Happy New Year! 2015 Is looking great for us with lots of wonderful opportunities headed our way.  After a long night of celebrating, a spicy green chicken pozole for breakfast is in order.  And if you love it as much as I do, I can enjoy this comforting bowl of soup at any time of day.  Perfect for lunch and dinner too.

Green Chicken Pozole

The first day of the year is a very mellow and relaxing day for all of us.  After a few bowls of this pozole, we head to the beach and go for a walk to reflect on all our blessings and breathe in the fresh ocean air. We lounge around at home and just enjoy a peaceful day with family and friends.  Because I make green pozole in large quantities, we have enough for unexpected guests and even next day leftovers.

If you prefer other type of pozole meat, chicken can easily be replaced with turkey or pork.  Serve it with tostadas or bolillos (French bread), lots of shredded lettuce, cilantro, chopped onions, radishes and lemon juice for the full pozole experience.

Wishing you a fantastic 2015 with an abundance of peace, love and good health!

 

Green Pozole with Chicken (or Turkey)
Makes 16 to 18 servings

Ingredients
19 cups water, divided
2 ½ pounds bone-in chicken breast
1 large onion, chopped, divided
3 cloves garlic, divided
13 ounces tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 jalapeño chile, stem removed
1 poblano chile, roasted, peeled and seeded
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1 ½ teaspoons MAGGI Granulated Chicken Flavor Bouillon
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 pounds canned hominy, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
8 radishes, thinly sliced
2 lemons, quartered

Method
Combine 16 cups water, chicken, 1/3 cup onion and 2 cloves garlic in a large stockpot. Cook over medium heat for 35 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside to cool.

Remove chicken from stock. Discard bones and skin; shred meat into bite-sized pieces.

Strain chicken stock; set aside.

Place tomatillos, jalapeño and remaining 3 cups water in medium stockpot. Boil for 10 minutes or until tomatillos darken in color. Discard water.

Place 3 cups chicken stock, tomatillos, jalapeño, poblano, 1/3 cup cilantro, 1/3 cup onion, bouillon and remaining garlic clove in blender; cover. Blend until smooth.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; pour in tomatillo sauce and boil for 15 minutes.

Heat remaining chicken stock over medium heat; add hominy. Add oregano and cumin. Boil for 15 minutes; add tomatillo salsa and boil for an additional 15 minutes. Add chicken during the last 5 minutes of boiling time.

Serve with shredded lettuce, radish slices, remaining cilantro, remaining chopped onion and lemon juice.

Tip: Use turkey breast or pork meat for a variation of this recipe.

*Recipe developed for Nestle El Mejor Nido