(Pozole de Pollo)
Originally from Jalisco, pozole is a stew made from pork and hominy. Although the traditional soup is delicious, it sure isn’t a quick meal, since the flavor comes from simmering the pork for hours. So, I’ve devised a quicker and healthier version with a precooked rotisserie chicken you can pick up at the supermarket. It makes a convenient one-bowl meal for those cold winter nights. And the leftovers taste even better the next day.
1 whole roasted chicken (4 to 5 pounds)
3 medium onions, 1 quartered and 2 chopped
3 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
Two 15-ounce cans hominy, drained
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 limes, cut into wedges, for serving
4 radishes, sliced, for serving Warm Corn Tortillas (See Corn Tortillas recipe or store-bought), for serving
Shred the chicken and place the meat into a large stockpot or Dutch oven. (It’s up to you if you want to add the bones to the soup, since it’ll add a little extra dimension of flavor. If you want the soup to be easier to eat, though, discard the bones at this point.) Add 3 quarts of water, the quartered onion, jalapeños, and garlic. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Once boiling, add the hominy, salt, cumin, chili powder, oregano, and black pepper. Reduce the heat slightly, but let the soup continue simmering another 15 to 20 minutes.
Ladle the soup into large bowls and top each with a handful of chopped onion and some cilantro. Serve with the lime wedges, radishes, and warm corn tortillas on the side.
NOTE: If you have a small family or don’t want to make this much soup, just use half the chicken (saving the other half for taco or burrito filling) and halve the remaining ingredients.