Sopa Tlaxcalteca (Creamy Chicken Vegetable Soup)

By Rick A. Martínez

Total Time: 1 hours 30 minutes
Rating: 4(222)
Notes: Read community notes

Sopa Tlaxcalteca, from the central state of Tlaxcala, is a seasonal chicken soup simmered with ripe local produce like corn, carrots, mushrooms, squash and squash blossoms. What makes it special is the whole milk that is added to the simmering broth. It lends a very slight creaminess that accentuates the sweetness of the vegetables and amps up the richness of the chicken stock. There are many soups in Mexico, but this is easily one of the most comforting.

Featured in: Rick Martínez’s Essential Mexican Recipes

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

For the Soup

1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
8ounces mixed wild mushrooms, cleaned and cut or torn into bite-size pieces
2ears corn, shucked and kernels removed from cobs
1medium white onion, chopped
1large carrot, peeled and cut into ½-inch rounds
2garlic cloves, finely grated
Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
1pound seasonal squash, such as zucchini, crook neck, pattypan, butternut, acorn or kabocha, cut into 2-inch pieces (peel winter squash if you like)
3cups whole milk
16squash blossoms (about 4 ounces), stems, stamen and pistils removed, blossoms torn

For the Tortilla Strips and Fried Chiles

4cups vegetable oil, for frying
8chiles de árbol, stem on, seeds in
8corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
Crema, queso fresco, chopped onion, chopped cilantro and lime wedges, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Prepare the soup: Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high and cook chicken, skin side down, until deep golden brown, 4 to 8 minutes. Flip chicken and cook until light golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
Step 2
Add mushrooms to the same pot, arrange in an even layer and cook, undisturbed, for 3 minutes until browned. Toss and cook on the second side, undisturbed, for 2 minutes, until browned. Transfer to the bowl with the chicken. Add corn, onion, carrot and garlic to the pot. Season with 5 teaspoons salt and cook, stirring vegetables occasionally, until onion is beginning to brown, 7 to 10 minutes.
Step 3
Add squash, chicken, mushrooms and any accumulated juices, milk and 5 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, occasionally stirring and skimming, until the chicken is tender and is almost falling off the bone, 45 to 55 minutes. (Soup should be cooked at a gentle simmer to prevent the milk from foaming on the surface.) Stir in squash blossoms and remove from heat. Season with salt, if necessary. Let sit 15 minutes before serving.
Step 4
Meanwhile, fry the tortilla strips: Heat vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or other heavy deep pot over high until very hot, about 375 degrees. Carefully add the chiles to the pan and fry, turning frequently, until they turn a deep brick-red color, about 15 seconds. Transfer to a paper towel-lined sheet pan, reserving the oil, which will now be seasoned with the flavor of the chiles.
Step 5
Adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain the temperature and working in batches, fry the tortilla strips, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the paper-towel lined sheet tray and sprinkle with salt. Continue with remaining tortilla strips.
Step 6
Ladle soup into bowls and top with tortilla strips, crumbled fried chiles, a drizzle of crema, a sprinkle of queso fresco, chopped onion, chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Ratings

4 out of 5

222 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

Judy1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your recipes and stories! This sounds luscious. Is there anything you would recommend as a substitution for the squash blossoms?

Aileen1 year ago

You may be able to find squash blossoms-- "flor de calabaza" in Spanish-- or jars of it in brine (Lupita's is a popular one) at a Mexican or Latino market.

Selene1 year ago

Same question here: I live in Uruguay; no squash blossoms here. Just forget about them? Thank you.

Robina1 year ago

This looks delicious. There is no mention of shredding chicken, removing bones etc before serving. Do bones, skin, etc. stay in the soup? Couldn’t tell from the recipe.

Camille1 year ago

Such a treat to use the last squash blossoms in the garden in this soul-warming soup before frost claims them. Foraged chanterelles made this extra special. Fed my sick family for a week and I look forward to making many more versions in years to come- I might even plan my garden around it. Topped with all the recommended things, plus some chopped pickled jalapeños. Can’t say enough good things about this seasonal stew.

