Chicken Pozole Verde - Mexican Style

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There’s nothing quite as comforting as a bowl of steaming hot soup when you’re feeling under the weather, gloomy, or homesick. And this pozole verde is my chicken (how long does chicken last?) soup for the soul. At the first sight of a cloud, or the thought of an upcoming Monday, I gravitate towards this soul-nourishing goodness. It’s warm, filling, and has a pick-me-up zing to it.

Pozole (which literally translates to hominy), is a Mexican soup, traditionally made with hominy and some kind of meat. There are different variants of pozole, but the two most popular ones are pozole rojo and pozole verde. Pozole rojo is made with red tomatoes and has a deep, almost sour tang. Pozole verde gets its hue and flavor mainly from tomatillos and poblano chilis. It has a light, piquant tang with an undertone of a mild almost fruity spiciness from poblano, making it ideal for summertime.

The star of this soup is hominy. Ideally dried hominy, cooked from scratch, along with shredded, fork-tender chicken is what gives this soup its famous moreish chewy texture, but if you can’t get your hands on dried hominy, or if you’re short on time, canned hominy works well too.

The toppings on this soup are not for mere garnish. They give it a contrasting play of textures and flavors that complement the verde salsa-like base. To serve, set out the condiments in separate bowls, so each diner can customize their pozole as they like.

Making Pozole Verde with Chicken

Fill a saucepan with chicken broth (how long does chicken broth last?). Add chicken breast, and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer till the chicken is fork tender. Meanwhile, in another saucepan take water and hominy. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, till tender.

Take advantage of the wide variety of options when you shop for a saucepan online!

Fill a large stockpot with water. Add tomatillos, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the water starts bubbling, reduce heat and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, till tomatillos are tender. Once done, add poblano chilis and simmer for another 5 minutes.

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Deseed cooked poblanos and transfer them along with the tomatillos to a blender. Add onion, garlic, cilantro (how long does cilantro last?), jalapeno, and oregano, and blend. Then add a cup of cooking liquid and blend until smooth, and season with salt and pepper.

Take boiled, shredded chicken in a large stockpot. Add blended tomatillo mix, freshly ground black pepper, cooked hominy, and cooking liquid. Mix and simmer over medium-high heat till the soup is thick. Transfer into individual serving bowls, add radish, lettuce, sour cream, squeeze in the juice of half a lime (optional), and serve.

Trust me, the easiest way to buy a blender, measuring cup, salt, pepper, and bowl is through online retailers!

Yield: 6-8

Author: Bea Padilla

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Mexican Style Chicken Pozole Verde

Cook time: 45 MinInactive time: 30 MinTotal time: 1 H & 15 M

There’s nothing quite as comforting as a bowl of steaming hot soup when you’re feeling under the weather, gloomy, or homesick. And this pozole verde is my chicken soup for the soul.

Ingredients

• 7 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 2 cups water
• 4 chicken breast halves on the bone, with skin
• 1 pound tomatillos, husked and halved
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 2 poblano chiles—cored, seeded and quartered
• 2 jalapeños, seeded and quartered
• 4 large garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon oregano leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 (15-ounce) cans of hominy, drained

For serving

• Finely shredded iceberg lettuce
• Sliced radishes
• Chopped onion
• Diced avocado
• Sour cream
• Tortilla chips
• Lime wedges

Instructions

1. In a large casserole, boil the chicken stock and water. Add the chicken breasts, skin side down. Cover and simmer over very low heat for about 25 minutes or until tender and cooked through. Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate and shred the meat. Discard the bones and skin. Skim fat from the broth and reserve, if any.
2. In a blender, combine the halved tomatillos, quartered onion, poblanos, jalapeños, smashed garlic, chopped cilantro and oregano. Pulse until coarsely chopped. Scrape down the sides. With the machine on, add 1 cup of the broth and puree until smooth. Season the tomatillo puree with salt and pepper.
3. In a large deep skillet, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering. Over moderate heat, add and cook the tomatillo puree. Stir occasionally, until the sauce turns a deep green, about 12 minutes.
4. Pour the green sauce and add the hominy into the broth in the casserole. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Add the shredded chicken to the stew. Season with salt and pepper, adjusting to taste. Cook just until heated through.
5. Serve the pozole in deep bowls with the lettuce, radishes, onion, avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips and lime wedges at the table.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

254.02

Fat

10.65

Sat. Fat

2.09

Carbs

18.62

Fiber

4.75

Net carbs

13.88

Sugar

6.12

Protein

23.99

Sodium

202.1

Cholesterol

49.39

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