Mexican Chickpea Soup

5 from 2 votes

Caldo Tlalpenosoup - spicy Mexican chicken soup with avocado and chickpeas or garbanzo beans.

Prep Time20

Cook Time2 30

Total Time2 50

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: -8 servings

Calories: 511kcal

Author: Adina

Place the chicken in a large pot. Clean the vegetables and cut them into large pieces. Add to the pot. Add allspice, cloves, bay leaves, and peppercorns; cover everything with cold water.
1 + 5 medium carrots + 3-4 stalks celery + 1 thin leek + 1 onion + 4 cloves + 2 bay leaves + 5 all-spice corns + 10 black peppercorns + 12 cups water
Simmer: Bring to a light simmer, but don't let the water come to a full boil or the soup will not be as clear anymore. Simmer the stock lightly, uncovered, for two hours or until the chicken is very tender and cooked through.
Remove the chicken and the vegetables from the stock. Keep the carrots, but discard the rest of the vegetables and the spices.
Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a clean kitchen towel to remove the impurities.
Reduce stock: Return the stock to the clean pot and place it back on the stove. Bring to a light boil and let cook, uncovered, for about 15-20 minutes, thus allowing it to reduce slightly and increase the flavor. Add salt to taste.
If desired, you can add some organic chicken stock cubes at this point for a stronger flavor. This is optional, add chicken stock cubes and salt according to your taste.
2-3 chicken stock cubes

Prepare vegetables: While the stock is reducing, prepare the fresh vegetables. Slice the bell peppers and the remaining onion into thin slices. Finely chop the chili. Slice the cooked carrots as well.
1 red bell pepper + 1 green bell pepper + 1 red chili + 1 onion
Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove its skin and bones. Shred the meat and set aside.
Drain and rinse the chickpeas from the cans.
2 cans chickpeas
Cook vegetables: Heat the oil in another soup pan. Add the sliced peppers and onion and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the chopped chili, cayenne pepper, ground cumin, ground coriander, and oregano, and stir for another minute.
2 tablespoons olive oil + ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper + 2 teaspoons ground cumin + 2 teaspoons ground coriander + 2 teaspoons dry oregano
Add the stock to the pot, bring to a boil, and let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the drained chickpeas, cooked carrots, and chicken meat, and continue simmering the soup for another 10 minutes. Adjust the soup with salt and pepper.
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Toppings: Slice the avocado and grate the cheese. Sprinkle the soup with fresh cilantro (or parsley) and serve with avocado and cheese.
1 avocado + 3.5 oz cheese/ 100 g + fresh chopped cilantro

Chicken: You can use four chicken quarters instead of a whole chicken.
Chili: Add it to taste, but keep in mind that the soup should be rather hot
Cheese: I used grated Emmentaler cheese, but you could use Cheddar or Mexican cheese