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Green Chicken Pozol-TAY

mexican soup pozole

by Taylor Gilkey March 02, 2018 0 Comments

Green Chicken Pozol-TAY

Dreams DO really come true!

To be clear, this recipe was nearly impossible to get from Matt, but I did it. Thats how much I love you guys :) And Matthew just so happened to title this recipe after me, so I guess thats how much he loves me? Regardless, you're going to want to pass this recipe down to your kids and grandkids. This is a special event dish at the Laird family barn. Whenever we gather the masses for special events in Cayucos, we serve this glorious meal in a bowl. It is so damn good. We love this dish so much that we made it for the brunch after our wedding day (TAKE ME BACK!!!). Its the perfect meal for a huge table of people. Pop open a cerveza and get to cookin! You won't be sorry.

This is one of those recipes that you have to constantly taste and adjust, let cook, taste, adjust and cook some more. This meal is a little more complicated and does take some time. DON'T LET THAT INTIMIDATE YOU! We cook this every year for New Year's Day and start on the 29th of December! This recipe is almost impossible to make exactly the same, but when you taste it, you'll know what you need to add. Go with your gut, or your taste buds in this case!

Have fun with this recipe. Its 100% customizable. Make it to your own liking. We like ours spicy, so we use more jalapenos. You may be different. To that point, I'd suggest buying a little more of everything, just in case you'd like to adjust the recipe.

This recipe is for a 16 quart stock pot which feeds about 15 people. Don't you dare cut the recipe! This meal is made to enjoy with friends and family.

It'll cure heartache, rekindle friendships and make you feel warm and fuzzy inside.

You ready for it?

Ingredients:

10 Poblano Peppers, seeded and quartered
10 Anaheim Chiles, seeded and quartered
6 Jalapeno, seeded and halved
1 Head of Garlic | Mark Anderson, thanks for providing us with the Central Valley's BEST garlic!
3 White Onions, Chopped
3 lbs Tomatillos (About 15) Husked, Rinsed and Halved
2 Bunches of Cilantro, Chopped (tender stems are fine)
3 32 Oz Cartons of Chicken Broth (Better than Bouillon works great!)
8 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 #10 Can White or Yellow Hominy
2 Tablespoons Fresh Cumin
1 Tablespoon of Coriander
Salt and Pepper
Optional (but so good)
3 Tablespoons of Pollo Caldo Dried Bouillon - This isn't fancy or gourmet but adds a rich saltiness that other bouillon can’t. Seriously.

Heeeeere wheeee go!

Prepare all the vegetables and place in a large bowl. This is going to take some time, but I swear its worth it. Rinse all the produce in a colander and start ta' choppin! Again, we always suggest using the New West Knife Works knives.

Quarter and seed all the peppers
Quarter the onions
Chop the cilantro
Prepare the garlic
Halve the tomatillos. These are all going into a blender, so you don't have to be too exact. You’ll get all your fancy chopping in when preparing the beautiful fixins!

Make sure you go through the tomatillos, they tend to get a little beat up during packing so you want to make sure you have the best of the best. I’m sure you’ll find some to kick out of the bunch!

Wash your hands after cutting the peppers! (Matt wears surgeons latex gloves- Chef’s secret!) I "scratched" my nose after cutting peppers and had chronic burning nose for an hour at least....lesson learned (don't "scratch" your nose, kids).

Add the chicken broth to a large pot (16 quart stock pot) and bring to a boil.

Once all the produce is chopped, work in batches and blend the tomatillos, peppers, onions, garlic and cilantro together into a spicy herbal smoothie. It is going to smell so fresh and spicy.

Heat a large high sided skillet on medium high. We use an inexpensive Lodge Cast Iron frying pan for this part. Add a little oil to the pan. Once the Skillet is hot, pour the blended produce in. This is a very important step because it really brings out the flavor of the chiles and lets the produce come together. Season with salt and pepper. Make sure the bottom doesn't burn with a spatula. The smell is going to be unbelievable and your stomach is going to start growling. The color of this mixture always makes me smile. Its gosh darn GLORIOUS...you'll see! This usually takes us two batches to get all the blended produce in the skillet.

Your bright green blended herbal goodness is going to change colors a little as it cooks in the pan. You can keep some of the bright green on reserve to add to the finished pozole - it brings the color back.

Add the whole chicken breast to the to the boiling chicken broth and let simmer for 10 minutes. Once you’ve simmered for ten minutes, you can add the chile mix into the simmering chicken and chicken broth. Add the cumin and coriander and let it simmer for one hour, stirring frequently so it doesn't burn.

Taste frequently and add whatever you think it needs! Adding the Caldo de Pollo bouillon really makes this dish great! You will find yourself adding more cumin and coriander, or blending a few jalapeos to make this spicier. Its your stew, make it the way you like it!

Add the drained and rinsed hominy about 1 hour before you serve. Reserve one cup of the hominy. Hominy can been a little delicate so you don't want to boil it like crazy. There’s something great about the crunchy pop of hominy - maybe its the okie in me!

Take two cups of the pozole broth and let cool. Blend this with the cooled cup of pozole and reserved hominy. Add to the pozole to thicken about 30 minutes before serving.

The chicken breast should naturally start to fall apart as the pozole boils but you may need to shred it a bit.

Serving the pozole is the best part.

I honestly want to frame a picture of the pozole fixings. I mean, I'd keep it in our kitchen. Perfectly acceptable, right? We like to serve our pozole in a shallow/wide bowl. This ensures that each bite will get a bit of the colorful toppings. I personally turn my pozole into a party by adding all the toppings.

Toppings:

Chopped Cilantro
Cotija (Matt blends an entire block of this in our Vitamix). It turns into magical cheese crumble.
Diced avocado (aka healthy green butter :) )
Chopped white onion
Toasted/Salted pepitas
Sliced radishes
Sliced jalapeno
Diced cherry tomatoes
Diced purple cabbage
Thinly sliced fried tortilla (the thinner the better, I think. Almost like shoestring french fries)
Fresh sweet corn
Hot sauce (we brought out Tapatio, Crystal Hot Sauce and Valentina)
Mexican Crema (cuts the heat and creates a silky/creamy texture)

The real key to this recipe is seriously, family and friends.

This meal is to be shared with those you love. You're supposed to go back for a second helping and you're not supposed to feel bad about it. This meal is SO good for you. Enjoy it!!!