everything you could want in a dinner. We loved it!
Cathy says
Oh that’s so great to hear Krissy! So happy everyone loved it! It’s definitely a whole meal all in itself!
Kelly Anthony says
I love the spice you get from the jalapenos in this caldo de pollo. I’m adding this to our menu next week.
Cathy says
That’s great to hear Kelly! You will love it!
Jennifer says
That soup is so intriguing. I have never seen this recipe before. I always make soup like this and debone the chicken, but never knew you could put the whole piece of chicken in it.
Cathy says
Yes Jennifer in Latin cooking most chicken soups use whole pieces of chicken. Gives the soup a lot of flavor! So yummy and tender!!
Chris says
i’ve never tried Caldo de Pollo before, but after reading through this I think I’ll definitely give it a go! Thanks for sharing!
Cathy says
Thanks Chris! Let me know when you do!
Demeter says
I love making soups too! Also, it’s great that they are freezer friendly which helps to have future meals ready to grab in a pinch. So flavorful!
Cathy says
Thanks Demeter!
Megan says
This looks so good. You have combined two of my favourite things …soup and Mexican food. Thanks for this tasty inspiration.
Cathy says
Thank you so much Megan! Agreed soup and Mexican! 🙂
Jessica Formicola says
I’ve been looking for a good chicken soup recipe, and this one looks perfect! I can’t wait to try it!
Cathy says
Thanks Jessica! Let me know when you do!
Jillian says
I’m with you, I can’t get enough soup! And nobody can tell me that soup is just for the cold months – I could eat this recipe year round – Delish!
Cathy says
Thank you Jillian! I know Jillian! It’s crazy to me how some people literally wait to make a delicious soup until it is cold outside or someone is sick. I can have this caldo de pollo anyday!!
Tracy says
Chicken soup is delicious any time of the year and I LOVE that this one has ears of corn in it. The flavors make it something that I would happily eat in the heat of the summer, too!
Cathy says
Tracy I’m like you, I can have this soup anytime of the year! 🙂 And yes the ears of corn are so good in this chicken soup, they absorb all the yummy flavors from the soup.
Chef Mireille says
what a simple kind of homemade soup – perfect on cold winter nights and so customizable I imagine as you can use different varieties of vegetables
Cathy says
Yes Mireille, really simple to make! Definitely you can add whatever veggies you like, highly customizable. 🙂
Jere Cassidy says
I’ll do anything for a good bowl of soup. I pinned this for later since I know I need to make this.
Cathy says
Haha me too Jere! Have a feeling you will love this one!