Easy 1-Hour Pollo Tropical Caribbean Chicken Soup Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Easy 1-Hour Pollo Tropical Caribbean Chicken Soup Recipe

Today, we recreate the Pollo Tropical Caribbean chicken soup recipe. It still has yuca and plantains, but we've added even more savory seasonings! This recipe is very easy to make and can even be prepared in advance. And, it goes great with garlic bread, cooked rice, and a variety of crunchy snacks.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Dinner, Soup

Cuisine: American, Caribbean

Keyword: caribbean chicken soup, how to make caribbean chicken soup, pollo tropical caribbean chicken soup recipe, pollo tropical soup, pollo tropical soup recipe

Servings:

Calories: 250kcal

Author: Ania Cooking Recipes

Equipment

Measuring cups and spoons
Mixing bowls
Frying pan
Tongs or spatula
Paper Towels
Large Pot
Mixing Spoon

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, sliced
1 large onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
Sea salt flakes, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 green bell pepper, deseeded and diced
2 cups pumpkin cubes, bite-sized
2 cups yuca cubes, bite-sized
1 can of crushed tomatoes
2-3 cups chicken broth, less sodium
2-3 unripe plantains, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch chunks
Fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish

Instructions

Brown the chicken
To start, preheat some olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add some chicken and brown the meat on both sides for about 3-5 minutes each.
Work in small batches to prevent overcrowding the pan. Then, as you finish a batch, remove it from the heat and drain it on a paper towel.
Set all of the cooked chicken aside.
3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 pound chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, sliced
Fry the vegetables
Add some olive oil to a large pot over medium-high heat. Then, add the onions and saute them for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and spices. Toast them for another minute or two. Mix the ingredients together very well so the flavors distribute evenly.
Then, add the diced green peppers, pumpkin, and yuca. Also, add the browned chicken at this point. Give them a good stir to coat them with the spices and aromatics. Allow them to cook for 2-3 minutes so their flavors are released.
3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 large onion, diced, 4 garlic cloves, minced, 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger, 2 tablespoons ground cumin, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder, Sea salt flakes, to taste, Freshly ground black pepper, to taste, 1 green bell pepper, deseeded and diced, 2 cups pumpkin cubes, bite-sized, 2 cups yuca cubes, bite-sized
Add the liquids and cook the soup
Once your vegetables are cooked, add the crushed canned tomatoes and 2 cups of chicken broth.
Bring the soup to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat and allow the ingredients to simmer for about 10 minutes.
1 can of crushed tomatoes, 2-3 cups chicken broth, less sodium
Add the plantains
After 10 minutes of cooking, add the sliced plantain pieces to the soup mixture.
Then, leave the soup to continue cooking for another 10-20 minutes. The exact cooking time for this Pollo Tropical Caribbean chicken soup recipe will depend on the size of your cubed vegetables.
2-3 unripe plantains, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch chunks
Serve the Caribbean chicken soup
Before removing the soup from the heat, ensure that all of the ingredients (especially the yuca and pumpkin) are completely cooked.
Once cooked, remove the chicken soup from the heat and allow it to stand for 10 minutes.
Then, serve it with your favorite accompaniment or as-is. Remember to top it off with some fresh chopped cilantro!
Fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish

Notes

Here are some easy alternatives for some of the harder-to-find ingredients in this recipe. First, you can replace the yuca root (cassava root) with sweet potato, potato, or chickpeas. Then, the plantains can be replaced with regular unripe bananas.

If you use ripe plantains in this recipe, they only need to cook for 10 minutes. If you use unripe plantains, they need to cook for longer, between 15-20 minutes. However, if you use bananas instead of plantains, you can add them in the last 5 minutes of cooking.

If you don't love tomato-based soups, you can leave them out completely. Substitute it with more chicken stock so the soup doesn't become a stew.

Nutrition