Chicken Pozole Verde

My supply of tomatillos has been a little more than I can handle lately!  I've already given huge bags to my neighbors with still many more to pick.  I think these cute little tomatillos are going to be my largest producing crop this season, which means I've been finding more recipes to try!  I absolutely love pozole soup because it's so hearty and comforting.   Instead of the typical way to make it, I found this recipe from Food and Wine that low and behold used tomatillos!  It wasn't a very difficult soup to make at all AND it made a large amount, so it heats up really well the next day.  I was also able to use my abundant supply of fresh cilantro and of course, I threw a couple of zucchini's in there too!  Enjoy!

Chicken Pozole Verde {recipe slightly adapted from  Food and Wine}

INGREDIENTS: {serves 6-8 heartily}

• 7 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 4 chicken breast halves on the bone, with skin
• 2 small zucchini, diced into small chunks
• 1 1/2 lbs. tomatillos, husked and halved
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 2 pasilla chiles, cored, seeded and quartered
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and quartered
• 4 large garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 Tbsp. fresh oregano
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• three 15-oz. cans of hominy, drained
• garnish: sour cream, diced avocado, shredded jack cheese, tortilla chips, lime wedges

DIRECTIONS:

  In a large stock pot, bring the chicken stock and water to a boil.  Add the chicken breasts, cover and simmer over very low heat until they're tender and cooked through, about 25 min.  Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate and shred the meat; discard the bones and skin. Skim any fat from the cooking liquid and set aside.  

In a blender, combine the halved tomatillos with the onion, pasilla chiles, jalapenos, smashed garlic, cilantro and oregano.  Pulse until coarsely chopped.  With the machine on, add 1 cup of the cooking liquid and puree until smooth.  Season the puree with salt and pepper to taste.  

In a large deep skillet, heat the vegetable oil until hot.  Add the tomatillo puree and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce turns a deep green, about 10-12 minutes.  

Pour the green sauce int o the cooking liquid in the pot.  Add the hominy and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Add the shredded chicken to the stew, season with salt and pepper and cook just until heated through.  Serve the pozole in deep bowls and garnish with the above items.

These things are so cute, when they're growing the outer husk looks like hanging paper lanterns!

Look at all that GREEN!!

The Hominy makes this dish...