Cuban Chicken Soup Recipe | Smells Like Delish (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Kelly Bloom · This post may contain affiliate links 2 Comments ·

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Cuban Chicken Soup brings juicy chicken, vibrant sofrito, and fresh veggies in a flavorful broth for a simple and satisfying taste of Havana.

This traditional Cuban soup is Easy stovetop recipe is ready in less than an hour. Just add some rustic bread to sop up the broth for an authentic, comforting meal.

Cuban Chicken Soup Recipe | Smells Like Delish (1)

Why You'll Love This Cuban Chicken Soup Recipe

Cuban style chicken noodle soup is a comforting, flavorful soup that is perfect for a chilly day. It's chock full of chicken, Fideo noodles, and chunks of corn on the cob, about as authentic as you can get.

If you're looking for a new favorite soup recipe, be sure to give this one a try.

It is easy to make and can be made with simple ingredients that you may already have on hand. This soup is sure to hit the spot and leave you feeling warm and satisfied.

Jump to:
  • Why You'll Love This Cuban Chicken Soup Recipe
  • Ingredients For Our Chicken Noodle Cuban Soup
  • How to Make Cuban Style Chicken Soup
  • Tips for Success
  • Substitutions and Variations
  • Kelly's Recipe Notes
  • Serving Suggestions
  • More Easy Recipes
  • Storage and Reheating
  • Equipment
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • More Delish Recipes
  • Cuban Chicken Soup (Sopa de Pollo Cubano)

Ingredients For Our Chicken Noodle Cuban Soup

Chop and measure all your ingredients for this Cuban soup before starting, as it helps to keep for leaving anything out. It also lets you dash to the store and grab anything you don't have on had.

  • Chicken - Boneless chicken thighs, or chicken breasts.
  • Tomato sauce
  • Sazon Goya seasoning powder packet - The peach box.
  • Salt
  • Onion - Chopped.
  • Carrots - Diced.
  • Celery - Diced.
  • Potatoes- Cubed.
  • Broth - Chicken, fresh or store bought.
  • Water
  • Oregano - Fresh or dried.
  • Garlic - Minced.
  • Black pepper
  • Olive oil
  • Lemon or Lime
  • Fresh Corn on the cob, cut in 1" rounds.
  • Fideo noodles -You will find fideo noodles in the Hispanic food aisle, or the pasta aisle. If you can't find them, use Angel Hair pasta, and break it up in small pieces.
  • Cilantro, chopped

Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions to cook this Cuban recipe are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Cuban Chicken Soup Recipe | Smells Like Delish (2)

How to Make Cuban Style Chicken Soup

  1. Chop and dice all the vegetables up. They all get chopped up pretty small except for the potatoes, which are left in 1" chunks, and the corn is sliced in 1" chunks, or rounds.

Start The Chicken Broth

  1. Add the chopped onion, diced celery, diced carrot, and minced garlic. Saute for 3 minutes in the soup pot.
  2. Add the salt, oregano, pepper, chicken broth, and water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium.
Cuban Chicken Soup Recipe | Smells Like Delish (3)

Add The Sazon Seasoning

  1. Empty the contents of one packet of Sazon Goya seasoning powder into the soup pot and stir in the Sazon Goya seasoning. Cook for 5 minutes.

    Use the Sazon powder seasoning packet that comes in the peach colored box when making this Cuban soup recipe. This is the secret ingredient for Sopa de Pollo Cubano (chicken noodle soup).

Cuban Chicken Soup Recipe | Smells Like Delish (4)
Cuban Chicken Soup Recipe | Smells Like Delish (5)

Simmer With The Chicken

  1. After the chicken has cooked completely, stir the fideo noodles into the pot of chicken soup and cook for 4 minutes.

    Fideo noodles are thin vermicelli noodles in 1 to 1 ½" pieces. Broken angel hair pasta will work in this recipe for Cuban soup also.

Cuban Chicken Soup Recipe | Smells Like Delish (6)

Add The Corn Chunks To Cuban Chicken Stew

  1. After the noodles have cooked and are tender, add the 1" thick rounds of fresh corn and the potatoes to the pot of soup.
  2. Cover the pot of chicken soup and simmer for 20 minutes. Squeeze the lemon juice into the soup right before serving.
Cuban Chicken Soup Recipe | Smells Like Delish (7)

Tips for Success

  • Be sure to use boneless and skinless chicken thighs.
  • You can use chicken meat from a rotisserie chicken (about half the chicken, cut into chunks), or 2 cans of Swanson canned chicken breast.
  • If managing the pieces of cut fresh corn on the cob doesn't work well for your kids or family, use frozen corn instead. Add it to the pot toward the end and cook until done. Kids really do love the chunks of corn though!

