Chicken Pozole Verde

Pozole is a fresh, comforting soup that I love on a cold day. I adapted this from Bon Appetit's recipe, making it a little easier to put together.

You'll need:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 Tbs chicken bouillon (or 3 cubes)
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• about 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 lb tomatillos (about 8 large ones)
• 6 poblano chiles
• 2 15-ounce cans golden or white hominy, rinsed
• Salt, to taste (about a tablespoon)
• 1 to 2 bunches cilantro, hard stems removed
• Shredded iceberg lettuce or red cabbage, for serving
• Lime wedges, for serving

Heat oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven. Toss in the onions and garlic and cook until very soft and starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add coriander, cumin, oregano, and bouillon, and continue to cook, stirring, another minute.

Add chicken and 6 to 8 cups water. (If you're using a Dutch oven, you won't lose liquid while it simmers, so you just need enough to make sure the chicken is submerged. With another kind of pot, add enough to have about 2 inches over the chicken.) Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer on low until the chicken is fully cooked and barely falls apart, about 40 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate to cool.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 and layer a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Prepare the tomatillos by removing the husk and rinsing them under running water, getting rid of any residual stickiness. (You want to buy tomatillos with the husk still on, as it protects the tomatillo from bruising.) Spread tomatillos and poblanos on the baking sheet and roast, flipping once or twice so all sides char, about 35 minutes. Lay a long sheet of aluminum foil on a large plate and transfer the poblanos and tomatillos to the plate, then wrap the aluminum foil over it. This will loosen the skin. Let cool about an hour.

Use your hands or a small knife to remove the stem and seeds from the poblanos. Use your fingers to remove any loose skin, then put the poblanos in a large blender. Add the tomatillos to the blender as well, then blend until smooth. Stir this puree into the broth. and bring to a simmer.

Return oven to 425. Spread the drained, rinsed hominy on a baking sheet (the one you used for the peppers is fine), and roast about 10 minutes. Add to the broth.

Use your hands to loosely shred the chicken and remove any fat, then return the shredded chicken to the broth.

Add the cilantro to a waterproof blender and ladle in about a half cup of broth. Blend until smooth, then pour this into the broth as well.

Simmer about 10 minutes, then taste. Add salt, a teaspoon at a time, stirring well, to taste - I add about a tablespoon.

Serve in a bowl with whatever garnishes you like. Limes are a must, along with shredded lettuce or cabbage. You can also provide thinly sliced radishes and extra cilantro.

Chicken Pozole Verde

Yield: 10

Author: Mallory

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 1 H & 30 MTotal time: 2 Hour

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 Tbs chicken bouillon (or 3 cubes)
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• about 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 lb tomatillos (about 8 large ones)
• 6 poblano chiles
• 2 15-ounce cans golden or white hominy, rinsed
• Salt, to taste (about a tablespoon)
• 1 to 2 bunches cilantro, hard stems removed
• Shredded iceberg lettuce or red cabbage, for serving
• Lime wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven. Toss in the onions and garlic and cook until very soft and starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add coriander, cumin, oregano, and bouillon, and continue to cook, stirring, another minute.
2. Add chicken and 6 to 8 cups water. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer on low until the chicken is fully cooked and barely falls apart, about 40 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate to cool.
3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 and layer a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Prepare the tomatillos by removing the husk and rinsing them under running water, getting rid of any residual stickiness. Spread tomatillos and poblanos on the baking sheet and roast, flipping once or twice so all sides char, about 35 minutes. Lay a long sheet of aluminum foil on a large plate and transfer the poblanos and tomatillos to the plate, then wrap the aluminum foil over it. This will loosen the skin. Let cool about an hour.
4. Use your hands or a small knife to remove the stem and seeds from the poblanos. Use your fingers to remove any loose skin, then put the poblanos in a large blender. Add the tomatillos to the blender as well, then blend until smooth. Stir this puree into the broth. and bring to a simmer.
5. Return oven to 425. Spread the drained, rinsed hominy on a baking sheet (the one you used for the peppers is fine), and roast about 10 minutes. Add to the broth.
6. Use your hands to loosely shred the chicken and remove any fat, then return the shredded chicken to the broth.
7. Add the cilantro to a waterproof blender and ladle in about a half cup of broth. Blend until smooth, then pour this into the broth as well.
8. Simmer about 10 minutes, then taste. Add salt, a teaspoon at a time, stirring well, to taste - I add about a tablespoon.
9. Serve in a bowl with whatever garnishes you like. Limes are a must, along with shredded lettuce or cabbage. You can also provide thinly sliced radishes and extra cilantro.

Calories

376.30

Fat (grams)

17.50

Sat. Fat (grams)

4.25

Carbs (grams)

21.38

Fiber (grams)

4.90

Net carbs

16.48

Sugar (grams)

5.99

Protein (grams)

35.98

Sodium (milligrams)

746.07

Cholesterol (grams)

166.09