This Mexican meat-and-hominy stew is warm, soulful, and nurturing in the bowl, with a party of fresh, flavorful goodies on top. Heaven.
Serves 6 to 8
- 1 pound tomatillos, husked and halved
- 2 poblano or pasilla chiles, stemmed, quartered, seeds and veins removed
- 2 jalapenos, stemmed, halved, seeds and veins removed
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 small onions, 1 cut into 6 or 8 chunks and 1 cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 5 to 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
- 2 tablespoons canola or other neutral-flavored oil, divided
- Salt to taste
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 pounds boneless chicken, white meat, dark meat, or a combination, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces
- Three 15-ounce or two 25-ounce cans hominy, drained
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- Diced or sliced avocado, shredded lettuce or cabbage, chopped onion, chopped cilantro, sliced radishes, lime wedges, and/or tortilla chips, for garnish
In the jar of a blender, combine the tomatillos, poblanos, jalapenos, cilantro, garlic, and the chunked onion and pulse to coarsely chop, scraping down the jar as necessary. Add 1 cup of the chicken broth and process to puree.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the tomatillo mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and becomes a medium green, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, add salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.
While the tomatillo mixture is cooking, in a small stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add half of the chicken and cook until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the browned chicken to a plate and set aside. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
Add the diced onion to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 4 cups of chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits in the pot. Add the hominy and oregano and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes.
Stir in the chicken and tomatillo mixture and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Add remaining broth if mixture seems too thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve the posole topped with the garnishes.
