Made with homemade chicken stock and a variety of flavorful, nutritious veggies, this Mexican chicken soup is the ultimate cold-buster! Make it on the weekend and sip this flavorful, savory soup all week long. Perfect for fall and winter!
With its rich, tomato broth, tender chicken pieces, and lots of vegetables, this Mexican chicken soup recipe is incredibly warm and satisfying! One recipe makes 10 servings, too, so you can easily make extra for meal prep or freeze it for later. Be sure to serve it with homemade corn tortillas or your favorite cornbread for a truly satisfying weeknight meal
Why You’ll Love This Mexican Chicken Soup Recipe
- It's flavorful - The homemade broth has such a robust chicken flavor that pairs incredibly well with the canned tomatoes, zucchini, and other veggies. Every bite is a mouthful of flavor!
- Easy to adapt - Think of this as a starting point. You can easily add different vegetables or spices to make this recipe your own!
- Homemade broth - This is the most traditional way to make chicken soup! As you cook the chicken, you’ll be infusing your water with flavorful ingredients to create the most flavorful broth! It takes a little extra time, but it’s so worth the effort.
Ingredients
- Whole chicken - This recipe calls for the whole chicken, which allows you to make your own stock! It takes a little bit longer this way, but the flavor and tender meat taste so much better.
- Water - You’ll turn this water into homemade chicken stock by slowly cooking the chicken with water and vegetables for 2 hours.
- Onion - This will season the chicken and add an aromatic, sweet note to the broth.
- Celery - Celery has a savory, herby flavor that makes your homemade chicken stock even more satisfying.
- Salt & pepper - Season the water liberally since the broth will add flavor to the entire soup.
- Carrots - These add a little sweetness and a nice bite to each spoonful of this Mexican soup for colds.
- Canned tomatoes - This is a key ingredient for a bright, Mexican-style flavor! As the acidic tomatoes cook down, they’ll become slightly sweeter and add a rich tomato-y flavor in every bite.
- Chicken bouillon granules - These add that classic chicken soup flavor in a pinch! You can also use chicken bouillon paste or cubes.
- Zucchini - Thinly slice fresh zucchini for a nice green color and extra nutrients.
- Frozen peas - Delicate frozen peas will add a pop of color and a sweet, creamy flavor to balance the soup.
- Avocado - Dice some fresh avocado for a garnish. This soup is also great with a little fresh lime juice!
Variations
- Add more spices - This is a great basic recipe, but there are so many ways to tweak this soup to make it your own! Try sprinkling some onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, ground cumin, coriander and/or cayenne.
- Use roasted tomatoes - Add a can of fire-roasted tomatoes with green chilies for a smoky, spicy broth.
- Make corn stock - For a sweeter and stronger corn flavor, add 1-2 broken-apart corn cobs to the chicken and water. As the corn cooks, it will add that sweet, corn flavor and scent and take this soup to the next level.
- Add frozen corn & beans - For a Southwestern style flair, add some frozen corn and rinsed canned black beans.
How to Make Mexican Chicken Soup
The original recipe comes from Better Homes & Gardens' Mexican Cook Book.
- In a Dutch oven or soup pot, combine the chicken, water, onion slices, celery, salt and black pepper.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce temperature to a simmer.
- Simmer for about 1.5 to 2 hours until the chicken is tender.
- Remove the chicken and vegetables from the broth.
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones, and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. Return the chicken to the broth. Throw out the bones, skin, and the old vegetables.
- Add un-drained tomatoes, sliced carrots, chopped onions and the bouillon.
- Simmer, covered for 30 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
- Add the zucchini and peas.
- Simmer 5 to 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Add diced avocado just before serving.
Tips
- Add garnishes - This stove top Mexican chicken soup tastes lovely with a few shreds of Monterey Jack cheese or crumbly cotija, sliced avocado, lime juice, fresh cilantro and a few jalapeno slices. I love to top each bowl with tortilla shreds, too!
- Speed it up - Instead of making your own chicken stock at home, you can easily speed up this recipe by using store-bought chicken stock and leftover roasted or rotisserie chicken.
- Storage - Store any leftover soup for later by keeping it in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. You can also freeze it in freezer-safe containers for several months. To reheat frozen soup, let it thaw in the fridge, then either warm in a small pot on the stove or microwave for several minutes, stirring occasionally.
Recipe FAQs
What gives homemade chicken soup more flavor?
The secret to a really flavorful homemade chicken soup is to make your own chicken broth! That real, homemade flavor is completely different from the boxed stuff and will make your soup so much more satisfying. Be sure to season the broth well with kosher salt and add other aromatics, like onion, celery, bay leaf, and any herbs, to infuse extra flavor into each bite.
Which vegetables are best in Mexican chicken soup?
Mexican chicken soup (also called Caldo de Pollo), usually contains onions, celery, carrots, zucchini, corn, tomatoes, and a variety of other vegetables. This soup can easily be adapted to the vegetables you have on hand. It’d taste just as great with some potatoes and winter squash in the winter and more summer squash in the summer!
What should you serve with Mexican chicken soup?
With its blend of protein and veggies, Mexican chicken soup can easily be served as a main course. To make each bowl even more flavorful, offer a toppings bar with lime wedges, jalapeno slices, crumbled cotija cheese, tortilla strips, and more. You can also serve this dish with tortillas, tortilla casserole, or Costa Rican gallo pinto.
More Chicken Recipes
- Slow Cooker Arroz Con Pollo
- Tuscan Chicken Soup
- Croatian Grilled Chicken
- Mulligatawny Chicken Soup
- 9 Ways to Use leftover Chicken
Mexican Chicken Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 4-5 pound stewing chicken
- 6 cups water
- 3 to 4 onion slices
- 3 stalks of celery cut up
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes including liquid
- 3 medium carrots peeled and sliced in rounds
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 4 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon granules See note for alternative.
- 1 small zucchini thinly sliced in rounds, and then quartered
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 small avocado seeded, peeled and sliced or cut in bite-sized pieces
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or soup pot, combine the chicken, water, onion slices, celery, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce temperature to a simmer.
- Simmer for about 1.5 to 2 hours until the chicken is tender.
- Remove the chicken and vegetables from the broth.
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones, and cut the meat into bite-sized pieces. Return the chicken to the broth. Throw out the bones, skin, and the old vegetables.
- Add undrained tomatoes, sliced carrots, chopped onions and the bouillon.
- Simmer, covered for 30 minutes or until the carrots are tender.
- Add the zucchini and peas.
- Simmer 5 to 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the avocado just before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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