Though cold winter weather isn’t something we experience in Puerto Rico, this doesn’t stop us from enjoying a nice warm bowl of sopa de fideos con pollo on any given day. Sopa de fideos con pollo de Puerto Rico (because you’ll find sopa de fideos in other Latin American countries as well) is Puerto Rican chicken noodle soup and it is nothing like the American version, but very delicious. I know much of the country is currently experiencing very cold weather – we are too here in Florida – and warm soup is definitely something we could all use more of at the moment! Why not try this recipe for Puerto Rican chicken noodle soup and let me know what you and your family think? It’s simple to make and uses ingredients you can easily find at your local Walmart. Ready to give it a go?
Puerto Rican Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe (Sopa de Fideos con Pollo de Puerto Rico)
Ingredients
- 6 chicken drumsticks, or about 1/2 a chicken
- Fideos (Fidelini noodles), 10 oz bag – you should be able to find these in the Latino/Hispanic food aisle at your local Walmart or can even purchase them on Walmart.com
- Potatoes, about 3 medium, rinsed, peeled, and chopped into eighths
- Carrots, about 10 baby carrots
- Adobo
- Meat tenderizer
- 4 cups water
- Sazón, 1/2 packet
- 1 Tbsp sofrito
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 Tbsp tomato sauce
- 1/2 Tbsp cooking oil
- Salt to taste
*To see pictures and links for many of these ingredients, read 5 Must-Have Ingredients for Cooking Puerto Rican Food*
Directions
- Season chicken with adobo and meat tenderizer.
- Add chicken to large pot with water, sazón, sofrito, tomato paste, tomato sauce, oil, and salt.
- Cook on medium heat until chicken is somewhat tender.
- Add carrots and continue cooking on medium heat until carrots are tender, about 30-35 minutes.
- Add potatoes and continue cooking on medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Add noodles and raise heat to medium-high heat. Cook about 10 minutes until noodles are cooked and broth thickens a bit. Keep an eye on the pot – if the broth thickens enough, but noodles aren’t cooked, lower heat again to medium and simmer longer.
You can enjoy your sopa de fideos con pollo with a side of white rice. Honestly, you can serve this a couple of ways. In my family, some of us like our sopa de fideos served in a bowl so we can mix in a bit of white rice (my personal preference), while others prefer to eat their sopa de fideos over white rice instead. No matter what your preference ends up being, your family is sure to love this recipe for Puerto Rican chicken noodle soup. The great thing too is that this recipe for Puerto Rican chicken noodle soup works great for cooking ahead and freezing so you can have it ready to go on a busy night!
Have you ever eaten Puerto Rican chicken noodle soup? What’s your favorite soup to eat when it’s cold outside?
All photos © Melanie Edwards/modernmami™
I will be making some of this soup. It looks great.
You’ll love it! Enjoy!
This looks delicious! I haven’t made a chicken soup in forever. I will definitely be trying this. Its so simple but authentic. And I LOVE the fact that adobo was an ingredient lol… I always secretly feel weird about listing adobo or sason as an ingredient. But we are who we are right? We cant help it lol. Great recipe! Thank you!
So glad you like the recipe. I always list my seasonings and I pretty much always season with adobo and/or sazón! 😉
THANK YOU! For making this Puertorrican able to cook “sopa” !
Are there any special precautions to take when cooking ahead so I can freeze it? The potatoes and carrots will not defrost well, right? Any tips are greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Rebecca, I’ve never had an issue with the potatoes or carrots defrosting. The only tip I can recommend is that when you defrost the soup, you do so on the stove and that you add a little more water, since likely the noodles will absorb much of the liquid. You may have to add a little more salt too to account for the extra water you added. But, the potatoes and carrots should defrost just fine. Enjoy your sopa!!
I am Italian and my fiancé is Puerto Rican. So happy to cook food from his heritage….. And he loved this recipe so thank you!
