Spanish Chicken Soup

Spanish Chicken Soup is a version of Sopa de Pollo con Fideos and it’s a comforting blend of tomato-based sofrito, chicken, potatoes, noodles and vegetables. It looks like there are a lot of steps to this recipe, but if you have everything chopped, measured and ready to go before you start cooking, all you’ll have to do is add things to a pot, stir and take them out. You’ll know it was all worth it when you taste the soup.

Spanish Chicken Soup Ingredients

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• Broiler/fryer chicken: Broilers and fryers are slightly different terms for two types of chicken based on the bird’s age and weight. Broilers are 6 to 10 weeks old, and fryers are 7 to 10 weeks old. You may hear broilers being called fryers occasionally, but fryers are generally 2-1/2 to 4-1/2 pounds.
• Adobo seasoning: You want the dry-rub/spice adobo seasoning and not a marinade.
• Celery: Celery ribs provide a mild but savory flavor for the broth and chicken. When you mix celery, carrot and onion you have a form of mirepoix, an aromatic vegetable combination that adds depth to the flavor of the broth.
• Onion: You can use a regular onion here (not a sweet variety) because its flavor will mellow out as it cooks.
• Carrot: A sweet carrot helps flavor the mirepoix. It also helps take the edge off any acidic ingredients.
• Sofrito: This tomato-based paste or sauce contains herbs like garlic and cilantro. As the name suggests, it provides fast flavoring for the broth.
• Bay leaf: A bay leaf infuses more flavor into the broth as it cooks.
• Yukon Gold potatoes: Potatoes cooked in broth tend to start melting into the soup to help it thicken.
• Fideo noodles or angel hair pasta: Fideo are coils of very thin and long spaghetti-like noodles. They’re similar to angel hair pasta (you might see the coils labeled as such), which you can use if you can’t find Fideo. In either case, break the noodles into smaller segments so they don’t fall out of the spoon when you eat the soup.
• Fresh cilantro leaves: This is an optional garnish if you like cilantro.

Directions

Step 1: Brown the chicken and saute the vegetables

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Sprinkle the adobo seasoning over both sides of the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot and brown the chicken pieces on both sides. You’ll have to do this in more than one batch. When all the pieces have been browned, remove them from the pot and put the celery, carrot, onion and sofrito base in the pot. Stir the vegetable mixture over medium heat and in whatever oil is left in the pot for three to four minutes. You want the onion to be tender.

Step 2: Simmer the chicken and potatoes

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Put all the chicken back in the pot along with the bay leaf and water. Bring everything to a boil, reduce the heat, cover the pot and let it all simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the cover, add the potatoes and simmer for another 8 to 10 minutes uncovered. The potatoes should reach the point where they’re almost tender.

Step 3: Cook the noodles

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Take the chicken and bay leaf out of the pot. Skim the fat from the top of the broth, bring the broth back to a simmer and add the noodles to the broth. Let everything simmer for another five to seven minutes, uncovered.

Step 4: Finish the soup

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While the noodles are cooking, pick the chicken meat off the bones and cut the meat into bite-size pieces. Throw away the bones and add the chicken meat back into the broth. Add salt and pepper, and stir the soup as it heats through. When you serve the soup, garnish it with fresh cilantro if you prefer.

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Spanish Chicken Soup Variations

• Add more of anything: This is a very flexible recipe. You can add more of just about any vegetable that you want. It’s best to keep the mirepoix because it heavily influences the soup’s flavor but you can add other vegetables like peas or spinach. Or you can add more seasonings like garlic.
• Use cut fideo: Fideo is available in two forms. The coiled-nest form and the other is called cut Fideo where the noodles are broken into small pieces. These are often smaller than an inch but should work just as well.

How to Store Spanish Chicken Soup

If you’re storing leftovers, ladle them into a shallow and airtight container. Let the soup cool slightly but don’t let it sit out for more than two hours after cooking it. Cover it and store it in the refrigerator for up to four days. If you’re meal prepping and storing the soup for future meals, make the soup up to the point where you have everything cooked except the noodles. Store the soup in a shallow, airtight container for up to four days, and cook the noodles before serving.

Can you freeze Spanish Chicken Soup?

Freezing this soup isn’t a good idea if you’re planning to make the entire recipe first. The noodles and potatoes aren’t going to taste great after being cooked and then frozen, thawed and reheated.  You’d need to make the chicken and vegetable broth (without the potatoes) and only freeze that. Once you thaw out a portion, add and cook the potatoes and noodles according to the instructions. Remember to check the internal temperature of the chicken pieces with an instant-read meat thermometer to ensure they reach 165°F. Use any frozen soup within three months.

Spanish Chicken Soup Tips

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How do you skim fat from a broth?

Use a large metal spoon to skim the fat off the top of the soup or get a fine-mesh skimmer. If you use a skimmer, fill a measuring cup with some water (just enough to cover the scoop portion of the skimmer) and then dip the skimmer into the broth, removing the scum and fat on the surface. Dip the skimmer in the water to remove the scum and fat. Don’t pour the water down the drain when you’re done, you don’t want that fat to clog the drain. Instead, place paper towels in a bag and pour the water, scum and fat onto the towels. Seal the bag and throw it away.

What can you serve with Spanish Chicken Soup?

If you want the soup to be a main course, serve it with sides of green salad and buttery rolls. Or, have the soup with some grilled cheese or quesadillas.

Can you use boneless chicken?

You could use boneless chicken but the broth won’t have as much flavor and will seem thinner because the broth won’t have any collagen from the chicken bones.