Soupe de poule péruvienne (Caldo de Gallina)
Une soupe de nouilles dorée et réconfortante, mijotée longuement avec de la poule, des pommes de terre et un filet de citron vert.
Portions
Ingrédients
Nutrition
Par portion
Étapes
Simmer the hen
In a large pot, combine the hen, water, halved onion, garlic, celery, leek, bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, skim off the grey foam that rises in the first few minutes, then lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 90 minutes to 2 hours (less for chicken) until the meat pulls easily from the bone. While it simmers, boil the eggs in a separate pot for 9 minutes, then cool in cold water and peel.
- 1.8–2 kg hen or chicken
- 3 litres water
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 leek
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp peppercorns
- 3 eggs
✅ C'est prêt quand : meat pulls easily from the bone with a fork
Strain the broth
Lift out the hen pieces and set aside to cool slightly. Pour the broth through a sieve into a clean pot, discarding the cooked vegetables, then season with salt.
- all broth from step 1
- to taste salt
✅ C'est prêt quand : broth runs clear with no solids left in it
Build the golden base
In a small pan over medium heat, cook the chopped red onion in the oil for about 5 minutes until soft. Add the minced garlic, ají amarillo paste and turmeric and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until fragrant, then stir this base into the strained broth.
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 red onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ají amarillo paste
- 1 tsp turmeric
✅ C'est prêt quand : the base is fragrant and deep golden
Cook the potatoes
Add the potato halves to the broth and simmer for 15–20 minutes until a knife slides in easily. While they cook, pull or shred the hen meat off the bone into large pieces, discarding skin and bones.
- 800 g potatoes
- remaining meat cooked hen
✅ C'est prêt quand : potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife
Add noodles and meat
Just before serving, stir the noodles into the simmering broth and cook for 4–5 minutes until al dente. Return the shredded hen meat to the pot and heat through until piping hot.
- 300 g noodles
- all shredded hen from step 4
✅ C'est prêt quand : noodles are al dente and meat is piping hot
Serve
Ladle the broth with noodles, potato and hen meat into bowls. Top each with half a boiled egg and a scatter of spring onion and cilantro, then serve with lime wedges and sliced ají on the side.
- 3, halved boiled eggs
- 4 spring onions
- 1 handful cilantro
- 2 limes
- optional sliced ají
✅ C'est prêt quand : soup is steaming hot and eggs are warmed through
Simmer the hen
In a large pot, combine the hen, water, halved onion, garlic, celery, leek, bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, skim off the grey foam that rises in the first few minutes, then lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 90 minutes to 2 hours (less for chicken) until the meat pulls easily from the bone. While it simmers, boil the eggs in a separate pot for 9 minutes, then cool in cold water and peel.
- 1.8–2 kg hen or chicken
- 3 litres water
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 leek
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp peppercorns
- 3 eggs
✅ C'est prêt quand : meat pulls easily from the bone with a fork
Strain the broth
Lift out the hen pieces and set aside to cool slightly. Pour the broth through a sieve into a clean pot, discarding the cooked vegetables, then season with salt.
- all broth from step 1
- to taste salt
✅ C'est prêt quand : broth runs clear with no solids left in it
Build the golden base
In a small pan over medium heat, cook the chopped red onion in the oil for about 5 minutes until soft. Add the minced garlic, ají amarillo paste and turmeric and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until fragrant, then stir this base into the strained broth.
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 red onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ají amarillo paste
- 1 tsp turmeric
✅ C'est prêt quand : the base is fragrant and deep golden
Cook the potatoes
Add the potato halves to the broth and simmer for 15–20 minutes until a knife slides in easily. While they cook, pull or shred the hen meat off the bone into large pieces, discarding skin and bones.
- 800 g potatoes
- remaining meat cooked hen
✅ C'est prêt quand : potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife
Add noodles and meat
Just before serving, stir the noodles into the simmering broth and cook for 4–5 minutes until al dente. Return the shredded hen meat to the pot and heat through until piping hot.
- 300 g noodles
- all shredded hen from step 4
✅ C'est prêt quand : noodles are al dente and meat is piping hot
Serve
Ladle the broth with noodles, potato and hen meat into bowls. Top each with half a boiled egg and a scatter of spring onion and cilantro, then serve with lime wedges and sliced ají on the side.
- 3, halved boiled eggs
- 4 spring onions
- 1 handful cilantro
- 2 limes
- optional sliced ají
✅ C'est prêt quand : soup is steaming hot and eggs are warmed through
The Story Behind the Dish
Caldo de gallina grew out of the old Spanish puchero tradition of simmering a whole hen with vegetables, reworked in Peru with local potatoes, ají amarillo and palillo (turmeric) for its signature golden color. It became a fixture of Lima's working-class breakfast stalls and small neighborhood restaurants, prized because a tough old laying hen, simmered for hours, gives a far richer broth than a young chicken.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It's considered one of Peru's most restorative soups: thick with noodles, potato and shredded hen, often eaten for breakfast, after a long night out, or whenever someone needs a bit of comfort.
💡 Fun Fact
Many small restaurants in Lima serve little else but caldo de gallina, opening early for a loyal breakfast crowd that swears by it as a cure for a cold or a late night out.
Lima, Peru
-12.05°S, -77.04°W
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