I mentioned on Instagram recently that my family is unashamedly obsessed with Mexican food. We love it local, we love it authentic, we love it good, and we love it OFTEN. So of course, even while we were in Chicago celebrating Thanksgiving for a few days, we had to get our Mexi fix. So we ended up trying XOCO, one of Rick Bayless‘ restaurants. The line on Black Friday was practically out the door, but we were freezing and once I saw the long menu of caldos (soups), I was hooked. I had a minor crisis trying to decide what to order (they literally ALL looked amazing!), but I read that the XOCO carnitas caldo was the most popular soup. So I had to try it. Let’s just say that my family was a little stunned when I finished the entire bowl. It was massive. But holy cow – I had to. This soup was insane. Based on the most yummy spicy broth, this soup had everything from tender carnitas, to yummy avocado, these amazing little potato-masa dumplings, amassive bunch of fresh cilantro and arugula on top, and all garnished with lots of lime. Without a doubt, one of the best soups I’ve had in my life. (And I don’t say that lightly.) So of course, I had to come home and try to recreate it. I would never presume to top (or match) a Rick Bayless recipe, since the guy is a Mexican food genius. But I have to say that this recipe turned out pretty awesome. I even succeeded with the little potato-masa dumplings! (Although you could easily just use diced potatoes.) ;) It definitely took a bit of time to prep when making the carnitas from scratch. But let me tell you, the final product is completely worth it. And it’s also one of those soups that tastes better and better each time you warm it up for leftovers.
What are some of your favorite Mexican soups? Has anyone been to XOCO?
Carnitas Caldo (Carnitas Soup)
Ingredients
Soup Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
- 1 large white onion, peeled and diced
- 1 chayote, skin and core removed, then sliced into matchsticks
- 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 5-6 cups cooked pork carnitas
- 1-3 roasted serrano peppers (add to taste, instructions below)
- salt and pepper
- 2 cups potato-masa dumplings
- 2 avocados, diced
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 6-8 cups fresh baby arugula
- lime wedges for garnish.
Potato-Masa Dumplings Ingredients:
- 1 cup mashed potatoes
- 1/2 cup masa harina
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Instructions
To Make The Caldo (Soup):
- Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Add the white onion and chayote, and saute for 5 minutes until cooked and the onion is translucent. Add garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add the chicken broth, carnitas, and serrano peppers (add one at a time to test out the level of heat) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes.
- Season generously with salt and pepper. Then ladle the soup into serving bowls, filling them about half full. Then add in a small handful of potato dumplings, avocados and fresh cilantro to each bowl. Then top each with a large handful of baby arugula. Serve with lime wedges for garnish.
To Make The Potato Dumplings:
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir together until blended. Use your hands to knead the mixture a few times until smooth. Then pinch off about 1/4 cup of the mixture and roll it into a long tube about 1/2-inch wide in diameter. Use a knife to slice the tube into small coins, about 1/8-inch wide. Repeat with remaining dough to make dumplings. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Can you explain what to do with the dumpling dough? Seems like there have been others wondering too. Sounds yummy!
Can you respond about the dumplings? I ended up grilling the medallions in a cast iron skillet.
I had a similar carnitas caldo carnitas soup at a restaurant recently and found myself craving it and wondering if I could recreate it today. Thanks, Ali!
We had leftover pork carnita from taco night. I thought I would try this recipe because I had all the ingredients and it didn’t take very long to make. It was probably one of my most proudest meals! It was delicious and full of flavor! Our boys, 8 and 5, loved it with avacdo and tortilla strips. I will def make this soup a thousand more times!
Definitely your carnitas caldo carnitas soup is awesomeness! This is a great recipe Ali, as you know I made it a short while ago and it was lovely, in fact have made it again since. Thanks for sharing!
It’s not called XOCO anymore, it’s called Fonda Frontera now. I’m actually sitting here now and just ordered the soup! It’s my favorite and I just did a search and your recipe came up! I can’t wait to try it! Thank you! I’m going to attempt it with my instant pot this fall!
Oooh, good to know! :)
It’s still XOCO. Ate there tonight
I swapped the potato dumplings for hominy. Even my kids love it!
Sounds delicious!!
I made a few substitutions because of what I had on hand, but this was still delicious. I used a roasted poblano pepper, and because I was out of masa but had some tortillas that I made the previous day, I cut the tortillas into little squares and dropped them all in the pot. Instead of arugula, I added some roughly chopped spinach into the pot. And, I did not have a chayote, so I used a zucchini. My family loved it, and I think we will make this a regular on our rotation
Thanks for sharing with us, Jennifer! We’re so happy you and your family enjoyed this!
I’m so in love with this soup! Tempted to skip the dumplings, SO glad I didn’t – they add a really special flavor. I put mine in a side bowl, ladled some broth, microwaved 1 min, then added to the individual serving bowls. Worked beautifully. Thank You, thank you. Keeper!
Hi! I tried steaming the dumplings and they ended up just falling apart in the caldo. It was still delicious, but texture was a bit off. Are we supposed to just throw in the coins without steaming them first? Does this cook the egg in them completely?