Chicken Posole Recipe

 

 This is what we traditionally eat on Christmas...along with tamales and whole lotta of other goodness, but I also eat this year round.  I think when I was a kid my grandma always made menudo which is another Mexican-style soup very similar to posole except the meat is different.  I would eat at least 2-3 bowls of it, but now I just stick to chicken posole.  I won't go into what the meat in menudo is because posole is such a delicious soup and if you have never tried it I don't want to send you running.  Posole is traditionally made with pork, but we like it with chicken...except for my younger brother...the serious meat eater.  HA!  This would probably be yummy even without any meat.  I have never tried it, but this soup is worth the try.

Anyways, there are several ways to make this soup, but I have found my favorite to be Martha Stewart's recipe.  I know, very strange, but it's good...I promise.  Nothing against Martha, she just isn't Mexican...that I know of.  I love my mom's chicken posole but even after trying her recipe several times, mine never tastes as yummy as hers.  So here it is:

 CHICKEN POSOLE (Martha style)

Serves 8

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cans (15 ounces each) white hominy, drained
• 6 3/4 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey meat (2 pounds)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• Assorted garnishes, lemon juice, a little more oregano and cabbage. (Martha has some other funky garnishes on her recipe, but this is how we eat it.)

Directions

1. Heat oil in a 5-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add onions; cook until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, and oregano; cook, stirring constantly, until evenly distributed.
2. Add 4 cups water, broth, and hominy. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until fragrant, about 30 minutes.
3. Stir in chicken; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until heated through. (When freezing, cool completely before transferring to airtight containers.)
4. To serve, divide among bowls, and garnish as desired. (Don't skip or skimp on the lemon juice.  I use about half a lemon for a large bowl.  I only recently started putting a little cabbage in mine, so that I could feel like I was eating a vegetable...it tastes okay. Just don't skip the lemon juice.)

There you have it.  Make that and it is sure to warm your belly.