Caldo de Pollo

So it's 50 degrees in the sunny Phoenix valley this February and I feel like I'm living in the tundra.  That's what happens when you get used to thinking of "cool" as anything less than 80 degrees and "hot" as anything above 110 degrees.  But I like winter and cold.  It makes me want to curl up with a warm pair of fuzzy socks, drink a hot mocha and read a good book.  It also makes me want to make homemade soup.

When I started on this real-food journey I really didn't think there would be much of a difference from what I was already eating.  I found out that there area secret hiding places for sugar, like chicken broth.  Not one can or box of chicken broth has, hello, CHICKEN BROTH, in it!  It has a bunch of things I can't read plus sugar.  I mean come on!  It can't be that hard to make a preservable canned chicken broth with really homemade ingredients, right?  Well, apparently it is or something cause there's no such thing as a sugar-free chicken broth.  I might need to start canning my own.  But, I did find organic vegetable broth that has, wait for it, vegetables and salt in it.  Phew!

Ok, so when trying to live paleo or whole30 or.... I'm gonna call it real- when trying to live a real-food lifestyle watch out for sugar hiding places.

I have several Hispanic friends at work.  My sweet friend Mrs. Irma, she's the one who taught me about Caldo after we ate it at work.  I was hooked.  I was like, "I'm going home and making this tonight!"  It's yum and more yum!   Now I'm making it without the sugar and preservative-laden "chicken broth."  It's just as much a winter-weather comfort food as it was before!

Caldo De Pollo

1 cut up fryer or 6 chicken thighs (preferably bone-in)
2 T. olive oil
1/2 sweet onion
5 garlic cloves crushed and diced
1 jalapeno diced
2 yellow squash coarsely chopped
1 chayote (Mexican squash) or 2 zucchini coarsely chopped
1/2 green cabbage coarsely chopped
1 cup baby carrots halved
6 cups organic vegetable broth (or even better a homemade chicken stock or broth)
handful of chopped cilantro
juice from a lime
diced avocado
salt and pepper to taste
chipotle chile powder to taste

In large pot cook diced onion in olive oil until transparent.  Add chicken fryer and garlic to pot, cover with chicken or vegetable broth, bring to a low boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for an hour or two or until chicken falls apart easily when lifted from broth.  Remove chicken from broth, let cool until you can handle it.  Add chopped jalapeno, yellow squash, chayote or zucchini and baby carrots.  Simmer on low heat until carrots are tender... about 30 minutes. Add cabbage, simmer for another 10 minutes.   Add chicken meat pulled from bones of boiled fryer.  Serve with chopped, fresh cilantro, diced avocado and a squeeze of lime juice.  Add salt, pepper and chipotle to taste.  Enjoy!