Consome De Pollo

Add  Latin American flair to the classic chicken broth and create Consome De Pollo, a wonderful, game-changing flavor base for all your Mexican-inspired cooking!

There’s a reason they say chicken soup is good for the soul, or a cold, or a gaggle of whining, hungry kiddos. The humble chicken, slowly simmered with just a few ingredients, can transform water into liquid gold, which is so satisfying that it’s like a salve for your soul. If there’s a pot of this simmering near me, I’m probably smiling inside and out!

Need some ideas for incorporating this into your cooking? You can make an authentic Mexican soup called Caldo de Pollo by finishing off this recipe with cabbage chunks, chayote, corn (on the cob), sliced zucchini, and shredded chicken, then topping each bowl with fresh avocado and cilantro (a little  on the side is good too).

It’s also the perfect base for other soups like Mexican chicken soup, tortilla soup, or a flavorful infusion for hearty, cheesy dishes like one pan burrito bowls, or my Mexican rice in lieu of water.

Let’s make this broth!

What Are Tomatillos?

This is a small, green fruit that’s native to Mexico. This is one of the quintessential ingredients that gives our broth its South American flavor. They’re covered by a papery husk that needs to be removed. After removing the husk, you’ll notice a sticky residue on the fruit. This is totally normal. Simply rinsing with cold water will remove most of this. You can use a clean vegetable brush to remove more of it without bruising the fruit.

How To Remove Residue

Frankly, all of these instructions make the issue sound more significant than it is! It’s really not a big deal. If you have some stubborn residue, try these steps!

• If you still have residue after following the above instructions, you can soak the fruit in cold water for 10-15 minutes to help loosen the residue, then gently scrub it.
• You can also soak them in an equal parts white vinegar and water solution for a few minutes and rinse with running cold water.

What Is Consome De Pollo

With just a few changes in technique to classic chicken stock prep and a few special additions to your chicken pot, you’ll have a nectar of the gods in just a few hours. Popular in Mexico and Colombia, this clear, flavorful broth is served on its own or as the base of many dishes, such as Caldo de Pollo! The broth is rice in flavor, has the taste of Latin America on a spoon, and has wonderful health benefits. It starts with a fresh, whole chicken, then is slowly simmered with vegetables and herbs. It’s often made with chicken liver, wings, and legs but I find the best, richest taste comes from using the whole chicken,

Consome De Pollo Ingredients

• Chicken: I like to use a whole chicken. The bones and skin add so much flavor! If you prefer to use different parts like wings or legs, feel free to use 3-4 pounds of them in place of the whole chicken.
• Water: Just tap water.
• Onion: I use a white onion for this broth.
• Garlic: I use the whole head of garlic, cut it in half, and rinse it off before cutting.
• Tomatillo: A tart fruit indigenous to Mexico. See more above.
• Tomato: When making this, use whichever variety is best for the season. I used Roma tomatoes, which are smaller, so I added 2-3 of them.
• Carrot + Celery: Foundational aromatics found in any good broth. The carrot adds natural sweetness, and the celery adds natural saltiness. Because these aromatics are strained out before serving, I leave the carrots unpeeled to up the nutritional ante!
• Jalapeño: Remember, most of the heat in peppers is contained in the ribs and seeds. For my family, who doesn’t like spicy foods, I remove them all. You can control the level of spicy heat by omitting or adding them. For that matter, if you’d like to make this spicy, you can add as many of these peppers as you’d like.
• Parsley + Cilantro: These are the fresh herbs we add to flavor the broth.
• Oregano: This adds robust earthiness, a slight bitterness, and peppery notes.
• Marjoram: Marjoram has flavors similar to oregano but is milder and sweeter, with peppery notes.
• Thyme + Oregano + Bay Leaf: These are the dry herbs we use.
• Blakk Peppercorns: Add a very mild black pepper flavor.
• Salt: If I’m making it for use in other recipes, I go very light on the salt.  If I’m eating this as a broth, I salt this broth to taste
• Limes: Serve the finished broth with lime slices so each person can add a generous squeeze of lime juice to the soup!

Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead

• How long will this keep in the fridge? Soups actually have shorter shelf lives than dry foods (like cooked chicken) since bacteria thrive most when there’s moisture. Since we’re kind of dealing with a double whammy here with chicken essence and soup, I usually recommend freezing the cooked consume de Pollo. The broth will keep in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. Store in an airtight container.
• Can This Be Frozen? As mentioned above, I often freeze this broth. It freezes beautifully.
• Make-Ahead: If I need to make this ahead of time, I make a double batch and then freeze it. Let it cool completely and store it in resealable plastic gallon bags. You can freeze them flat for easy freezer storage.

Consome de Pollo Notes + Tips

Rinse That Chicken! I realize that food experts disagree on whether or not we should rinse raw chicken. For this recipe, I suggest rinsing the chicken thoroughly to help reduce the amount of foam, but definitely try these tips for effective skimming.

Boiling is bad: simmering allows the fat and impurities to separate out rather than being incorporated into your beautiful stock.

Stirring: You also don’t want to stir the stock much or keep pushing the veggies down into the pot. Otherwise, you run the risk of that dreaded emulsification, and we want all the bad stuff to either float to the top or sink to the bottom.

Foam: During the first 30 minutes or so of the cooking process, some of the proteins and fat will create a white-to-gray foam that rises to the surface. You’ll want to skim most of this off, again being careful not to disturb the stock too much. The foam can turn a nice, clear stock into a cloudy one, and it can actually turn bitter the longer it sits.

How To Make Consome de Pollo

1. Rinse the chicken in cold water. Place it in an 8-quart pot and add just enough water to cover it completely by 2 inches. Add the onion, garlic, tomatillo, tomato, carrots, celery, jalapeno, parsley, cilantro, jalapeño, marjoram, thyme, bay leaves, black peppercorns, and salt, then bring to a slow simmer.
2. Once simmering, skim any foam that rises to the surface. Continue to simmer, on low, for about two hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and beginning to split on the leg and the broth is aromatic. Remove from heat and let cool. Place the chicken on a separate plate and strain the broth.

How To Make Crockpot Consome de Pollo

1. Just put everything into your crockpot and cook on low 5- 6 hours, or high for 3-4 hours.

More Authentic Mexican Dishes!

• Carne Picada
• Carne Guisada
• Pozole Verde
• Charro Beans
• Arroz Con Pollo

Mexican American Dishes

• Taco Meat
• White Chicken Enchiladas
• Beef Enchiladas
• Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
• Green Chicken Enchilada Casserole
• Dorito Chicken Casserole`

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Consome de Pollo

Add some Latin flair to the classic chicken stock and create consome de pollo, a wonderful, game-changing flavor base for all your Mexican-inspired cooking!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time2 minutes mins

Total Time17 minutes mins

Servings: 8 Cups

Author: Kathleen

Ingredients

• ▢ 3-4 Pound Whole Chicken Rinsed
• ▢ 3-4 Quarts Water
• ▢ 1 Whole Onion Cut in Half
• ▢ 1 Garlic Head Cut in Half
• ▢ 4 Tomatillo Husks Removed, Rinsed Well and Cut in Half
• ▢ 2 Large Tomato Cut in Half
• ▢ 3 Carrots Chopped Into 1 Inch Pieces
• ▢ 3 Celery Chopped Into 1 Inch Pieces
• ▢ 1 Jalapeno Cut in Half
• ▢ 6 Springs Parsley
• ▢ 6 Springs Cilantro
• ▢ 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• ▢ 1 Teaspoon Dried Marjoram
• ▢ 1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
• ▢ 2 Bay Leaves
• ▢ 6-8 Black Peppercorns
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Salt

Instructions

• Rinse chicken in cold water.  Place in a 5-6 quart pot and add just enough to cover the chicken completely by 2 inches,cr. Add onion, garlic, tomatillo, tomato, carrots, celery, jalapeno, parsley, cilantro, jalapeño, oregano, marjoram, thyme, bay leaves, black peppercorns, and salt, then bring to a slow simmer.
• Once simmering, skim any foam that rises to the surface. Continue to simmer, on low, for about two hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and the broth is aromatic. Remove caldo from heat and let cool. Place chicken on a separate plate and strain the caldo. Use as a base for stews, soups, or sauces.
• Store any leftover in the refrigerate or freezer.

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Nutrition

Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 978mg | Potassium: 412mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4460IU | Vitamin C: 13.9mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1.2mg

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