This recipe for Sopa de pollo (or Caldo de gallina vieja) was the ancestral prescription for new mothers, recovering from an illness or healing whatever ails you. If you can't get an old hen to make a hen soup, then make a chicken soup, and you will find it equally as tasty.
By - Reviewed: . Original: Dec 21, 2003
Why we ❤️ it
Dominican sopa de pollo, or caldo de gallina is far more than just a dish. It is half nourishment, half ancestral medicine. A dish steeped in our oldest traditions and popular beliefs.
Caldo de gallina vieja criolla
Before we got our chicken neatly packed from the supermarket, most Dominicans lived in rural areas and grew and raised their food-at least partially. Keeping "creole" chickens was not just relegated to the campos. In my paternal home, we kept chickens in the backyard growing up, and fresh eggs was part of our regular diet.
Good hens, once they left behind their peak egg-laying days, were destined for the pot, but saved for the times when convalescent family or relatives, or recién paridas (women who had just given birth) were in need of a wholesome, restorative caldo de gallina criolla vieja.
The soup is hen soup, never chicken, because they are "very cold", and without "auyama", because everything that comes from vines can "lock" the child. [1] (Translation mine)
Caldo de gallina criolla o de pollo (chicken soup).
Serving suggestions
Chicken soup is served on its own as a unique dish and does not require any accompaniment. It is sometimes served with toasted bread, so you can do so if you wish.
Top tips
- Use chicken: If you get your hands on an old chicken, be prepared for a long cooking time. If you have a pressure cooker, this is a good dish to use. The recipe has instructions for using either meat.
- Broth: If you want to cut the preparation time even more, you can use vegetable or chicken broth (recipe) instead of boiling the bones for a long time.
- Auyama: Auyama gives this soup its beautiful color and creamy consistency (besides being my family's tradition), so I always use it in this soup.
About this recipe
Where we can find an old "creole" hen in these urban environs nowadays, I do not know, so use chicken if you can't get hold of an old hen.
And I have added auyama, as I am no pregnant, and have no fear the child may be "locked" (whatever that is). Auyama gives this soup the nicest color and creamiest consistency.
Video
Recipe
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Sopa de Pollo o Gallina Criolla [Video+Recipe] Hen / Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 pound hen meat, [0.91 kg] (or chicken)
- 1½ teaspoon salt, (or more, to taste)
- 1 teaspoon oregano (dry, ground)
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 large red onion, cut in half
- 6 allspice berries, (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 stalk celery, sliced
- 2 cups diced potatoes
- 2 cups auyama (kabocha squash), (West Indian pumpkin) cut into small cubes
- ½ cup angel hair noodles
- 1 handful parsley, or cilantro
Instructions
1. Prepare chicken
Skin the chicken and remove fat. Discard the fat and skin.Cut the chicken into small pieces, separating meat from bones. The bones will be used to flavor the broth.
2. Brown meat
- Season the chicken (including the bones) with oregano, a teaspoon of salt, and the lime juice.Heat the oil in a pot, add the meat and bones, and cook stirring until the meat has browned.⚠️ If you are using chicken meat, remove the meat from the pot and set aside, leave the bones in the pot. If you're using an old hen, leave both meat and bones in the pot.
3. Make broth
- Add ½ quart [2 liters] of water, onion, allspice (optional), celery, and garlic.Cook covered over low heat for 40 minutes, or if using an old hen, until the meat is tender. After that time, remove the onion and bones and discard them. The liquid should have reduced to ¾ of the original volume, add water if necessary to obtain that volume.
4. Cook vegetables
- Season the broth with salt to taste, and add the potatoes, and pumpkin.Cover and boil over medium heat until the potatoes are cooked.
5. Cook noodles
- When the potatoes are cooked, add the chicken meat and noodles and cook covered until the noodles are tender.Stir regularly to prevent sticking.
5. Serve
Add the parsley (or cilantro), taste and season with salt to taste if required, and serve.
Cook's Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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More chicken soups
Chicken is one of our favorite meats, and we have a big collection of Dominican chicken recipes for you to try. Don't miss the Pollo guisado stew, Locrio de pollo, Pica pollo, Pollo horneado, and more.
References
- Jimenez, Ramón Emilio (1927) Al Amor del Bohío: Tradiciones y Costumbres Dominicanas. (Tomo 1. Pag. 21) Santo Domingo: V. Montalvo, Ed.
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