Pozole Verde de Pollo (Green Mexican Hominy and Chicken Soup)

ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 teaspoons cumin, toasted and ground
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups hominy, soaked in cold water overnight
• 3 pounds chicken (whole or legs, thighs, etc.)
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 pound tomatillos
• 2 jalapenos, cut in half, seeds removed
• 2 poblano chilies, cut in half, seeds removed
• 1/2 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons lime juice (~1 lime)
• salt and pepper to taste

directions

1. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat, add the onion and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes, before adding the garlic and cumin and cooking until fragrant, about a minute.
2. Add the broth, chicken, oregano and hominy, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the hominy is tender but still has that al-dente chewiness, about 2 hours.
3. Meanwhile, roast the tomatillos, jalapenos and poblanos in under the broiler, in a cast iron pan over high heat or in the direct flames of a gas stove until they are lightly charred black before pureeing them along with the cilantro in a blender with some of the broth from the soup and mixing it back into the soup.
4. Remove the chicken from the soup, let cool until you can handle it, shred the meat and mix it back into the soup.
5. Mix in the lime juice and season with salt and pepper before enjoying!