Pozole is a traditional soup dating back in Mexico to the Aztecs.
Corn was considered a sacred vegetable, and it is the second star of this soup. The first time I had Pozole was at a local Mexican restaurant. That pozole was made with slow-roasted pork, a rich stock, and hominy. Fresh radishes, cilantro, lime, and tortillas were served on the side! I was in soup paradise. It took me a while to try to mimic this delicious soup; I was a little nervous; the soup was that good! For this recipe, I’m using chicken thighs instead of pork. Pork takes longer to cook, at least 3-4 hours. While this soup, from start to finish, takes roughly one hour.
Hominy is a crucial part of pozole.
Hominy is dried field corn that is soaked in a solution of alkali. This is called nixtamalization. This process has been used for centuries. It extends the corn's shelf life, making it easier for us to digest the nutrients. Hominy is an excellent source of protein, which is not something that is usually talked about with corn. Hominy can be purchased either dry or canned. For this recipe, I recommend using the canned variety. Hominy can be found in the canned vegetable section of the grocery store or the Hispanic food section.
Typically, pozole has garlic and onion. My new go-to substitute is sauteed celery with fennel. This gives that garlic or onion tang to any dish. If you are watching your sodium intake, make this recipe with a reduced-sodium chicken broth and forgo the additional bouillon cubes (or add one instead of 2).
Ingredients
3 lbs on the bone chicken thighs
32 oz chicken broth/stock
2 cans hominy (one white, one yellow)
1 4 oz can mild green chiles (optional)
1 cup chopped celery
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp dried ginger
¼ tsp celery salt
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
Salt and pepper
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Toppings/Sides
2 radishes
Cilantro
1 lime
Corn or flour tortillas
Instructions
Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
In a large stock/soup pot, turn the heat to high. Add roughly one tablespoon of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken thighs skin side down. This might have to be done in two steps. Be careful not to overcrowd the chicken, for this will prevent the browning of the chicken. Watch your heat; you might have to adjust to medium. We want this to happen, to get the fond (the pieces of flavor stuck to the bottom of the pot after cooking) from the chicken to add another layer of flavor to our soup.
Once seared, remove the thighs, and turn the heat to low. Add a little bit more oil, then the fennel and cumin seeds, then the celery. Saute for a few minutes, being mindful not to burn the seeds.
Once the celery has softened just a tad, add the chicken stock. This should make some steam and a sizzling sound, turn the heat up to high, and scrape the delicious fond off the bottom of the pot with a spatula or wooden spoon to incorporate into the stock.
Now add the chicken, still on the bone, back into the pot. To speed up the cooking process, I covered the pot and let the chicken boil for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, the chicken is not thoroughly cooked, but it's cooked enough to take off the bone.
Place the chicken on a cutting board and let sit for a few minutes to cool. While the chicken is cooling, add the hominy and the green chilis. First, peel off the skin of the chicken thigh, then with either a knife or your hands, take the meat off the bone, not worrying about getting it all off because you're putting the bones back in the soup. The chicken will still be hot.
Chop the meat into ½-1 inch pieces and put them into the pot. Put the bones and the skin back in the soup too. This adds more flavor and that rich mouth feel.
Cook the soup for about 20 more minutes on med-low, just letting it simmer. Add the spices, fresh ginger, and a squeeze of a wedge of lime at the very end.
The garnish for this soup is what makes this soup one of my all-time faves. Thinly slice the radishes, and chop the cilantro. The cilantro stems are where most of the flavor is, so chop up the stems with the leaves.
Warm the tortillas and quarter the limes. Ladle the soup into bowls, serving the garnishes on the side. Sprinkle the radishes and cilantro, then squeeze the lime. Use the tortillas to soak up the delicious chicken broth. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Per serving
435
19.2g
9.6g
27.6g
2.1g
741.6mg
1.6g
6.4g
Notes
Difficulty Level: 3
*Difficulty level on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being easy (little to no cooking experience required) and 10 being difficult (having a strong background in cooking and using equipment)
Nutritional Analysis does not include optional ingredients or toppings/sides.
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