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Cuban Cold Remedy: Homemade Cuban Chicken Soup (and VapoRub on your feet?)

December 5, 2011 By Marta Darby 8 Comments

I’m sick. And so’s Eric. *cough, sniff*

We’ve got feverish-coughing-sneezing-and-hacking colds.  

*hack, sniff, achoo!*

A good, old-fashioned snotty-stuffy-headed cold. And there are certain things one does when one is Cuban (or happens to live with a Cuban) and has a cold.

Right now I’m trying to build up my Cuban Immunity Arsenal* (*or C.I.A.) and gathering what I need. And the first thing I need, is Homemade Cuban Chicken Soup. 

Here’s that recipe:

Sopa-de-pollo-400x300

Sopa de Pollo (Cuban-style Chicken Soup)

  • 1 bunch green onions, chopped up
  • 1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped up into small bits (unless you love cilantro, go mellow on this, but don’t skip it.)
  • 1 Tbsp. cumin
  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil ( for sautéing)
  • 3 Tbsp. white flour
  • 8 cups of chicken stock (2- 32 oz. containers)
  • 8 chicken thighs (keep the skin and bones on for now, they add to the flavor)
  • 1 yuca peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (I use frozen)
  • 2 red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into cubes
  • 2 ripe, cooked plantains (I use frozen – these add a surprising sweetness), sliced into rounds
  • 6 oz. super thin fideo noodles. (again, go mellow on the noodles as they can easily take over the entire dish)
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  • sea salt and black pepper to taste

1. Sauté the green onions, cilantro, and cumin in olive oil. Quickly whisk in the flour.

Sopa-2-400x300

Keep whisking to avoid lumps. (When the cilantro cooks, it looses it’s bite and leaves an incredible flavor. Don’t skip the cilantro!)

2. Immediately add 1 cup chicken stock, and continue to whisk until well blended.

Sopa-3-400x300

3. Remove this mixture from the pot into a bowl and set aside.

4. Place chicken thighs and remaining chicken stock in an 8 quart stockpot.
Bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Sopa-chicken-400x300

6. Add the yuca, potatoes, and plantains.

Veg-into-sopa-400x299

7. Simmer for another 40 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

8. Remove the chicken thighs from the soup and run under cold water in a colander to cool.

9. Skin and debone the soft chicken, manually shredding it into bite-size pieces.

Rinse-chicken-400x300

10. Return the chicken to the chicken stock-onion-cilantro mixture.

Chicken-in-green-400x300

11. Add the chicken-chicken stock-onion-cilantro mixture to the soup.

Green-chicken-into-pot-400x300

12. Stir in the fresh lemon juice and the noodles.

Sopa-lemon-400x300

13. Continue cooking for at least 8 to 10 more minutes or until noodles are soft.

14. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken-sopa-400x300

So now that I have my Homemade Cuban Chicken Soup, there’s just one thing left to do in my quest to rid myself of this virus.

Vicks VapoRub

I’m rubbing it on the soles of my feet before bedtime and putting on some thick socks. I know. Shut up.

Eric calls it Cuban Voodoo. And I have to admit, I believe there are some mystical, healing properties to the VapoRub (or “El Bix”). And after the chicken soup, I’m feeling all nostalgic and wanting some childhood comfort. But I promise you that I draw the line at lighting a candle to San Lazaro. 

Never mind. It’s a Cuban thing. But that’s not important right now. 

Ay Dios mio.

You might also like:

Chicken Soup Recipe - Cuban-styleChicken Soup Recipe: Cuban-style Cuban Black Bean Soup/Chili Recipe Tomato Soup RecipeTomato Soup Recipe – The Best Tomato Soup EVER Dulce de Leche Ice Cream Recipe – Homemade

Filed Under: Cuban food, Cuban recipes Tagged With: Cuban chicken soup, Cuban chicken soup recipe with pictures, Cuban cold remedy, Cuban recipes with pictures, homemade Cuban chicken soup, sopa de pollo recipe, sopa de pollo recipe with pictures, Vicks VapoRub, Yuca Baby

Previous Post: « Marta’s Cuban Christmas Shopping Guide: La Cantina
Next Post: It’s Nochebuena! And everyone’s invited. Again. »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Chantel says

    December 5, 2011 at 5:28 am

    Aw, still feeling sick? Mejórate pronto! Two things:1) That soup looks amazing.
    2) You can tell you’re a Cuban woman because you’re feeling sick and STILL your nails look perfect;)

    Reply
  2. Maria Fernandez says

    December 5, 2011 at 8:34 am

    To me, there is nothing like Chicken Soup when you are sick or even when you feel a little down, my Jewish friends back in New Jersey call it “The Jewish Penicilin” for a reason…

    Reply
  3. Marta M. Darby says

    December 7, 2011 at 7:20 pm

    You are nice.*sniff. cough*

    Reply
  4. Marta M. Darby says

    December 7, 2011 at 7:20 pm

    I like that. So this is the Cuban Penicillin!Besos,
    Marta

    Reply
  5. Haylee Shalaby says

    December 8, 2011 at 1:32 am

    I love reading your blog because, now that I know you better, I hear your voice in my head as I read. Of course, this week you had a stuffed nose lol! And Maria’s friends are right – Jewish Penicillin, Cuban Penicillin, it doesn’t matter the origin – its the best thing when you have a cold.

    Reply
  6. Marta M. Darby says

    December 16, 2011 at 5:48 pm

    Haylee,Thanks for saying so! I always want to “sound” like myself, so it makes me happy that you think so. =D

    Reply
  7. Miriam says

    March 11, 2013 at 8:33 am

    Love the clarity of this recipe. You are awesome. Thanks.Cubans are our kindred spirits…so much joy , good sense,faith and good cooking.
    Miriam Nevares de Snyder

    Reply
  8. Lola-at-Large says

    June 30, 2013 at 6:38 pm

    I made this tonight with leftover Cuban chicken I’d made over the weekend and it is AWESOME! I had to leave out the yuca because I couldn’t find any, but it was fantastic without it. I love the contrast of the sweetness of the plantains and lemon juice with the heat of the cumin and the savory of the chicken. Made a big pot, too, so I’m in for a treat for days! Thanks so much for posting this.

    Reply

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