Pozole has always been a special treat for me. For a long time growing up, my maternal grandparents lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A magical place with green chili everything, enchiladas to die for, fascinating art, loads of turquoise jewelry, and cozy stucco homes. We would visit in the summer for long days at the pool, horseback riding lessons, and cruising bikes around the neighborhood. And we’d visit during the winter for holidays filled with mini snowmen and of course, FOOD.

My GJ (grandma Jo) would spend hours making dishes from her hoards of homemade roasted green chilis. They were never too complicated, but always filled with love and delicious ingredients she’d frozen throughout the year. Pozole was one of those dishes.

Now, this recipe is not her recipe – I still need to get that from my mom! But it is a rendition of a pozole made by superstar chef and cookbook author/blogger The Defined Dish that is loaded with vegetables and is so damn good, I have made it for multiple dinner parties. The recipe makes so much soup that it is perfect to make ahead for a crowd, then dazzle with an array of toppings. I like it so much, I’ve even made large batches to distribute to friends who are in the throws of a newborn baby and just want reheatable *homemade meals.

The one thing I will mention is that while most soups I make are “dump and stir” into one pot or a crockpot, but this one does require a blender. It’s easy! But it is an added step so you can’t just set it and forget it. Get after it!

INGREDIENTS

4 poblano peppers (seeds and cores removed)

6 tomatillos (husks removed and rinsed)

1 medium white onion

6 cloves garlic

8 cups chicken broth

4 cups green leaf lettuce

1 bunch cilantro

1 lb. chicken breast

1 25 oz Mexican-style hominy (drained and rinsed)

Olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Optional Toppings: sliced radish, avocado, cilantro, lime

Serving Size: 8+

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• De-seed and core poblanos. Remove husk of tomatillos and rinse. Toss with olive oil and roast on baking sheet until peppers are softened (approx. 15 mins).
• Meanwhile, bring chicken broth to a simmer in a large pot on the stove.
• Now we start blending! Three+ times.
• BLEND #1: Remove 1 cup of warm broth and add to a large blender. Add roughly chopped onion, garlic, salt and pepper to blender as well, blend until smooth then add into the soup pot.
• BLEND #2: Now add the lettuce and cilantro + 2 cups of chicken broth mixture to the blender, blend until smooth then add into the soup pot.
• BLEND #3: Add the roasted poblanos and tomatillos + 2 cups of chicken broth mixture to the blender, blend until smooth then add into the soup pot. (You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender).
• Add cleaned chicken breasts into the soup pot and cook, simmering over medium-low heat for approx. 1 hour until chicken is cooked through and tender. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the pot and shred it with a fork. Return back to soup pot.
• Add hominy and stir to combine. Simmer until the hominy is just tender, approx. 20 minutes. 
• Keep over low heat until ready to serve.
• Top with sliced radishes, cilantro, avocado, and extra lime juice.
• Enjoy!