Known as Chupe Criollo (Creole Soup) in Venezuela, this soup is really a chowder in disguise featuring chicken, cheese, corn, potatoes and one of my favorite herbs – cilantro. In fact, the recipe calls for an entire bunch of cilantro! Whereas cilantro is often used to finish a dish, here part of it is tossed in near the beginning to infuse the broth while the rest is added before serving to give it a final fresh herby punch.
Since this is a chicken-and-cheese soup, traditionally you would dump in 4 to 6 ounces of cheese and let it dissolve into the soup shortly before serving. However, other recipes for Chupe Criollo advised against adding a bunch of cheese to the soup unless the entire pot will be eaten the same day it is cooked. The problem being that the cheese collects at the bottom of the soup pot in a large lump. I decided to serve the cheese on the side, and have it available to top off the soup instead of melt in it. Even if that’s not entirely authentic, I can assure you that this is an extremely delicious soup and a great introduction to South American cooking.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 white onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 pound red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 15-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed thoroughly with cold water
- 12-ounce can evaporated milk
- 4 to 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Pour the oil into a large Dutch oven or soup pot and heat over medium
- Dump in the onions and cook 5 minutes
- Stir in the garlic, half the cilantro, cumin and cook for 2 minutes more
- Add the chicken breast, pour in the stock and bring to a boil
- Reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked
- Remove chicken, cut into shreds and return to the pot
- Add the potatoes and cook for 20 minutes, or so, until fork tender
- Dump in the corn and remaining cilantro; pour in the milk and stir well
- Taste for seasoning and add salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed
- Bring mixture to a simmer and serve topped with shredded mozzarella cheese (It’s also great with a few pickled jalapeno pepper slices, too)
Looking for the perfect pot to cook up your next batch of soup? I recommend the Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven. It comes in 11 different colors and is an excellent value.
In fact, I was surprised at how cheap I was able to buy the 6 quart Lodge Dutch Oven from the listing on Amazon.
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