I “Pozole’d” And You Should Too!
Well, this photo was posted by my wife Alex after our great Napa Valley friends Barbara and John made an incredible “Pozole” – and I had a great excuse to try and replicate it!
My blogging friend Jo runs a great monthly cooking challenge and for April here’s what she proposed “down under:”
“It’s autumn here in Australia, and by now the humidity (and the cane toads) should be gone and the evening temps beginning to cool. Of course, on the other side of the world, it’s spring. Wherever you are, let’s celebrate the season.”
Well, no cane toads in California that I know of, but I decided to use Barbara and John’s inspiration to make this refreshing Pozole dish to celebrate all of the change of seasons around the world!
Pozole is a traditional, hearty Mexican soup or stew made with hominy (large, dried corn kernels) and meat, typically pork or chicken, in a flavorful broth. It comes in three main varieties—rojo (red), verde (green), and blanco (white)—distinguished by their broth’s base, and is famously garnished with fresh toppings like shredded lettuce or cabbage, radishes, onion, cilantro, and lime. A celebratory dish with Aztec origins, it’s a staple for special occasions and family gatherings.
My Homily Disaster!
Well, first for those who don’t know:
Hominy is a staple food made from whole kernels of dried field corn (maize) that have been treated with an alkaline solution, such as lime or lye. This ancient process, known as nixtamalization, causes the kernels to puff up to twice their size, removes their tough outer hulls, and unlocks key nutrients like niacin (vitamin B3), making them more digestible and nutritious.
And NO store near me had any! Wha-wha-WHAT?!?!?
So frustrating so I used a can of Mexican corn!
Here is the recipe I followed from Anjie Villalobos and her website Familia Kitchen:
For Chicken and Broth
2 lb chicken breast
64 oz chicken broth
3 bay leaves
2 Tbsp salt
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 serranos, sliced lengthwise
1/2 large white or yellow onion, in one chunk
2 Tbsp Mexican oregano, heaping
For Green Salsa
18 to 20 tomatillos
12 serranos, chopped
1/2 large white or yellow onion, quartered
1 Tbsp salt
3 cloves garlic
1 bunch cilantro, large
1 1/2 cups water
One large can of hominy – but I had to use Mexican Corn…let’s go!
Cook the Chicken:
In a large pot on the stove or in a crock pot, add the broth, bay leaves, 6 cloves of garlic, 2 sliced serranos, 1/2 onion in chunks, and Mexican oregano.
Add the chicken so that it is covered in broth, and cook until the chicken shreds with a fork, about 1 hour on the stove.
Use either an outdoor grill or stove broiler for the next step:
Make the Green Salsa
Broil serranos and tomatillos in oven until the chiles are blackened on top, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Those tomatillos will have a very smoky charred flavor!
Once serranos and tomatillos are roasted, remove from the oven/grill and add to a blender with the rest of the salsa ingredients.
Now comes the fun part: mix on medium speed until thoroughly blended, about 2 minutes, like this!
Putting It All Together!
When the chicken is done cooking, remove it – you will shred it once it cools down.
The broth stays in the pot, but discard the onion chunks and bay leaves. Shred the chicken like this – yes, it’s a bit messy but how often do you get to cook with forks in both hands?
Add green salsa mixture and 75 oz of white hominy (in my case Mexican corn) to the same pot. Cook for an additional 1 hour.
Now comes the artistic part of the dish – create a fun canvas of fresh toppings!
Anjie likes to use cilantro, avocado, pico de gallo, sliced cabbage and radishes. I added some sliced red onion as well! Serve hot like this!
This dish was hearty for those facing the fall, but also full of fresh flavors and a lightness that comes from the salsa, fresh cilantro, avocado and sliced fresh cabbage and radish!
Of course, I had to add a couple more things to mine which weren’t on the menu: how about a big dollop of sour cream and some lime tortilla chips!
That was the winner for sure! You get a bit of cold creaminess and of course some added crunch from the chips!
Tanks to Jo for putting on her BKD Cookbook Club, because it inspired me to tackle a dish I’d never made before…here is what she posted to get us going!
Jo shared a terrific Moroccan Lentil Soup, and you can see the entire recipe here – check it out!
I have started to cook more Mexican food, helped by the iconic Singer Linda Ronstadt! I made a traditional Sonoran cheese soup, w high was fun and easy – here’s a tease:
You can see the entire recipe for Linda Ronstadt’s Sonoran cheese soup here:
I also cooked a hamburger taco – using a recipe from America’s oldest Mexican restaurant – here’s a tease – the slo motion wonder of a hamburger patty being covered with shredded cheese:
This unique recipe involves some of the same ingredients as the Pozole soup: fresh shredded cabbage and sliced radishes….yes on a taco!
It also uses a full hamburger patty cut in half like this:
Here’s the history of the oldest beef taco recipe in America!
Thanks for reading my food website “Bite! Eat! Repeat!” – it’s your site for all things food – if you like what you see, please click on my link and follow this blog as well!
Let me know if you make Pozole, a new favorite for me – if you like this story, please share on social media!
Categories: Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Chef memoirs, Cookbooks, Eat This!, Food, Food Travel, Food Writing, Recipes, Travel, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
I just made pozole a couple weeks ago. But mine is red from dried chile peppers. Delicious!
I love that! Thanks for sharing!
I’m pretty sure I’d find any hominy here either!
I have purchased it in LA which makes sense, a large Hispanic population…should be here in NY as well, but just not in the markets near me!