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Home » Mexican » Caldo Tlalpeño

Caldo Tlalpeño

By Hank Shaw on March 12, 2018, Updated February 10, 2021 - 16 Comments

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5 from 13 votes
caldo tlalpeno soup in a bowl
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I didn’t set out to make an authentic Mexican caldo tlalpeño, but that’s what happened.

Caldo tlalpeño is a hearty soup that originates in an area just to the south of Mexico City called Tlalpan. The name basically means “soup those ladies in Tlalpan make.” Normally done with chicken, any white meat will work here, as would pork.

A bowl of caldo tlalpeno soup
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

The story goes that this was a hearty caldo served by a woman hawker, selling to passengers on the rail line that went through Tlalpan. The soup was so good and so hearty it became a thing. And, more than a century later. It’s still a thing.

I happened to have some skinless Gambel’s quail from Arizona in my freezer, and I was casting about for something nice to make with them; they were hard-won birds, which you can see for yourself on episode of the TV show “The Flush” that I was on.

Quail are a southern bird, so I always look to Southwestern or Southeastern flavors when I cook them. In this case, way south, as Mexico City is 1500 miles from where we hunted these birds near Casa Grande, AZ. No matter, it was cold(ish) where I live in Sacramento and I wanted a nice, hearty soup.

So I stumbled on this one. Caldo tlalpeño is one of a few top-notch variations on the Almighty Chicken Soup that hail from Mexico; sopa de lima is my other favorite. Slow cooked chicken or quail or rabbit or turkey or whatever, stewed with a ham hock (!), as well as lots of familiar vegetables and chickpeas — all garnished with lots of avocado, lime and cilantro at the end.

What makes this recipe worth making? A few things:

  • The ham hock in the broth. Wow, what an unexpected companion to the quail! Another great option would be using one of those smoked turkey wings with some shredded turkey breast meat.
  • How accessible it is. Nothing here, not even the canned chipotles in adobo, which are now super easy to find, is out of the reach of even many rural supermarkets. Only the epazote is “weird,” and you can skip it.
  • Those chipotles. They turn a nice soup into an amazing one. These canned morsels are picante, however, so start with one and add more to taste. You can always add heat, but it’s hard to take it away.
  • The avocado garnish. I am normally suspect whenever avocado gets heated, but since you drop the chunks in right before eating the soup, they stay firm and act as a textural and flavorful counterpoint to everything else, which is pretty low-fat. Tip: Buy slightly underripe avocados.
A serving of caldo tlalpeno made with quail
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Many traditional recipes include one or two seeded and diced or chopped xoconostles, which are a sour prickly pear fruit; this adds acidity to the soup. You can find them sometimes in Mexican markets, but if not, no biggie; just skip it.

Want another tip? Make a huge batch of caldo tlalpeño on a weekend and eat off it for the week. It just gets better after several days in the fridge.

(If you’re interested in another unbelievably good Mexican soup, try my recipe for chocolomo, which uses red meat like beef or venison.)

A bowl of caldo tlalpeno soup
Print Recipe
5 from 13 votes

Caldo Tlalpeño, Mexican Chicken or Quail Soup

This is a hearty Mexican soup that hails from Tlalpan, just south of Mexico City. Normally it uses chicken, but any white meat works well. Quail, pheasant, turkey, rabbit are all good choices. If you can't find a ham hock, use a smoked turkey wing. This soup keeps well in the fridge. 
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time2 hrs 30 mins
Total Time2 hrs 50 mins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 10 people
Calories: 295kcal
Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

  • 1 quart chicken or other poultry broth
  • 1 ham hock or smoked turkey wing
  • 2 quarts water
  • 8 quail, or 1 chicken, pheasant or rabbit
  • 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 sprig epazote (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons lard, duck fat or olive oil
  • 1 large white or yellow onion, diced
  • 2 to 4 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 to 4 chipotles in adobo, minced
  • 1 14-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 xoconostle, seeded and chopped (optional, see above)
  • 1 to 2 avocados, cut into chunks
  • 2 limes, cut into wedges
  • 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

Instructions

  • Bring the chicken broth and water to a simmer and add the ham hock. Simmer gently until meat wants to fall off the the ham hock, about 90 minutes. Fish the hock out and strip off all the meat. Chop if you want. Reserve it. 
  • Add the quail, chicken or whatever. Cook them only as long as they need. So about 15 minutes for quail breasts, 20 for chicken or pheasant breasts. Fish them out and pull of the breast meat. Return the birds to the pot and simmer until the leg meat is tender, about another 45 minutes. Fish out the birds, strip off all the meat and reserve it all. Discard the bones. If you want, you can strain the stock now if you feel like it. 
  • I strain the stock, which makes it a lot clearer. If you do, you can add the lard to the same pot and sauté the onion and carrot until the onion turns translucent, about 8 minutes. If you don't strain the stock you'll need to do this in another pot. 
  • Regardless, once the onions and carrots are ready, add the garlic and sauté another minute. Then either add back the strained broth, hock meat and leg meat, or scrape all the vegetables into the pot -- if you didn't strain. 
  • Add the marjoram, thyme and epazote if using. Simmer this 20 minutes. Add the chipotles as well as 1 to 2 tablespoons of the adobo. 
  • Return the breast meat to the pot and add the chickpeas and the xoconostle, if using. Simmer gently 10 minutes. Add salt to taste. 
  • Serve everyone and put out avocados, lime wedges and cilantro for everyone to add as they wish. 