Substitutions and Variations

  • You can substitute the fresh corn rounds with 2 cups of frozen corn or 1 can of canned corn.
  • Fresh broth is even better than store bought!

Kelly's Recipe Notes

I love this recipe for Cuban seasoned chicken soup chock full of thin, short fideo noodles. It's super easy to make and the entire family enjoys it. I cook it on the stove top in a Dutch oven usually, but occasionally in my slow cooker also. Always add the fideo noodles last, as they are so thin, that they don't need about 4 minutes to cook, other wise, they'll get mushy.

You'll find about four different Sazon flavoring varieties at the grocery store, in the Hispanic foods aisle. The peach box is annatto and cilantro flavored, which pairs beautifully in this Cuban recipe.

Serving Suggestions

Make this aromatic and flavor bursting recipe for Cuban Chicken soup and it will quickly become a family favorite.

Serve with garnished with fresh chopped cilantro, crisp tortilla strips, and is typically served with crusty, rustic bread.

If you love Cuban food, see our recipes for:

  • Tostones, Cuban Fried Plantains
  • Cilantro Lime Rice (Rice Cooker)
  • Fried Sweet Plantains
  • Cuban Chicken Fricassee
  • Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice
Cuban Chicken Soup Recipe | Smells Like Delish (8)

More Easy Recipes

  • Instant Pot Cuban Black Beans
  • Chicken Kreplach Soup
  • Panera's Chicken Noodle Soup
  • Texas Tornado Cake
  • Teppanyaki Sauce (Yakiniku Sauce)

Storage and Reheating

  • This recipe makes a nice amount of chicken noodle soup, enough for a family meal and a bit of leftovers.
  • Store soup in freezer safe storage tubs for up to 3 months.
  • Reheat the soup in a sauce pan, or in the microwave. This Cuban chicken soup is comforting on cold days, you will be so glad you saved some!

Equipment

You will want a good soup pot when making this. I love how the enameled cast iron Dutch Oven cooks great on the stove, and yet still is something attractive on my dining table. Here are a few options much more economical than Le Crueset soup pots.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use other types of noodles?

Yes, I surprised my kids when little with Alphabet Pasta in their chicken noodle soup! They loved fishing for the letters to their names in their Cuban chicken soup!

What is the difference in Fideo vs Angel Hair?

Fideo noodles look just like vermicelli, but Fideo is a thin vermicelli type of noodle made from maida flour. Maida is corn based. Angel hair noodles are a thin vermicelli noodle made from semolina flour.

More Delish Recipes

  • Sausage Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls
  • Curried Indian Lentil Soup
  • Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
  • Bread Machine Honey Wheat Bread

Cuban Chicken Soup Recipe | Smells Like Delish (13)

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5 from 4 votes

Cuban Chicken Soup (Sopa de Pollo Cubano)

Cuban chicken soup, or sopa de pollo, is a traditional Cuban soup made with chicken, vegetables, noodles, and spices. Serve with some rustic bread to sop up the broth for an authentic, comforting meal.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course: Soups & Stews

Cuisine: Latin

Servings: 8

Calories: 458kcal

Author: Kelly Bloom

Ingredients

  • 8 Chicken thighs boneless, skinless
  • 4 oz Tomato sauce
  • 1 envelope Sazon Goya Peach colored box preferred
  • 1 tablespoon Salt
  • ¼ teaspoon Pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 3 large carrots diced
  • 2 stalks celery diced
  • 2 medium potatoes chunked in 1" pieces
  • 2 ears fresh corn cut in 1" rounds
  • 5 cups chicken broth
  • 5 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon Oregano dried, or 1 sprig fresh
  • 2 tablespoon Lemon juice or Lime
  • 8 oz Fideo pasta or 8 oz Angel Hair pasta, broken
  • Cilantro for garnish - optional
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Cut up all the vegetables. Put the olive oil at the bottom of your soup pot. Add all the chopped vegetable, except for the potatoes and the slices of corn. Add the garlic. Cook for three minutes. Add the oregano, pepper, chicken broth, and water.

    ¼ teaspoon Pepper, 2 cloves garlic, 1 medium onion, 3 large carrots, 2 stalks celery, 5 cups chicken broth, 5 cups water, 1 teaspoon Oregano, 2 tablespoon olive oil

  • Empty the contents of one Sazon Goya seasoning packet into the soup pot. Add the tomato sauce, salt, and cubed chicken. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.

