20 Minutes 
4 people
By Doreen Colondres
Did you know that when you are sick with the flu, the only chicken soup that will really help you is the one cooked with a fresh whole chicken? And that is because what helps us “get out of bed” are all those vitamins that are precisely in the bones of fresh chicken. So if you felt good after taking a chicken soup made with flavored cubes… either your mind is powerful or you were never sick. Ha! Ha! Ha!.
Here I teach you to make a real “bring back to life” chicken soup as I learned from my grandma Ana.
What you need to have:
- 8 Cups of water
- 2-3 pounds of fresh chicken cut in pieces (remove the excess or all the skin)
- 1 big onion (diced)
- 1 green cubanelle pepper (diced light green sweet pepper)
- 1 tablespoon of sofrito (see recipe in the sauces section)
- 2 cloves of peeled garlic
- 1 chopped "pimiento morrón" from a jar (fancy pimiento)
- 2 carrots (sliced)
- 2 medium potatoes peeled and chopped in medium size cubes
- 1/2 envelope of "sazón con culantro y achiote"
- 2 ounces of "fideos" soup noodles
- 2 cobs of corn chopped in 3-4 pieces
- Fresh cilantro for garnish
- Salt to taste
What you need to do:
- In a large pot, combine the chicken, the onion, garlic, green pepper, sofrito and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through. Give it at least 90 minutes, the more time the better, sometimes I simmer it for 2-3 hours. Just remember: from time to time, using a spoon, remove the excess of fat that rises to the surface.
- After, remove the chicken and set aside to let it cool before you proceed to remove the bones and cut the meat in bite size pieces.
- In the meantime, add the potatoes, carrots, "sazón,” fresh corn and allow them to cook for 10-15 minutes in the "caldo".
- Return chicken to pot, add the noodles and cook for 5-10 minutes (until al dente).
- Then add the "pimientos morrones", season with salt and pepper and finally add fresh cilantro and serve.
If you’re up to and the diet lets you do so, you may serve it with tostones, fresh bread, avocado salad or even with a little bit of white rice like my dad likes.…This soup can be prepared up to 3 days ahead, cooled, covered, and refrigerated. Even though you can, I don't like to freeze this type of soup, only the one I prepare to use as broth for other cooking preparations. Buen provecho!
