I’m having a difficult time grasping the fact that the weather is changing here in Chicago (Still trying to block out all memories of the Polar Vortex last year), but alas, the leaves are changing and it’s time to bundle up. I may be the only one in their 20’s who despises pumpkin spice lattes, but my tables, pantry and protein shakes have all been featuring a bit of orange and spice lately.
Since the start of Fall, I’ve taken it upon myself to try a different soup recipe every week. I’m still catching up on these as I tend to breeze past the photo-taking phase and jump into the vamos a comer phase. One of my favorites is a traditional Latin soup called posole or pozole, depending on where you’re from. Although made with chiles, the soup is not particularly spicy and offers a lot of bold, fresh flavors.
Every familia has their own adaptation of the soup, so there really are no wrong answers here. If you try it, be sure to tag @healthylatina or #healthylatina so I can see how it turned out! Enjoy!
Note: you will need a blender for this recipe and it’s enough to serve 8-10 people
Posole Pollo Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 cups of chicken broth
- 4 oz dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded (two small packages)
- 1 bunch of fresh cilantro
- 25 cloves of garlic (I promise this is real)
- 1 onion, quartered
- 2 teaspoons oregano (Mexican if you can find it)
- 1 package of defrosted chicken breasts
- 1 large can of hominy
- 1 cabbage
- 2 small radishes
- Several avocados 1/3 per person served
- Several limes
- EVOO (Channeling my inner Rachel Ray)
Directions
- Pour a little EVOO in a large pot and add the large onion pieces and whole garlic cloves. Allow to sizzle for a few minutes while stirring to avoid burning
- Add the 10 cups of chicken broth, oregano and 3/4 of the cilantro and let the broth boil. Add the chicken to the pot and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes (check the chicken, as necessary)
- Using a strainer spoon, separate the cilantro, garlic cloves and onions from the broth. Place in the blender and mix with a little bit of chicken broth. Blend until smooth and add back to the large pot of chicken broth
- Remove the cooked chicken from the pot and use a fork to shred. When finished, add back to the pot of chicken broth
For the chiles
- Using tongs, hold the dried chiles over the stove top flame like you’re flipping a tortilla. Allow to briefly toast (without setting on fire)
- I’ve skipped this step before and haven’t been able to notice the difference in taste, so if you need a shortcut, you won’t lose any flavor
- In a separate pot filled with water, boil the chiles for 30 minutes. Drain the chiles and place in the blender adding a ladle of the chicken broth
- Blend until smooth and pour the contents into a shallow pan. Cook for about 10 minutes. Using a strainer, place a large bowl underneath and pour the contents into the strainer to “catch” the liquid in the bowl underneath. This separates the skin of the chiles so you don’t get a gritty feeling with the soup
- Add the chiles to the large pot of soup and add the hominy as well. Allow to boil for an additional 10 minutes and you’re set to serve!
For serving
- Slice the avocados, radishes, cabbage and the limes and use the additional cilantro to garnish
- Allow your familia to pick and choose what they want to add to the soup and enjoy!
