Inspiration: When we were in college, B and I had a favorite, cozy little Mexican restaurant called Mi Pueblo. It was our favorite place in the entire city, and I have to admit that the waiters and waitresses recognized us when we walked in the doors. Living in dorms without any good food to eat, we really looked forward to our Mi Pueblo date nights, and they’re probably my very best college memories. We still consider Mi Pueblo one of our favorite restaurants, even though we live in a different city now. When you ate at Mi Pueblo, they always served a really simple chicken soup before your meal that came to be something that B and I always looked forward to. After making chicken stock recently, I wanted to make a chicken soup with the stock, but I couldn’t think of anything too creative since we no longer eat carbs – meaning no potatoes, no rice, no noodles, no dumplings, no pastas, etc. B suggested making a simple soup just like the soup at Mi Pueblo, and I thought that it was a fabulous idea.

What we Loved: This soup was exactly what we were hoping it to be. It’s a simple soup with a deep, rich broth; hearty pieces of tender chicken; soft, light vegetable flavors of onions and carrots; and a wonderful earthy hint of rosemary and thyme. It’s easy to prepare, it’s heartwarming, and it’s delicious. Plus, for us, this soup has the added benefit of being nostalgic. It’s always great when you can create that sort of feeling at your dinner (or lunch) table.

Helpful Hints: I would not recommend making this soup with a store-bought chicken stock. The stock is the main ingedient, and a homemade stock really has a ton of flavor that store-bought stocks don’t have. This soup might fall flat if you were to use a store-bought stock.

Mi Pueblo Chicken Soup
Source: Original recipe, but inspired by Mi Pueblo

12 cups homemade chicken stock
3 cups shredded chicken
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 sprigs thyme, leaves removed and chopped
1 sprig rosemary, leaves removed and chopped
Kosher salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

1. Add the stock to a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, carrots, onion, garlic, thyme, and rosemary.

2. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

3. Season to taste with salt and pepper. You will need a lot of salt, approximately 2 teaspoons, but maybe more. Season a little bit at a time, until the soup reaches the desired level of saltiness. If you accidentally add too much salt, you can always correct the saltiness by adding some additional stock or water to the pot.