Well, I was so sick last week! I came down with what seemed a cold, but it could have been strep. Without a doubt, however, the fever and lethargy kept me cocooned in bed. Oh, that ugly feeling when you’re sick! I do not like being sick. No, no, no, no.

But then there’s nothing better than medicine like supercharged soups that heal the body and soothe the soul; just like ama’s and abuelita’s. So, today I’m going to be sharing with you a delicious comfort soup for when you are sick, or someone you love is sick. My mom made this for us all the time whether we were sick or not because it was the only way that we would eat our vegetables without whining. Now let me tell you that I am not an expert in the kitchen, but I CAN make this! This is Mexican style chicken soup, or as I know it in Spanish, caldo de pollo. When I was young, I would help grandma and mom make this soup. I guess you could say that this is how I learned how to chop vegetables as we sat down together, peeled and chopped vegetables, and chit-chatted with laughter.

Let’s get cooking!

Mexican Chicken Soup – Caldo de Pollo

Yields about 6-10 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 quarts of water
• 6 chicken drumsticks (fresh or thawed)
• 3 fresh ears of corn
• 6 whole carrots
• 6 whole sticks of celery
• 3 medium russet potatoes
• 2 large Mexican squash (zucchini will do just fine, use 4)
• half head of green cabbage
• 1/2 cup of roughly chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 cubes of Knorr chicken flavored bouillon
• 1 tbs Kosher salt
• 1/2 tbs ground black pepper
• 3 cloves of fresh minced garlic (optional)

1. The first thing you want to do is add the 2 quarts of water into a large cooking pot along with the two cubes of Knorr chicken flavored bouillon. Set the heat at high on your stove.
2. While the water is getting to a boiling point, begin stripping your ears of corn from the corn husks. Make sure to take as much of the hairs off as you can. Whatever is left can be rinsed off anyway. Once you have your corn ready and rinsed, chop off the ends of each cob and discard. Then cut each corn on the cob in half using a Santoku knife, or you can simply snap them in half. Use that muscle! *Tip: You can skip this step if you buy frozen cut corn on the cob which you can find in the frozen vegetables section at the grocery store. I always like using fresh corn on the cob though because I like getting my kids to participate in making the soup. Plus, anything fresh just taste so much better!
3. By now, the water should be boiling. Bring the heat down to medium and add your fresh chicken drumsticks and cut corn on the cob into the cooking pot and cover it with the lid. Cook for about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, let’s get started with some serious chopping.
   1. Carrots: Cut off the ends of the carrots and discard. Then slice each entire carrot so that they look like round circles. *You can use a potato peeler to peel the skin off the carrots before you begin slicing. Sometimes I like to keep the skin on for a more earthy flavor.
   2. Celery: Cut off the ends of the celery sticks and discard. Then slice each entire celery stick so that they look like half moons.
   3. Squash: Cut off the ends of each squash and discard. Then slice each entire squash so that they look like big round circles. *Cutting into smaller pieces will cause the squash to basically disappear in the soup since squash is a soft vegetable.
   4. Potatoes: Thoroughly rinse and peel your russet potatoes. Then cut each potato into four sections. *Leaving the skin on the potatoes is a matter of preference which gives the soup a more earthy flavor.
   5. Cabbage: Cut half of the head of an entire cabbage. Store the one half in your fridge. Then cut the other half head of cabbage into six sections.
5. Now you need to organize your vegetables because you will not be dumping them all at the same time into the pot. This is because each vegetable has a longer cooking time than the others. Thus, using three mixing bowls (or whatever you have), combine the carrots and the celery into one bowl. The squash and potatoes in another. And the cabbage in its own bowl.
6. If your 30 minutes are up, go ahead and add the carrots, celery, salt, and pepper into the pot and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes.
7. Add the squash and the potatoes into the pot and cover. Cook for another 15 minutes.
8. Check your chicken to see if it is cooked. Simply take one out and place on a plate to check with a fork and knife to see if the meat is cooked inside. You can tell if it is cooked if the meat easily comes off the bone. Put back into the pot. Add the cabbage and the 1/2 cup of roughly chopped fresh celery into the pot and cover. At this point you may also want to add the fresh minced garlic which is an optional ingredient. *Garlic is an excellent source of antioxidants that are good for when you are sick. To read more about garlic health and medicinal benefits click HERE.  Cook for another 10 minutes.
   • Now, at this point, you are probably wondering what to do with the extra quart of water. Well, I typically start making my soup with 2 quarts of water, but during the whole cooking process, some of the liquid will eventually evaporate; and I love my soups to be abundant in liquid. Thus, it is around step 6-8 that I keep an eye on how much liquid is still in my soup (cooking process can vary for everyone). If I feel I’d like more liquid in my soup, then I add the extra quart of water. Some people like their soups to have less liquid. If that is your case, then you don’t have to use the extra quart of water.
9. Stir the soup. Using a small spoon, get a little bit of the soup and taste. If you want to add more salt you may do so now.
10. Serve soup in a deep bowl. Enjoy with some limes and fresh artisan bread.

Add lime juice to your soup for a tangy flavor! YUM!