Sopa de Albóndigas de Pollo (Nicaraguan Chicken Meatball Soup)
A flavorful Nicaraguan chicken meatball soup featuring tender shredded chicken and savory broth, perfect for comforting meals.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 pounds whole chicken (rinsed and cut into 8 pieces)
- 1 medium yellow onion (peeled and quartered)
- 1 medium green bell pepper (stemmed, seeded, and quartered)
- 5 cloves garlic (peeled and smashed)
- 1 sour orange split in half (see notes)
- 0.5 cup culantro (packed)
- 0.25 cup mint leaves (packed)
- 3 quarts water
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
- 1 medium yellow onion (coarsely chopped)
- 0.5 medium green bell pepper (coarsely chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons achiote paste or powdered annato
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups corn masa mix (such as Maseca)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 0.5 cup culantro (finely chopped)
- 0.25 cup mint leaves (finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoons sour orange juice (see notes)
Garnish
- cilantro and mint leaves (for garnish)
Instructions
- Place chicken and backbone in a large pot with onion, pepper, garlic, sour orange, culantro, and mint; cover with water, add salt and pepper, and simmer until chicken is cooked, about 15 minutes. Remove chicken, discard skin, and shred finely. Strain broth and set aside.
- In a skillet, cook onion, bell pepper, garlic, and annatto in butter until thickened, about 5-7 minutes. Mix with masa, salt, broth, culantro, mint, sour orange juice, and shredded chicken to form a dough.
- Shape dough into 1.5-inch balls. Bring broth to a simmer and cook meatballs until they float, about 4-5 minutes. Add remaining shredded chicken to warm through, then serve with herbs as garnish.
Notes
Use fresh herbs for best flavor and adjust seasoning as needed.