Kathryn1 month ago

Hello, I’m wondering about the chicken itself. There aren’t notes in the recipe about shredding or tearing up cooked chicken…and the accompanying image indeed reveals a whole browned chicken thigh in a bowl of soup. Is this correct? Soup, but with whole chicken thighs? Sounds daring and delicious, but I’m just really thinking about the awkwardness of my darling family attempting to eat whole chicken thighs out of a soup bowl. I will definitely make this, but there might be a mod or two.

Marc1 month ago

Great soup! I added tomatillos, Mexican oregano, and a roast poblano pepper. This will definitely be on our summer rotation.

tara3 months ago

This was incredibly delicious even though I broke the milk by over boiling slightly.

Mike Wilson3 months ago

The recipe calls for low simmer until the chicken meat is 'almost falling off the bone'. This suggests that the cooked thigh is served whole, in the soup.

Chefwendyb1 year ago

Made a version of this yesterday. Had a lovely batch of chicken stock and poached chicken. Used half chicken stock and half milk. Also spiced it up with Chipotle and adobo. So good!

Mikala1 year ago

I made a keto/Paleo version of this with: onion, garlic, ground beef (rather than chicken), coconut milk (rather than milk), bone broth (rather than water), jalapenos (didn't have chiles de arbol), cayenne, and acorn squash, topped with squeeze of lime, chopped raw onions, cubed guacamole. turned out great. Seems like the basics of vegetable/milk soup with chicken or meat are easy to improv on.

Camille1 year ago

David C1 year ago

Just a couple of small changes: added a couple of tbs of flour to the aromatics while sautéing for a slightly thicker, creamier consistency, used chicken stock instead water, and added a packet of Saz��n (with culantro and achiote) in the final stage. This is a well-kept secret of many Latino cooks, and it will totally change your life. The squash blossoms are indispensable imo. If you can’t find them, it’ll still be good, but not at all the same experience.

Ferguson1 year ago

I think I am going to file this recipe away for late spring, early summer when you can find or request fresh squash blossoms at the farmers market.

Corinne1 year ago

I usually don’t make a lot of modifications the first time I make a recipe, but with this one, I added oregano, smoked paprika and cumin, Serrano & poblano pepper; I subbed oat milk for the whole milk, hominy for corn; and I used stale sourdough chunks instead of tortillas. I’m sure this would have been an absolutely delicious soup without the modifications, but with them I can say it was super tasty.

shushan1 year ago

Blossoms are very seasonal. soup is still so good w/out them"))

KTG1 year ago

Wonderfully comforting. Reminded me of a cross between corn chowder and chicken soup. Added some cilantro stems to the broth, and an assortment of veggies I found in my fridge, including eggplant and sugar pumpkin.

Modification Molly1 year ago

I made so many mods because and it was still stellar. 1. Nixed the corn and squash blossoms 2. Added 2 stalks of celery 3. Added 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce 4. Cooked my chicken in the insta pot and then peeled chicken off bones before adding it into the mix 5. Swapped 3 cups of milk for a splash of chicken stock and heavy cream - my partner “doesn’t like soup”, so I was aiming for stew consistency 6. Skipped all the toppings

Jason F1 year ago

It’s basically corn chowder but with chicken. It’s a lot of work for something not that great.

SisMoon1 year ago

Hello, The squash blossoms are seasonal (Spring/Summer) and can be found in local organic grocery stores (Sprouts Farmers or MOMs Organic) & some chains- Whole Foods Market & Wegmans in the U.S. Online produce links - www.shop.gourmetsweetbotanicals.com (Call ahead for shipping outside U.S.) Sells seeds- www.trueleafmarket.com (U.S., Canada, & international shipping) Cheers, SisMoon

Sally10 months ago

If you are a gardener or have access to one, squash blossoms also freeze nicely.

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