Friends… I made this recipe last week and just had to share it with you all. I didn’t know what to expect when my husband and I put it together, but it turned out to be extremely delicious and just happens to be very nutrient dense too! Not to mention, it’s gluten-free, dairy-free and could be grain-free if you removed the corn, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I also love food with some history and this pozole has ancient origins.
Pozole is a traditional pre-Columbian soup or stew from Mexico. Since one of the ingredients in the soup is maize, or corn, it was most often consumed on special occasions. Aztecs and others who lived in Mesoamerica, consider maize sacred and believed the gods made humans from cornmeal dough, or masa. One article I found even suggested that pozole was ritually made with human flesh (1), but that is not how it is made any more (at least I hope not!). I really don’t want to diminish your appetite, but the history is interesting nonetheless.
Here is the recipe for my take on some red chicken pozole. Next time I will double the recipe and freeze some for quick, made ahead dinners. It’s full of flavor and I added the soy sauce and extra herbs as a way to round out the flavors of the soup from the original recipe.
Mexican Chicken Pozole
(inspired by www.thefresh20.com)
Ingredients (serves 4-6)
- 1 ancho chili
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3-4 carrots, small dice
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoon roasted coriander
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 small bunch kale, chopped
- ¾ small head cabbage, shredded (about 6 cups)
- 16 oz of boneless chicken (breast or thigh), cut into 1 inch cubes
- 4 cups gluten free chicken broth (make your own if you are adventurous)
- 1 (25 oz) can hominy, rinsed and drained (organic if you can find it)
- 2 Tablespoon gluten-free Tamari or soy sauce
- 1 lime, sliced in quarters
- 1 small bunch radishes, rinsed, stems removed, sliced thin
- 1 avocado, cubed or sliced
Method
- Submerge the chili in a cup of hot water until it’s pliable. Remove the seeds and then blend the chili with the soaking water (about 1 cup) and set aside.
- Heat a stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat, add coconut oil, onion, carrots, garlic, cumin, oregano and coriander. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add kale and cabbage and continue cooking for about 5 more minutes.
- Add broth, hominy and chicken. Bring to boil and then lower heat to medium-low simmer for 10-15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
- Garnish with lime wedges, radishes and avocado.
- Save the leftovers because they are even better the next day!
This was so good, my husband and I become silent when we started eating it… It was also so good that I forgot to take a picture!
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did…
~Beth
