Red Chicken Pozole

This is another one that came to me from a request by a weekly meal client. I hadn’t made it before. To be perfectly honest, I had never even eaten it before attempting to make it. Now that I’ve experienced it, I love it and seek it out at restaurants. This recipe may not be the same as your great great great grandmother’s born and raised in Jalisco, Mexico. However, I think it’s pretty darn delicious. Plus, my client said that he had his Mexican friend over, gave her a bowl, and she said it was “LEGIT”. So it must be comparable to a good authentic bowl, right? What makes this pozole a pozole is the hominy. The red chile sauce is what makes it a red pozole and the garnishes are a must. Cabbage or lettuce, radish, lime, cilantro, avocado, jalapeno and just because you can, cheese! Cotija is my choice for this one. I used chicken for my client, but pork is more traditional. You could swap out the chicken for cubed pork shoulder and it would be great. In Mexico, they prepare pozole for special occasions, but I say whip up a batch any time. Try it out and let me know your thoughts! A link to an awesome new app called “Eatify” is below the recipe. This automatically generates an editable shopping list for the ingredients and even offers up grocery delivery in most areas. Oh, it also pairs nicely with an ice-cold Dos Equis so be sure to add some cerveza to your shopping list!

Learn. Create. Inspire. Stay Hungry!

Cheers!

Red Chicken Pozole

Yield: 4 generous servings

 

Ingredients

1 t cooking oil

4 chicken thighs

2 chicken legs

2 C yellow onion, medium diced

1 C red bell pepper, medium diced

1 C Poblano pepper, medium diced

¼ C Jalapeno, small diced

2 T garlic, minced

2 T tomato paste

1 T cumin

1 T chili powder

2 T dried Mexican oregano

2 Qt chicken stock

2 bay leaves

4 roma or vine tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped

3 dried Guajillo chilies, veins removed, seeded, and torn into pieces

5 dried chile de arbol, veins removed, seeded, and torn into pieces

3 dried ancho chilies, veins removed, seeded, and torn into pieces

2 whole garlic clove, smashed

1 30 oz can white hominy, drained and rinsed

1 Lime, juiced

1 Bunch Cilantro, chopped fine

Salt to taste

 

Cooking Instructions

Bring a small pot of water to a boil (about 1 qt)

 

Sear the chicken thighs and legs in the oil over high heat in a large pot (working in batches if necessary)

 

Once the skin in slightly browned and some fat has rendered into pot, remove and reserve

 

Add the onion, red bell pepper, poblano pepper, jalapeno, and garlic to the pot with the rendered fat and sauté for about 3 minutes

 

Add the tomato paste, cumin, chili powder, and Mexican oregano and cook for about 3 minutes stirring occasionally

 

Add the chicken stock, bay leaves, and tomatoes, and scrape up any bits off the bottom of the pot

 

Return to chicken to the pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked though and pulls apart easily (about 25 minutes)

 

Pour the boiling water over the guajillo, chile de arbol, ancho chilies, and garlic. Let sit in water for at least 15 minutes to rehydrate. Use another smaller bowl if necessary to keep the chilies submersed

 

Once the chicken is cooked through, remove from the pot and cool until you can safely handle it. Pull the chicken into bite sized pieces discarding the skin and bones and place them back into the pot

 

Add the hominy into the pot and continue to simmer

 

Using a hand or stand blender, puree the chilies and garlic with the soaking liquid. Start with a small amount of liquid and add more as necessary until a loose paste or chile sauce consistency is reached

Add the chile sauce to the pot a little at a time until desired heat is reached. Reserve the rest of the chile sauce for serving.

 

Add the lime and cilantro and season with salt to taste

 

Notes

Garnish Ideas: cabbage, lettuce, lime, radish, avocado, cilantro, jalapenos, extra chile sauce, cheese, tortillas