Mexican · Mains
One-Pot Pozole Verde de Pollo (Green Mexican Hominy and Chicken Soup)
Unless you've got the day off, cooking pozole on a Thursday is nothing more than a sueño imposible. My goal was to come up with a recipe that is not only delicious, but fast. The recipe I came up with isn't authentic, but it sure as heck is delicious.
Ingredients
Serves 4- 3 ozpumpkin seeds
- 2 ½ lbbone-in chicken leg quarters
- 1 lbtomatillos
- 1 largewhite onion, roughly chopped
- 1jalapeño pepper, stems and seeds removed, roughly chopped
- 1poblano pepper, stems and seeds removed, roughly chopped
- 1Anaheim pepper, stems and seeds removed, roughly chopped
- 6 cupshomemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 tbspdried oregano, preferably Mexican
- 2 sprigsepazote (optional)
- Salt
- fresh cilantro leaves and fine stems
- 1ca n white hominy, drained (see note)
- Diced avocado
- Diced radishes
- Thinly sliced serrano or jalapeño peppers
- Chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- Finely chopped white onion
Method
- 01
For the Soup: Heat pumpkin seeds in the base of a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until they start to pop and smell nutty, about 4 minutes. Transfer pumpkin seeds to a bowl and set aside. Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
- 02
Add chicken, tomatillos, onion, peppers, chicken stock, oregano, epazote (if using), and a large pinch of salt to the Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a bare simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken and vegetables are completely tender, about 40 minutes. Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
- 03
Using tongs, transfer chicken to a large plate or bowl and set aside. Discard epazote sprigs (if using). Set a large fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl and strain the broth through it. Transfer solids to the jar of a blender. Add pumpkin seeds and cilantro to the blender. Blend on high speed until smooth. Set aside.
- 04
Using a ladle, carefully skim off a few tablespoons of fat from the strained stock and add it to the Dutch oven (it's okay if a little stock gets in as well). Heat over high heat, swirling and stirring until the watery stock completely evaporates and starts to form a browned layer in the bottom of the pan. (It will spatter a bit. The more you stir, the less it will spatter.) As soon as the chicken fat starts to smoke, pour in the contents of the blender all at once and cook, stirring, for about 15 seconds (it will spatter a lot—wear an apron!). Immediately pour in strained chicken stock and fat and stir to combine. Bring to a bare simmer, stir in hominy, season to taste with salt, and keep warm. Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
- 05
By this stage, the chicken should be cool enough to handle. Discard the skin and bones and shred the meat into bite-size pieces with your fingertips. Stir the picked chicken back into the soup. Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt
- 06
To Serve: Ladle the hot soup into bowls and garnish with diced avocado and radish, sliced chiles, chopped cilantro, and chopped white onion. Serve immediately. Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt