Caldo de Pollo

Caldo de Pollo is a homey chicken and vegetable soup.  It's not fancy, but it's good...big chunks of vegetables and chicken, sometimes with rice, and sometimes not.  Mmm, good.

Caldo de Pollo

2-3 chicken breasts, bone and skin attached
1 Tbsp. Kosher salt

3-4 carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks

1 white onion, rough chopped
3 medium zucchinis 

2-3 stalks of celery, rough chopped

1 small head of cabbage, quartered

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
Black Pepper to taste

Boil chicken in 8 cups of salted water and chop vegetables while chicken is cooking.  If you've ever had Caldo before, you know the vegetables are cut in large chunks putting a whole new meaning to rough chop.

After removing the chicken and setting aside to cool so that I could remove the skin and bones, I skimmed the broth to remove some of the fat and to have better clarity of the broth.  After doing so, I added two bouillon cubes, the vegetables, and two handfuls of rice.  My hands are small, so this wasn't a lot of rice...less than a cup.

Once chicken has cooled, remove skins and bones.  Cut the breasts into chunks and place back into soup.

Add your seasonings lastly.  I added black pepper to taste...not a lot of pepper because Bebe was going to be eating this for supper.  Cook in a covered pot for around 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Adjust seasonings to your taste and serve.  Some people like to add diced avocado or cilantro to this just before serving.  Let your taste buds do the talking.

Boy, did Bebe love her Caldo,

...and so did George!

How cute is that?! : )