Pozole

For dinner tonight we are having Pozole. Pozole is a Mexican soup that is usually made to celebrate an important event, like Christmas or New Years. So you are probably wondering what are you celebrating?  AND believe me you're not alone.  My husband, who is Mexican, always wonders that when I make it!  Tonight's celebration- How about getting through this week; it was a LOOOOONG week for me, filled with too many appointments!  This is one of my favorite soups and definitely one of my favorite mexican dishes. It is very easy to make and does not take much time and is also great for a tight budget and definitely a Gluten and Dairy free diet.  I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do! 

Pozole

5 Medium-Large Chicken Thighs (skinned, bones in)

4 Large Dried Ancho Chiles, stem removed and seeds dumped out

3 Large Dried Guajillo Chiles (New Mexico or California Chiles will work if you cannot find Guajillo)

3 Medium-Large Cloves of garlic peeled and minced

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4 cups of Chicken Broth (1-32 oz box of chicken broth)

3 Tsp Oregano

Salt to Taste

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2 - 29 oz Cans of White Hominy

1/4 head of Iceburg Lettuce, Chopped in Shreds

1 Small White Onion, Finely Chopped

4-6 Limes, Halved

Additional Oregano for garnishing

Raddishes sliced thinly (optional)

1) Place dried destemmed and seeded chiles in the bottom of a large pot, followed by chicken and minced garlic over the top (so the chicken will hold the chiles down, preventing them from floating).  Fill pot with water so that water covers chicken by 1 inch.  Boil until the chicken is cooked through.

2) Remove chicken from broth and set aside.

3) Remove chiles from broth and then one by one remove the flesh from the skin.  It is easiest if you start at the tip of the chile and slowly pinch it toward the stem opening.  It does not matter how you do it, just that somehow you peel the skin off, or else you soup will be gritty. (If you are not particularly fond of spicy hot foods, you may want to keep the Guajillo flesh separate; blender it with a little broth, and add it to your soup like you will the garnishes.)

4) Boil the broth til there is about 5 cups left and skim off excess fat.

5) Take the chicken off the bones and remove fat deposits while you shred the chicken with your fingers.

6) Take a small amount of the broth from the pot and add the chile flesh to it.  Blender it til smooth.

7) Check that there are no bones stray in the broth, then blender the remaing broth and put the broth, chile mixture, and chicken back in the pot.

8) Add second set of ingredients to the pot, bringto a boil, then decrease heat to medium-lo

9) In a separate pot heat up the White Hominy with about 1 cup of water to prevent burning the hominy at the bottom of the pan.

Serve by first placing  heated hominy in bottom of the bowl, then add a scoop of the Chicken and broth, and finally top with the Lettuce, Onion, Radishes and additional Oregano if you choose.  Squeeze some lime juice over the top and enjoy! There is not a Mexican I know who does not top the soup with all of the fixin's including my kids, but I, however, like it with no more than just oregano and lime.