    4 oz Tomato sauce, 1 envelope Sazon Goya, 1 tablespoon Salt, 8 Chicken thighs

  • After the chicken has cooked completely, add the Fideo noodles.

    8 oz Fideo pasta

  • After the pasta has cooked and is tender, add the 1" thick rounds of fresh corn and potatoes. Put the top on the pot and simmer for 20 minutes or until the corn is tender.

    2 medium potatoes, 2 ears fresh corn

  • Just before serving add the lemon or lime juice and stir. Serve with chopped fresh cilantro as garnish (optional).

    2 tablespoon Lemon juice, Cilantro

Notes

  • You can use chicken meat from a rotisserie chicken (about half the chicken, cut into chunks), or 2 cans of Swanson canned chicken breast.
  • You can substitute the fresh corn rounds with 2 cups of frozen corn or 1 can of canned corn.

Nutrition

Calories: 458kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 1694mg | Potassium: 695mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 4795IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg

Cuban Chicken Soup Recipe | Smells Like Delish (2024)

FAQs

What is sopa de pollo made of? ›

I love that this Mexican Chicken Soup, in addition to being so tasty, is also loaded with veggies and lean chicken so it's a healthy soup that I feel good about eating and serving to family and friends. The ingredient list includes onion, bell pepper, celery, carrots, corn and lots of tomatoes.

How to make chicken soup juicy? ›

Cold-poaching the chicken breasts, then removing them until the end of the cooking process, guarantees a perfectly tender and juicy texture. Using stock reinforces the flavor of the broth, creating a more deeply flavorful soup.

How to spice up can chicken soup? ›

Herbs: Fresh chives, thyme, or cilantro stirred in just before serving. Spices: Your soup is probably salty enough, but what about simmering a bay leaf in there for a while (don't forget to remove it before serving)? Depending on the soup's flavor profile, you could shake in some cumin or red pepper flakes.

What is the difference between caldo and sopa? ›

Depending on whom you ask, caldo is either a soup or a stew, but the truth is, a real caldo is neither. A soup is a sopa and a stew is a guiso, like carne guisada, the gravied friend of a warmed flour tortilla. But a caldo is a broth.

Why is caldo de pollo good when sick? ›

Chicken soup has long been used as a home remedy for cold and flu. Some scientific evidence indicates that the soup could be anti-inflammatory. Though research is scant, experts say chicken soup is worth a try when you're sick.

Why do you put lemon in chicken soup? ›

An additional reason for elevating your chicken soup with lemon rather than other acidic ingredients is the health benefits. Lemons are high in vitamin C, help with digestion, and are full of antioxidants. Many soup recipes are made with good-for-you, healing ingredients and lemon fits right into that.

What is the most important ingredient in soup? ›

For clear, brothy soups, stock is your most important ingredient. If you want to make a good soup, you need to use an excellently flavored stock — otherwise, the entire pot could be tasteless.

What seasoning makes soup taste better? ›

"Use fresh or dried basil in tomato-based recipes or fresh parsley to add freshness to clear broth soups," says Sofia Norton, RD. You can also go with more heat and spices. "Ground paprika, turmeric, nutmeg, ground ginger, and other powdered spices add a touch of color and spiciness to broths," she says.

What can I add to chicken broth for flavor? ›

Woody herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, tarragon, and marjoram release tons of flavor as they slowly simmer in stock. Give them a rinse and toss in a big handful of sprigs per quart of store-bought stock.

How do you keep chicken soup juicy? ›

Don't BOIL, only ever a slow gentle simmer - Not just Chicken all Meat. If you insist on putting your Chicken in there at the start of cooking you make be better off with boneless thighs as they contain slightly more fat and sinew (good for keeping meat moist).

What is a Mexican sopa made of? ›

Regardless of how your mom makes it or the different variations, the base of this soup consists of blending tomatoes, onion, garlic, and broth and pouring that over very thin noodles that have been sauteed until golden brown. More vegetable broth is added then everything is simmered until tender.

What are sopa noodles made of? ›

Soba is a Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour and water, and sometimes a bit of whole-wheat flour to keep the noodles from deteriorating. Making soba by hand is an intensely complicated process that artisans spend years studying.

What is asopao de pollo made of? ›

Asopao de Pollo is a deliciously hearty Puerto Rican chicken stew made with sofrito, adobo seasoning, and rice. It's the perfect meal for a cold winter night, or whenever you're feeling under the weather.

What is sopa de tortilla made of? ›

Traditional tortilla soup is made of fried corn tortilla pieces, submerged into a broth of tomato, garlic, onion, and epazote. It is served with pieces of pasilla chiles, chicharrón, avocado, queso panela, lime, and Mexican crema.

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