Caldo Tlalpeño is a flavorful, comforting, and healthy traditional Mexican soup with juicy shredded chicken, chickpeas, green beans, carrots, epazote, and a flavorful homemade broth with smoky chipotle flavors. It’s great for dinner and any time of year!
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Caldo Tlalpeño is the perfect soup when you’re feeling under the weather or just want something cozy. It’s full of warm and comforting flavors with a distinct smoky heat from chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and is truly satisfying and filling.
Here’s why I love it:
- Unique flavor profile. This soup features a homemade broth made from chicken and a blended tomato mixture with chipotle peppers for extra smoky flavor and spice. It’s unlike most chicken soup recipes I’ve made (like my caldo de pollo or chicken tortilla soup) and even more delicious.
- Uses healthy ingredients. Caldo Tlalpeño uses shredded chicken, chickpeas and green beans, making it a great healthy meal option. You can even add more veggies like zucchini.
What Is Caldo Tlalpeño?
Caldo Tlalpeño is a traditional Mexican soup from the Tlalpan area of Mexico City. There are several origin stories for this recipe, but regardless of which one is true, they all mention the delicious and unique flavors of the broth made with chicken, a tomato mixture, epazote leaves, and chipotle peppers. It also traditionally features shredded chicken, chickpeas, carrots, and green beans, making it a great healthy meal.
Caldo Tlalpeño is a delicious soup that can now be found all over Mexico, and now you can make it in your own home!
Ingredients in Caldo Tlalpeño
- Bone-in chicken thighs: Using bone-in cuts of chicken makes for a super flavorful broth. You can also use drumsticks or chicken breasts, just note you may have to adjust the seasoning if you use boneless cuts.
- Homemade broth: This broth is made from cooking the chicken thighs with water, garlic cloves, kosher salt, bay leaves, and white onion.
- Tomato mixture: A tomato mixture is added to mix in with the broth. It’s made from Roma tomatoes, chipotle pepper, salt, and the garlic and onion previously cooked with the chicken thighs.
- Chipotle peppers: This recipe features chipotle peppers both in the broth and as a garnish. They add a warm, smoky, and spicy flavor.
- Carrots: Add a hint of sweetness to the soup.
- Green beans: Add flavor and texture.
- Onions: Always a must when making soups!
- Chickpeas: They add great nutrients, added texture, and are what’s traditionally used in this caldo.
- Epazote: This is an herb that adds a light and citrusy flavor to the dish. It’s an important ingredient, but isn’t always easy to find in the United States. If you can’t find it, you can just omit it completely.
- Cilantro: I added cilantro for extra fresh herbs, but you can omit them if you prefer.
- Garnishes: Caldo Tlalpeño is usually garnished with a chipotle pepper, some crumbled queso fresco, and sliced avocados. I added a little freshly chopped cilantro, too.
How to Make Caldo Tlalpeño
Make chicken broth. Simmer the chicken thighs, water, garlic cloves, kosher salt, bay leaves, and white onion in a large pot or Dutch oven until the chicken is fully cooked, about 20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a bowl, and strain and reserve the broth in a separate large bowl.
Make the tomato mixture by blending the cooked onions and garlic from the broth, 1 cup of the reserved chicken broth, Roma tomatoes, salt, and a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce.
Cook and simmer. Cook the carrots and diced onion in the empty pot or Dutch oven with a little oil, then pour in the blended tomato mixture and cook for 10 minutes. While it cooks, shred the chicken then add that to the pot along with green beans, chickpeas, remaining reserved chicken broth, epazote leaves, and cilantro springs and cook for 10 minutes until the green beans are tender.
Serve in bowls garnished with queso fresco, sliced avocados, chipotle pepper, and chopped cilantro.
Recipe Tips
- Adjust the spice level. If you don’t want a lot of spice, I recommend leaving out the chipotle as a garnish but not in the tomato mixture/broth. You can use half of a chipotle pepper if you’re sensitive to spice.
- Don’t want t make your own chicken broth? Using and making your own chicken broth and shredded chicken adds tons of great flavor, but you can save time by using store-bought chicken broth and shredded chicken. Just note you may need to adjust the seasonings.
- Don’t want to use bone-in chicken? I like to use bone-in cuts of chicken, like thighs or drumsticks, when making broth since it adds flavor, but feel free to use chicken breasts.
How to Serve Caldo Tlalpeño
This soup is traditionally served on its own as a main dish but is also great served with the following sides:
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating
To store, place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, place in a large pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat until fully warmed through.
More Mexican Soups
If you tried this Caldo Tlalpeño Recipe or any other recipe on Isabel Eats, don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it went in the comments below! I love hearing about your experience making it!
Caldo Tlalpeño
Caldo Tlalpeño is a traditional Mexican soup made with chicken, chickpeas, green beans, carrots, and a flavorful broth with smoky chipotle.
Ingredients
For the chicken and broth
Instructions
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Make the chicken and broth. Add the chicken thighs, water, onion, garlic, salt, and bay leaves to a large pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked.
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Transfer the chicken to a bowl to cool, and transfer the cooked onions and garlic into a blender. Strain and reserve the remaining broth in a large bowl.
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Make the soup. In the blender with the cooked onions and garlic, add 1 cup of the reserved chicken broth, the tomatoes, salt, and chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. Blend until smooth.
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Heat the olive oil in the same large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften. Add the diced onion and cook for 5 more minutes until softened and translucent.
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Pour in the blended tomato mixture and cook for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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While the tomato mixture cooks, shred the chicken thighs.
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Add the shredded chicken, green beans, chickpeas, remaining chicken broth, epazote leaves, and cilantro springs to the pot. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Cook for 8 minutes until the green beans are tender. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
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Serve immediately in bowls and garnish with a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, crumbled queso fresco, sliced avocados, and chopped cilantro.
Notes
- Adjust the spice level. If you don’t want a lot of spice, I recommend leaving out the chipotle as a garnish but not in the tomato mixture/broth. You can use half of a chipotle pepper if you’re sensitive to spice.
- Don’t want t make your own chicken broth? Using and making your own chicken broth and shredded chicken adds tons of great flavor, but you can save time by using store-bought chicken broth and shredded chicken. Just note you may need to adjust the seasonings.
- Don’t want to use bone-in chicken? I like to use bone-in cuts of chicken, like thighs or drumsticks, when making broth since it adds flavor, but feel free to use chicken breasts.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 279kcal (14%), Carbohydrates: 27g (9%), Protein: 25g (50%), Fat: 8g (12%), Saturated Fat: 1g (5%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 86mg (29%), Sodium: 1671mg (70%), Potassium: 674mg (19%), Fiber: 8g (32%), Sugar: 7g (8%), Vitamin A: 4052IU (81%), Vitamin C: 13mg (16%), Calcium: 84mg (8%), Iron: 3mg (17%)
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.