Pozole Verde de Pollo, a holiday favorite

Serves:  |  20 Minute Prep Time |  30-40 Minutes to Cook

It isn’t a proper Christmas season in a Hispanic household without pozole – a soup/stew made with hominy and meat. It can be red or green and typically is made with chicken or pork. But, after making a pozole verde at a cooking class in San Miguel de Allende this past fall, I was inspired to try a pozole verde de pollo. There are more than a few ingredients but all basically goes in the blender so it’s easier to prep than it seems. And, it’s such a delicious crowd-pleaser. It also freezes well so this recipe makes plenty! Enjoy!

Instructions:

1. Place chicken breasts in large pot, add enough water to cover the chicken by 3 inches, season well with salt, add 1 onion cut in quarters and a few cloves of garlic.
2. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a rapid simmer, about 10 minutes or until internal temp of chicken reads 165 F.
3. Using tongs, carefully remove the chicken, measure out two cups of the liquid, and set aside.
4. Shred chicken using forks and return it to the remaining broth.
5. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add olive oil, 1/2 onion that’s been roughly chopped, garlic cloves, tomatillos cut into fourths, jalapeños, and epazote leaves. Add salt, pepper and 1-2 tablespoons of oregano.
6. Let cook for about 10 minutes.
7. While the tomatillo mix is cooking, in a large colander, rinse the hominy well until water runs completely clear.
8. Add hominy to large pot with the shredded chicken.
9. Leave on medium heat, about 15 minutes.
10. Add 2 cups reserved chicken broth to tomatillo sauté pan, and bring to a boil. Continue cooking 10 minutes until tomatillos are no longer bright in color.
11. In very strong blender (Vitamix recommended) add tomatillo mix, pumpkin seeds, cilantro and parsley.
12. Add blender contents to shredded chicken and hominy (if mixture is too coarse, use a sieve). Gently mix.
13. Cover pan with lid and bring to a light boil for another 15 minutes.
14. Serve in your favorite bowl and add toppings- shredded lettuce, diced onion, radish slices and avocado cubes/
15. Squeeze a bit of lime, serve with favorite tostada.
16. Enjoy!