Nutrition

Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 154mg | Potassium: 440mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2292IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg
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Filed Under: Featured, Mexican, Pheasant, Grouse, Quail, Recipe

Avatar for Hank Shaw

Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet's largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

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Comments

  1. Avatar for RochelleRochelle says

    January 14, 2021 at 5:30 pm

    Used quail and a wild turkey wing I’d smoked and froze just for times like these. Warm, comforting, and so flavorful! Will definitely be making this again

    Reply
  2. Avatar for AdamAdam says

    November 18, 2020 at 12:23 pm

    I was totally blown away by the flavor of this soup. Great use for (slightly) freezer burned quail that I forgot in the bottom of my freezer – or really any birds or probably even squirrels. I’ll definitely make this again.

    Reply
  3. Avatar for CraigCraig says

    June 2, 2019 at 7:31 am

    So the recipe says 1 pheasant. Doesn’t seem like much. My birds don’t have legs on them. When cooked should I shred the meat, slice it or what? What about combining pheasant and quail?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      June 2, 2019 at 9:24 am

      Craig: Ha! Then that’s not one pheasant, that’s half a pheasant! If you are just using breasts, double or triple it. Yes, you can combine pheasant and quail, and yes, you shred it once cooked. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  4. Avatar for Dan GerzinaDan Gerzina says

    May 9, 2019 at 10:12 am

    Awesome recipe, Hank. Used some pheasant stock I had kicking around and a smoked turkey wing, it was incredible how much smoky flavor got extracted into the broth. Everyone I shared it with was blown away, I will definitely be keeping this one in my rotation!

    Reply
  5. Avatar for ChristineChristine says

    July 7, 2018 at 3:37 pm

    Hi Hank, I want to make this soup with a domestic rabbit I bought (frozen). I have never cooked a rabbit before. How long should I leave it in the pot to simmer before removing all the meat?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      July 20, 2018 at 11:21 am

      Christine: until it’s done. Hard to say, really, but probably 2 hours?

      Reply
  6. Avatar for ChristineChristine says

    May 2, 2018 at 4:36 pm

    This soup is absolutely delicious! I’ve made it twice now with chicken and “turkducken” stock, which adds a wonderful flavour. The addition of avocadoes, limes and cilantro finishes the soup perfectly.

    Reply
  7. Avatar for Casey StutzmanCasey Stutzman says

    April 20, 2018 at 11:28 am

    Truly amazing!! I am continually wowed by the level of creativity and uniqueness to your recipes, this is no exception:-)

    Reply
  8. Avatar for Pete McMillerPete McMiller says

    March 23, 2018 at 6:35 pm

    Another winner Hank. Had three fresh pheasants and doubled the recipe. Amazing flavors all layered perfectly together. The avocado, lime, cilantro garnish was perfect. Can’t wait for leftovers.

    Reply
  9. Avatar for KurtKurt says

    March 19, 2018 at 11:40 am

    WOW! This recipe is another winner! We use a ton of your recipes. We utilized some pheasants this time. Awesome!

    Reply
  10. Avatar for Joseph GardnerJoseph Gardner says

    March 19, 2018 at 7:25 am

    Great, taste even better than it looks.Keep up the good work

    Reply
  11. Avatar for KirstinKirstin says

    March 15, 2018 at 6:20 pm

    Hi. Is your new book available at any bookstore in NYC / Brooklyn?
    My man just cleaned out the freezer, and I think he must’ve had your (Feed..) open simultaneously, because our supper was a very fine Caldo Tlalpeno con Grouse from the late 2017 woods of Maine.
    Super delicious. Thanks for the inspiration.
    Let me know if there’s a local bookstore where I can pick it up!
    thx

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      March 19, 2018 at 10:25 am

      Kirstin: Sure, any bookstore or Amazon. If your local bookstore doesn’t have it in stock, they can order it for you.

      Reply
  12. Avatar for ToddTodd says

    March 15, 2018 at 6:24 am

    I made this yesterday to finish of some quail from last year. Just to be clear, I used pork necks instead of hocks and did not put the meat in the soup as I used 10 quail. Took some to my Mother and she called me last night to tell me it was one of the 10 best things she’d ever eaten in her life. I’m gonna go with this recipe is pretty good based on that.

    Reply
  13. Avatar for JaredJared says

    March 13, 2018 at 10:15 am

    With this rain right now in the valley, THIS is exactly what comes to mind. Excellent recipe, Hank. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

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Hi, my name is Hank Shaw; I’m a James Beard Award-winning author and chef. I started this site back in 2007 to help you get the most out of all things wild: fish, game, edible wild plants and mushrooms. I also write cookbooks, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

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