Jennifer Chenoweth’s “Big-Party-Feed-a-Lot-of-People” Pozole Blanco
Makes 6–8 generous servings, but Chenoweth’s original recipe (multiplied by at least 4) serves dozens.
Ingredients
- 4 15 1/2 oz. cans white hominy, drained and rinsed
- 1 13 oz. container Bueno roasted and chopped Hatch green chiles (available at Fresh Plus or check store locator on buenofoods.com)
- 4 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 8 cups vegetable stock (or 4 bouillon cubes and 8 c. water)
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 large white onion, chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves, smashed and minced
- 1 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped (or 1 t. dried)
- 1 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 t. dried)
- 1 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 pounds organic boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Place the hominy, chiles, carrots, veggie stock and bay leaves in a large soup pot. Bring to a simmer on medium-high heat.
- Meanwhile, in a large cast-iron skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, then sauté the onions for a few minutes until soft.
- Add the garlic, rosemary, oregano, crushed red pepper, and salt and pepper, to taste. Sauté for a few more minutes until the flavors meld.
- Empty the contents of the cast-iron skillet into the soup pot. Without cleaning the skillet, return it to the heat and add the rest of the olive oil and the chopped chicken in a single layer.
- Salt and pepper the chicken, then sear the chicken pieces for 1 minute on each side.
- Deglaze the pan with lime juice, then cover and cook for about 7 more minutes.
- Add the chicken to the soup pot along with the parsley and cilantro. Keep the pozole at a low simmer for at least 4 hours before serving (it’s even better the next day).
- Depending on how long you cook it down, stir and reconstitute with more water every few hours. Remove the bay leaves before serving.
- At EAST, Chenoweth serves the soup with lime wedges, tortillas, chips and salsa (and lots of Lone Star in a keg out back).
