This easy and delicious caldo de pollo recipe makes the perfect Spanish broth. This flavorful chicken bone broth can be enjoyed plain, used as a base for Spanish chicken soup, or used as homemade chicken stock in any recipe. Caldo de pollo is simple to make from scratch, and well worth the effort!
If you love Spanish chicken recipes, bookmark these recipes for Spanish roasted chicken and chicken milanese.
Introduction
Here in Spain, supermarkets sell caldo de pollo by the liter, as it's an important ingredient in so many Spanish recipes. But what's even better is making Spanish broth at home! Luckily, it's simple to do, and the results are healthy and delicious.
I started making my own caldo de pollo after learning about stocks and broths in culinary school. Once I saw how much of a difference homemade broth makes to recipes like chicken chilindrón and rabo de toro (beef broth in that soup), I was hooked. The effort of making caldo at home is minimal; there's really no excuse not to try it!
Ingredients
Curious what ingredients you need for this simple, healthy Spanish chicken broth? Grab some chicken, vegetables, and spices, and you'll be ready to get started!
- Chicken: I use free-range, corn-fed Spanish chickens when possible. (The better the chicken, the better the broth!) You can use chicken carcasses and scraps, but if you plan to make chicken soup, I recommend using a whole chicken.
- Vegetables: I love using the traditional vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and onions, but leeks, which are very common in Spain, and celery also add a nice touch. Pumpkin (squash) gives some additional sweetness that is lovely in the finished broth.
- Spices: Traditional caldo de pollo simply uses bay leaf, parsley, salt, and pepper, but I usually add a few more seasonings, like ñora pepper or any sweet dried pepper, a couple cayenne pods, and a few threads of saffron.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Don't want to use a whole chicken? Use 6-8 chicken thighs instead.
- Substitute the veggies you like best, such as radishes, turnips, shallots, or spring onion.
- I've made this recipe using whole veggies, but you can also save scraps over a few days to make your broth budget-friendly!
How to Make Caldo de Pollo
If you’d like to see the full ingredients and instructions, scroll to the bottom of the post for the printable recipe card.
- Place the chicken in a large pot and cover with water so the meat has about 3 inches of liquid over it. (image 1)
- Add the veggies and spices and bring to a boil. (image 2)
- Skim away any foam that rises, and lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 ½ hours. By that point, all the flavor from the veggies and chicken bones should be in the broth. (image 3)
- Turn off the heat and let the broth stand for 15 minutes if you like to cool slightly. (image 4)
- Strain out the meat and veggies from the stock using a fine mesh strainer. (image 5)
- Use this broth for other recipes, or add some salt and enjoy as is. Here in Spain, we drink our broth in a mug just like a cup of tea. (image 6)
Recipe FAQs
Caldo de pollo is a Spanish chicken broth that's made from chicken pieces and veggies and lightly seasoned. It's perfect for making into chicken soup, adding to other Spanish recipes, or enjoying on its own!
Caldo de pollo is made from chicken pieces, traditional veggies like onion, potatoes, and carrot, along with other ones like pumpkin, celery, and leek. It's seasoned with a bay leaf, fresh parsley, salt, and black peppercorns.
Fat is flavor, but if you'd like to make a low-fat chicken stock, simply spoon off the hardened layer of fat that will rise to the top after a couple of hours in the fridge.
Chicken broth will last 3-4 days when stored properly in the fridge. It should be in an airtight container and stored within two hours of cooking.
Chicken broth can be frozen for up to six months with no loss in quality. And it's safe to eat even after that. I always freeze my Spanish broth in two cup containers, which are perfect for most recipes calling for homemade stock.
Serve
You can enjoy Spanish caldo de pollo so many different ways. It's great on its own, as a taza de caldo (mug of broth). This is a really typical thing to order in cafés and pastry shops in the winter in Spain.
Caldo de pollo can definitely be used in another recipe, like in chicken and chorizo stew, or as chicken soup. A hearty Spanish chicken soup might include chicken meat, garbanzo beans, ham, hard-boiled egg, and even rice or noodles. Serve with a Spanish salad for a great meal!
Expert Tips
- For extra flavor and color, add dried ñora pepper or a similar dried sweet pepper, cayenne pods, or a few threads of saffron.
- A longer cooking time doesn't make better chicken broth; it can ruin a stock by bringing out bitter flavors. One-and-a-half hours is the sweet spot!
- To store the chicken broth, seal it in an airtight container within 2 hours of cooking and refrigerate for 3-4 days. Freeze for up to 6 months with no loss in quality. I always freeze my broth in two-cup containers, which are perfect for most recipes.
- To make low-fat chicken stock, simply spoon off the hardened layer of fat that will rise to the top after a couple of hours in the fridge.
- Optional Toppings: In Spain, we love adding things to caldo de pollo to make a chicken soup. You can add the chicken meat, garbanzo beans, small noodles, chopped jamón Serrano, and even hard-boiled egg. Some people also add rice.
Caldo de Pollo Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken cut in pieces or 6-8 chicken thighs or 2 chicken carcasses
- 10 cups water
- 4 carrots peeled and cut into large pieces
- 1 leek cleaned and chopped, including the green part
- 1 large onion cut in half
- 1 large potato quartered
- 3 sticks celery cleaned and cut into pieces
- 1 piece pumpkin or butternut squash about the size of two large carrots
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 sprig fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon salt added to taste
Instructions
- Place the chicken pieces into a large pot with the skin on, then cover with water so the chicken is submerged under about 3 inches of liquid. Add all of the vegetables and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Skim away any scum with a slotted spoon, then lower the heat. Simmer uncovered for 1 ½ hours, skimming any more foam that forms.
- Turn off the heat and let the broth cool for about 15 minutes. Strain the broth using a fine-mesh strainer.
- Adjust for salt if you are enjoying as is, or freeze without salt to use in other recipes calling for chicken stock. You can also add optional toppings (see below) to make Spanish chicken soup.
Notes
- For extra flavor and color, add dried ñora pepper or a similar dried sweet pepper, cayenne pods, or a few threads of saffron.
- A longer cooking time doesn't make better chicken broth; it can ruin a stock by bringing out bitter flavors. One-and-a-half hours is the sweet spot!
- To store the chicken broth, seal it in an airtight container within 2 hours of cooking and refrigerate for 3-4 days. Freeze for up to 6 months with no loss in quality. I always freeze my broth in two-cup containers, which are perfect for most recipes.
- To make low-fat chicken stock, simply spoon off the hardened layer of fat that will rise to the top after a couple of hours in the fridge.
- Optional Toppings: In Spain, we love adding things to caldo de pollo to make a chicken soup. You can add the chicken meat, garbanzo beans, small noodles, chopped jamón Serrano, and even hard-boiled egg. Some people also add rice.
Nutrition
Photography by Giulia Verdinelli
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