Caldo de Gallina Criolla o Pollo (Old Hen / Chicken Soup)

This Caldo de Gallina Criolla o Pollo (Old Hen / Chicken Soup) is the traditional soup given to women who've just given birth or people recovering from illness.

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You know what you’re making for supper: Caldo de Gallina Criolla o Pollo (Old Hen / Chicken Soup). You stopped at the grocery store on your way home from work and picked up the necessary ingredients. You’ve diced your potatoes, your oil is a-heating. OK. The recipe calls for one sopita (a chicken bouillon cube). One sopita, one sopita… where in Julia Child’s name is the sopita???

You’re out of sopita, remember? You used the last square of it in that sancocho the other day. ___! (Insert your choice of swear word here).

Now, if you were in El Seybo or San Juan de la Maguana, you’d just take a few steps outside your very front door, choosing from possibly 5 or 6 different colmados (Dominican neighborhood shops), to make your purchase. (Or even better, you’d send someone else to run and get it - the chef wields a lot of authority in the Dominican kitchen.) And not only could you have your sopita almost instantaneously, but you could buy just one, if you so chose. No bulk mentality here, almost everything is available in the most minute quantities.

3 pesos of oil? 2 pesos of salsa? "Lo que tu quieras, mi amor." Flour, sugar, and rice by the fraction of the pound? "No hay ningún problema."

Although these phenomena are necessitated by the fact that electricity is iffy (and therefore refrigeration uncertain) and that most budgets don't allow for people to plan too far in advance, it makes one realize how "convenience stores" in North America are not so aptly named. "Colmado", on the other hand, is no misnomer; it implies abundance, heaping spoonfuls, and so much more.

I would love to see the look on the face of my corner store cashier, if I were to buy some ham, cheese, and bread and assemble myself a sandwich right there on his counter, and proceed to devour it - all the while making loud conversation and crumbs everywhere. What would my grocer say if I told him to slice my cabbage for me? And I’m almost certain I couldn't have my phone calls forwarded to the shop on the corner OR get a line of credit.

So those of you who live in close proximity to colmados, appreciate them! Tuck your metal jarro under your arm with pride! Bring back your bottles and pay your cuenta in a timely fashion. In the name of convenience!

About this recipe

The traditional soup is supposed to be made with an old hen. Where we can find an old hen in these urban environs nowadays, I do not know, so use chicken if you can't get hold of an old hen.

And (shock!) no sopita in our recipe, as we prefer a more natural, homemade approach, but you're free to use it if you so choose.

Our Guest: Jill --a contributor to our book Aunt Clara's Dominican Cookbook-- is Canadian, mom to two Canadian-Dominican sons. She resided in Sosúa, Dominican Republic for many years, bringing an interesting perspective into our culinary culture

Caldo de Gallina Criolla o Pollo Recipe (Old Hen / Chicken Soup)

By: Clara Gonzalez

Caldo de Gallina Criolla o Pollo Recipe (Old Hen / Chicken Soup): traditional soup given to women who've just given birth or people recovering from illness.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 50 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Dominican

Servings 6 servings

Calories 262 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 lb [0.91 kg] of hen meat, (or chicken)
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• 1½ teaspoon of salt, (or more, to taste)
• 2 tablespoon of oil
• 1 quart [1 lt] of water
• 2 cloves of garlic, , sliced
• 1 quart chicken broth, [1 lt]
• 1 cup of potatoes cut into small cubes
• 1 celery stalk, , sliced
• 1 cup of auyama, (West Indian pumpkin) cut into small cubes
• ½ cup of angel hair noodles
• 1 sprig of parsley, , chopped

Instructions

 

• Season chicken: Remove skin, bone, and chop the chicken into spoon-sized pieces. Discard the excess fat and skin. We'll use the bones for extra flavor. Season the chicken with oregano and 1 teaspoon of salt.
• Cook meat: Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat, add the chicken and brown. Pour in water and garlic and vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat until chicken or hen is very tender, add water when it becomes necessary to maintain the same level of liquid. Stir in the potatoes, celery and auyama.
• Cook noodles: Five minutes later add the noodles and parsley and cook until noodles are cooked through. Stir regularly to avoid excessive sticking.
• Serve: Once everything is cooked through, remove the bones from the soup and discard. Taste and season with salt to taste.

Notes and Tips

If you do get hold of an old hen, be prepared for a long cooking time. In that case a pressure cooker will shorten the cooking time a whole lot.

I prefer to use homemade vegetable or chicken broth instead of bouillon cubes. It's a personal preference.

Nutrition

Calories: 262kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 16gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 1273mgPotassium: 395mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 2948IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 2mg

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