Cold-Season Chicken Soup
A cozy, brothy, lime-y, chicken-y Green Spoon pozole
The Green Spoon•Apr 3, 2025
This soup is great for the whole family, for all ages, with a few modifications depending on how “advanced” your diners are. Our toddlers enjoyed eating this plated as we did for ourselves (minus the chile)—and would pick out the different components with their fingers to eat them one at a time. Babies would love a puréed version of this soup (minus the garnishes). Older babies could no doubt navigate the soft shredded chicken and chickpeas, slightly smashed, along with avocado. In other words, feel free to tailor it to your family’s needs! Craving a little added oomph? Add a little (½ cup) rinsed white rice midway through the cooking process.
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Instructions
Add a few glugs of olive oil to a big stock pot and sautée the onion (1 large), carrots (3 large), celery (2 stalks) and garlic (8 cloves) over medium-low heat until onions are translucent and everything has softened—about 10 minutes.
Add the bone broth (6 cups), water (2 cups), a few pinches of salt, thyme (2 sprigs), bay leaves (2) and oregano (1 pinch) and turn the heat up to medium high.
When the water is at a steady simmer, add the chicken thighs (1 lb) and cook until they're tender and cooked through and can be shredded—about 15 minutes.
Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside until it's cool enough to handle. In the meantime, add the chickpeas (1 15-oz can) to the pot and turn the heat down a touch.
When the chicken is cool, shred it with your hands and add it back into the pot and cook for 5 minutes more at a simmer. Salt to taste. Remove the bay leaves.
Place a handful of cabbage into the bottom of each bowl and ladle the soup over it.
Garnish with radishes, cilantro, avocado, a few squeezes of fresh lime and tortilla chips!
Adults, extra dried Mexican Oregano and New Mexican dried chile powder are great additions.
Notes
Storage
The soup keeps beautifully in an airtight container for a few days—just make sure to garnish only right before eating.
