Abuelita’s Secret Recipe’s Sopa de Pollo

“Sopa de Pollo” translates to Chicken Soup in Spanish. With autumn on the way, I can’t help but think about my Abuelita’s homemade sopa de pollo.

I can’t ever make it quite like hers but I think she would be pretty proud of mine just the same. Occasionally I will tweak this recipe here or there – for example, sometimes I add less rice and more potato while other times I eliminate the potato and use something like a turnip.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

3-4 Pounds of Chicken Thighs & Legs

3 Sliced Carrots

1 Bell Pepper, Green or Red

1 Yellow Onion

2 Large Potatoes

½ Cup of Jasmine Rice (uncooked)

3-4 Cloves of Garlic

1 Teaspoon White Pepper

1 Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar

1-2 Small Bay Leaves

1 Teaspoon Sazon

1 Teaspoon Adobo[US1] 

7 Cups Water (Give or take depending on how thick you like your soup)

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

In a large stock pot or a cladero (Cast iron cooking pot) heat the olive oil and add the garlic, onion, carrots, peppers, and sauté them.

Add the rice (uncooked) and continue to sauté for about 10 minutes.

Add in the remainder of the spices and ingredients and top it all off with the water.

Cover and cook for an hour or until the chicken is fully cooked and the vegetables are tender.

Remove the chicken, debone and mix the meat back into the soup.

Sometimes I like to take the leftover soup and cook it down, make a gravy and make chicken stew. This meal will serve 6-8 people more than once depending on how much broth you have and how many vegetables you use. It is a delicious and hearty meal for the cold weather.