Pozole Verde de Pollo (Green Chicken and Hominy Soup)

• 400 g dried peeled hominy (maíz pozolero), soaked overnight – or 550 g pre-cooked hominy
• 4½ litres water for cooking the corn (about 2 litres stays as broth)
• 2 heads garlic, halved (removed before serving)
• 1 onion (removed before serving)
• 1¾ kg chicken pieces (legs and thighs), skin removed from some
• 2¼ tsp salt, added once the corn has burst open
• 100 g pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
• 2 poblano chillies, charred and peeled
• 400 g tomatillos (tomate verde)
• 2 jalapeños
• ½ onion
• 6–8 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ¾ cup water for blending
• 1 small bunch spinach
• 1 bunch coriander
• 1 bunch radish leaves
• epazote leaves from 3 sprigs
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp salt for the salsa
• chopped serrano chilli, to serve
• lime wedges, to serve
• shredded lettuce, to serve
• chopped onion, to serve
• sliced radishes, to serve
• avocado, to serve
• extra dried oregano, to serve

Method

Tap a time to watch that step on YouTube.

1. Bring the dried hominy to the boil for 3–4 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave it to soak overnight. Drain and pinch off the hard tip of each kernel so it blooms. (Pre-cooked hominy just needs rinsing until the water runs clear.) 0:49
2. Add the hominy to plenty of boiling water (7–10 cm above the corn) with the halved garlic and the onion. Simmer unsalted for about 1½ hours until the kernels burst open, topping up with very hot water. 1:54
3. Add the chicken pieces and the salt and simmer about 45 minutes until cooked. Lift out the chicken to cool and shred it; discard the garlic and onion. 3:26
4. For the salsa, toast the pepitas in a dry pan until they puff, and char, sweat and peel the poblanos. Simmer the tomatillos and jalapeños until soft without letting them burst, then seed the jalapeños. 2:36
5. Blend the poblanos, tomatillos, jalapeños, pepitas, ½ onion, garlic and oregano with the ¾ cup water, then add the spinach, coriander, radish leaves and epazote and blend until very smooth. 4:07
6. Fry the salsa in the oil with 1 tsp salt for about 20 minutes, stirring. Pour it into the pozole, return the chicken and simmer a few minutes. Serve with serrano, lime, lettuce, onion, radish, avocado and oregano. 5:54

Tip. Serves about 10 (our estimate). Time excludes the overnight soak. Removing some chicken skin keeps the broth lighter. Freezes well without the fresh toppings. Pre-cooked hominy works the same way after a good rinse.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.