Chrissy, I’m so happy to hear your fiancé loved this recipe and that you were able to cook a bit of food to honor his heritage! 🙂 How sweet!
Will this soup work with chicken breast? Not a dark meat person myself. Thank you!
Yes, Maggie, it will! I suggest cutting the breast into chunks or even shredding it. Enjoy!
Sazon, adobo and flavor enhancers are NOT traditional puerto rican ingredients. I was born and raise
These ingredients are nothing but monosodium glutamate. MSG can adversely affect persons with high blood pressure. As a retired nurse ( with high blood pressure and sensitivity to MSG ) and a native puerto rican, I urge you to please reconsider using these ingredients in your recipes.
Everything else in this delicious recipe is true to tradition.
Clara, using sazon and adobo has become very customary in Puerto Rican cooking, though sadly, yes, sazon does have MSG. However, for those that wish to make their own sazon, they can do so without the MSG!
Fortunately, this recipe only calls for 1/2 pkt of sazon,and when you compare that to the total volume of soup you are making, it doesn’t seem like very much overall. I think any more would be detrimental…I have made this soup…FANTASTIC!
Yes, I try to be careful. Alternatively, you can just make your own sazon mix using the ingredients that are in it and omitting those you don’t like.
I have the flu and made this soup… It is absolutely delicious. I added some calabaza 5 minutes before the noodles. I doubled the recipe and froze half. It’s better than what i take out outy local Spanish restaurant!!!!
Love that you added calabaza! I enjoy that flavor very much, as well.
Deliciosa con pura sabor y aceite!
Gracias! 😉
Do you use the entire bag of noodles? It sounds delish can’t wait to make it!
Dorie, you can use 1/2 the bag if you don’t want many noodles, but I did use the entire bag.
Did the recepi it’s great love it?????
That’s wonderful!
I’m craving Puerto Rican chicken noodle soup. It’s freezing up here in Lancaster PA! I have all the ingredients but not fideos. I do have thin spaghetti, can I use that? I’d like to make this tomorrow. Thank you.
Yes, using thin spaghetti or other thin noodle would work!
Just made this recipe and it came out great. Thank you
So glad to hear it!
I am making this for my husband who is Puerto Rican I amnotand this is my first shot at making something authentic for him hope he likes it
I love that, Lisa! Hope you both enjoy!
I am making this tonight!! so simple!
It really is a simple, but very delicious recipe!
Do you have to add oil to the soup?..I’m trying to remember how my mom made hers, she recently passed. These ingredients sound familiar but I don’t remember adding oil. Is it vegetable, corn or olive oil?
I believe the oil is to avoid ingredients sticking, especially the noodles. I use vegetable cooking oil, but I think olive oil could work too.
FYI.. the sazón and adobo can be found with NO MSG in the brand Badia. Everyone at home cannot tell the difference so it’s a winner. As for this sopa de pollo receta, riquísimo. Of course, I tweeked it because that is what all native puertoriqueños do. Nonetheless, I give it a WEEEPAAAA! Muchísima gracias 🙂
Muchas gracias, Rosa! Of course, we tweak it. 😉 And thanks for that info about the sazón!
Hi! this sounds so good, I have to ask though- can this be made in a crock-pot/slow cooker? Obviously leaving the noodles added in last.
Yes, absolutely!
The best soup very good and healthy I love Puertorican food
Wepa me quedaron ricas… gracias Chula
Ay que bueno!
If you don’t have adobo and meat tenderizer what are alternative
So for my little girl says it smell good
You can probably just skip the meat tenderizer and use a mixture of garlic powder, salt, and turmeric.
Love it always on a cold snowy day. Thanks for keeping it tasty. Que viva PR.
Here in Florida, no snow for us – but, I love it on rainy days!
I found your receipt and I’m doing it now it came out awesome
So glad you enjoyed it!
Ive made it and its so good ??
So glad you liked it!