How to Make Pozole Verde
By Heidi Allison
This soup is Mexican comfort food at its best—and a great choice during cold and flu season! An incredibly versatile dish, this recipe creates a concentrated chicken bone broth and roasted veggie stock, which serves as its flavor-packed foundation. While it can be anchored with either a protein-rich chicken bone broth or a thinner vegetable stock, with equally good results in the finished dish, subbing out the roasted chicken breast for steamed Yukon gold potatoes chunks pushes this recipe into a whole other direction if you’re craving a vegetarian meal.
The key to this iconic Mexican dish is caramelizing the vegetables before adding them to the chicken bone broth. This process reduces their sharpness and enhances their natural sweetness, giving the soup a richer, more rounded flavor. Do not skip this crucial step, or the finished product will taste “flat.” Try adding a bone-in pork chop during the cooking process to enhance the soup's umami flavor. Sub out a rotisserie chicken breast to shorten the prep time.
Do not underestimate the role of the garnishes in this dish—they add flavor, richness and texture. Include avocado slices, queso fresco and Mexican Creme to the mix.
Pozole Verde
Makes: 11 cups; serves: 4-6
Ingredients
For the soup:
3 tablespoons good-quality extra virgin olive oil
1 large white onion, peeled and quartered
3 large poblano chiles
7 cloves garlic, peeled
1 3/4 lbs. tomatillos
1 large jalapeño pepper
½ fresh lime
3 (15 oz.) cans hominy, rinsed and drained
4 cups chicken bone broth (I recommend Butcher’s Brand)
1 bone-in pork chop) (optional)
1 bay leaf
1 chicken breast
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375F. Place onion, garlic, poblano chiles, bay leaf, and jalapeño pepper on a baking tray, then drizzle with three tablespoons of olive oil and salt and toss till well coated. Place in oven, and roast for 25-30 minutes, or until softened and caramelized. Remove from oven and allow it to cool. Remove the skins from the peppers by rubbing them between your fingers, then shake out the seeds and set aside. 
Place tomatillos and half a fresh lime on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Place in a preheated 350 F oven and roast for 25 minutes or until the tomatillos have released their juices and caramelized. Remove the lime and squeeze juice over the tomatillos, then toss the lime. 
Place all the roasted veggies in a food processor and pulse until blended. Transfer the mixture to a large pot, add hominy and chicken stock and heat on medium until simmering—about 30 minutes.
While the soup is heating, place a chicken breast on a baking sheet and film with oil, salt and pepper. Place chicken in a 350F oven for exactly 22 minutes—temperature should read 165F temperature with a food thermometer. Remove from the oven, then cool. Shred chicken breast with two forks, then set aside. 
Place three tablespoons of olive oil into an 8-inch nonstick pan. When oil is warm, but not smoking, add cumin seeds, ground cumin and dried oregano until spices release a fragrance and are toasty golden brown—about 1 minute. Pour bloomed spices into soup mixture, then stir to combine. Add chopped cilantro and stir to combine. 
Ladle the soup mixture into a serving bowl, then top with shredded chicken, chopped cilantro, dried red chile pepper flakes, fresh lime, sliced radish and thinly sliced green cabbage.
Garnishes
Half green cabbage, thinly sliced
Red radishes, washed and thinly sliced
Avocado, peeled and sliced (optional)
4 limes, quartered
Red pepper flakes
Cilantro leaves, chopped
Mexican Crema
