A January Menu
Warming green chicken posole with all the fixings
One of my favorite formulas for dinner is as follows: big pot of hearty soup or stew + lots of toppings so people can personalize their bowls. When centered around the right soup or stew, this sort of meal can be exceedingly delicious (and even beautiful!), and I’m about to share one such recipe: a New Mexico-inspired green chicken posole with toppings to hit every note.
Posole1 (or pozole) is a stew with hominy and meat (pork and chicken are common) from Mexico that’s also popular in Hispanic communities outside of Mexico, and among the Pueblo people of New Mexico. The stew is garnished lavishly, with toppings like cabbage, radishes, onion, avocado, cilantro, and so forth. Without the toppings, posole is rather austere, but with the toppings, it’s a party.
My mom periodically made posole throughout my childhood from a recipe she received from a dear friend who grew up in New Mexico. And when my mom and I visited New Mexico last year, I was reminded of how much I love it — the deep, layered chile flavors and the contrast of warming stew and zingy toppings.
The three main types of posole are green, red, and white, indicated by the salsa (or lack thereof) added to the stew. My preferred posole is green, which includes a green salsa that might include tomatillos, poblanos, jalapeños, serranos, cilantro, and pumpkin seeds, depending on the recipe (mine features all six). My recipe is an adaptation of the one I grew up with (thank you, Joshua!) and this one from the inimitable Rick Martinez. I opt for canned hominy for ease, and chicken for the meat, in part because I find it to be more tender than pork, but also because it enhances the flavor of the chicken broth.
To accompany the posole, homemade flour tortillas are a nice touch, and much easier to make than you might expect. And for dessert, my new favorite thing: tiny espresso cups of hot chocolate (with a hint of spice, if you’d like). I’m convinced that the vast majority of people would be delighted to sip a miniature cup of silky hot chocolate after dinner on a cold night.
With that: a simple, soothing January menu.
Green Chicken Posole
Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
1 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and halved
1 white onion, peeled and cut into wedges
2 jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped
1 serrano chile pepper, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped
1 poblano chile pepper, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
½ bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
3 cups chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can hominy, drained and rinsed
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (equal to about half a rotisserie chicken or homemade roast chicken)
Some combination of thinly sliced radishes, crushed tortilla chips, thinly sliced green cabbage, lime wedges, roughly chopped cilantro, thinly sliced scallions, and sour cream, for garnishing
Homemade flour tortillas, for sopping (optional but delicious)
Directions:
Make the charred salsa verde:
Arrange oven rack 4-6 inches beneath broiler and preheat broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with foil, and add the tomatillos, onion, jalapeños, serrano, and poblano. (Turn on your fan — especially if you live in a small NYC apartment like I do!) Broil until charred and tender, about 6-8 minutes. Peek often — this can go fast depending on the strength of your broiler.
Transfer the charred vegetables and their juices to a food processor. Add the pumpkin seeds, cilantro, cumin, and oregano. Blitz until puréed, but don’t go crazy — a little texture can be nice. Taste and season for salt. This salsa should be smoky, complex, and delicious.
Toast the hominy:2
Preheat the oven to 400℉. Spread the hominy on a baking sheet and toast for about 12-15 minutes, until fragrant and lightly golden.
Prepare the stew:
Pour the chicken broth into a pot and season to taste with salt. Bring to a simmer, then add 2 cups of the charred salsa verde to the pot (save any remaining salsa for tortilla chips — chef’s treat!). Stir to combine, and return to a simmer. Add the toasted hominy and shredded chicken. Simmer until the hominy is plump and the chicken is warmed through. Remove from heat.
Serve it up:
Ladle the posole into bowls and pile high with toppings.
Hot Chocolate
Makes 2 espresso cups
Ingredients:3
¾ cup milk
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 tablespoon sugar
½ oz bittersweet chocolate chips
Pinch of salt
Tiny pinch of cayenne (optional)
Directions:
Add the milk, cocoa, and sugar to a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the chocolate chips and whisk to melt. Finish with the salt and optional cayenne. Serve in espresso cups!
ICYMI: December on The Dish
That’s all from me for now. Thank you for being here, and I’ll be back with more notes from the kitchen soon.
x Phoebe
My understanding is that ‘posole’ is the Americanized spelling, and it’s the spelling I saw most often in New Mexico last year, so that’s what I’m using here. In Spanish, ‘pozole’ is the accurate spelling.
A genius move from Rick Martinez that removes the tinny taste of the can and restores the corniness of the hominy. I’m never going back.
Adapted from Broma Bakery
crunching an ungodly amount of lime tortilla chips over mama’s posole in our joy lane dining room is one of my great memories
I need more posole (and pozole) in my life.