START TO FINISH: 45 minutes
SERVINGS: 4
A key ingredient in the hearty Mexican soup known as posole is hominy, or dried corn kernels cooked in an alkali solution. Hominy has a satisfying and subtle chewiness and a mild sweetness. It’s sold in cans, often in the Latin foods section of the supermarket. If you’re up for offering more garnishes for your posole, shredded cabbage or radishes add color and crunch.
Don’t use regular chili powder, which is a blend of ground chilies, herbs and spices. Ancho chili powder, the type called for here, is simply ground ancho chilies, without any added ingredients. It gives the pozole a pure, deep chili flavor.
1 tablespoon grapeseed or other neutral oil
1 medium white onion, chopped, plus thinly sliced white onion, to serve
6 medium garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons ancho chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
14½-ounce can diced fired-roasted tomatoes
2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth
1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
29-ounce can hominy, drained and rinsed
½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons lime juice, plus lime wedges, to serve
Kosher salt
Tortilla chips or warmed tortillas, to serve
In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ancho powder and cumin, then cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Stir in the chicken and hominy, then bring to a simmer. Reduce to medium, cover and cook until a skewer inserted into the largest piece of chicken meets no resistance, about 20 minutes.
Transfer the chicken to medium bowl. Cover the pot and reduce to low to keep hot. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces. Stir the chicken back into the pot and cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Off heat, stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Taste and season with salt. Serve with sliced white onion, lime wedges and tortilla chips.