Mexican Pozole Verde (Green Pozole )

Step 1

In a large heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven, bring the chicken stock, salt, coriander, cumin, oregano, epazote, cumin and pepper to a boil. Add the chicken breasts, cover and simmer gently over low heat until they’re tender and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate and shred the meat, skim the stock, and return the chicken back to the stock.

Step 2

In a blender, add one cup of water. Add tomatillos, onion, garlic, poblanos and jalapeno garlic. Blend until smooth, scraping down sides if necessary.

Step 3

In a skillet,  heat the oil and add tomatillo puree and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce turns a deep green, about  10 minutes.  To the blender ( it’s ok if its not rinsed) ladle in 1 cup of broth from the chicken soup pot, set aside.

Step 4

Pour the cooked Verde sauce into the chicken soup pot. Add the 3 cups of the hominy (reserving 1 cup) and bring to a gentle simmer over moderate heat.

Step 5

Add the cilantro and their tender stems  into the blender with the chicken stock, cover tightly with a kitchen towel and blend until smooth. Add the reserved 1 cup of hominy. Blend again until smooth. If you need more liquid to get the blender going, just ladle from the pot.  Add this to the soup.

Step 6

Taste the soup.  Season with salt, pepper and cook on warm just until heated through -do not boil, or you will lose the lovely color. If soup lacks depth, add more salt and or a couple of chicken bouillon cubes ( or a couple teaspoons of chicken boullion paste or even a splash of soy sauce). The goal here is to get enough depth in the soup to balance out the tartness from the tomatillos and heat from the chilies.

Step 7

Serve the Posole in bowls, along with sour cream and any or all of the sides, letting people add whatever toppings they want.