Shrimp and Chicken Pozolé Verde
Ingredients
- For the broth:
- 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 ½ pounds bone-in skin-on chicken breasts, If you have a little more or a little less than 2 ½ pounds, it's fine.
- 3 15- ounce cans hominey divided
- ½ medium bunch cilantro cilantro can really vary in size, my bunch was right around 2.5 ounces
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- For the tomatillo puree:
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 ½ pound tomatillos husked and halved 7-8*
- 1 small white onion quartered
- 2 medium poblano chiles cored, seeded, and quartered
- 1-2 jalapenos de-seeded and roughly chopped (depends on how hot you like it)**
- 6 medium cloves large garlic cloves smashed
- 1 medium large bunch chopped cilantro cilantro can really vary in size. You want a 2-2 ½ ounce bunch. Rinsed well and drained.
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- To finish the pozolé:
- 1 16- ounce package super sweet frozen corn
- 1 ½ pounds large shrimp
- sliced avocados roasted, salted pumpkin seeds, finely chopped cilantro and thinly sliced radishes for garnish, if desired
Instructions
-
Combine broth, chicken breasts, one can hominy (drained and rinsed), cilantro and salt in a large Dutch oven or stock pot. Bring liquid to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Keep covered, turn heat off and let pot sit for 15 minutes.
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Remove chicken breasts with a tongs to a plate or bowl to cool. Return broth in pan to a medium simmer, cover and cook for another 20 minutes. Hominy will be soft and beginning to "melt" into the broth. Discard cilantro***.
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Bring broth mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the remaining two cans of hominy (drained and rinsed) to the simmering broth along with the oregano. Simmer for 30 minutes.
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When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove skin and bones and shred meat. Set aside.****
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In a blender container, combine the broth, tomatillos, onion, poblano, jalapeño, garlic, cilantro, salt and pepper. Puree until smooth, scraping down sides of blender, if necessary. If mixture is too thick to blend well, you can add a bit more chicken broth
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In a separate pot (There's not a huge amount of this puree, but I like to use a deep pot as the mixture will spatter when it hits the hot oil), heat the vegetable oil until shimmering. Add the tomatillo puree and bring to a boil, reduce to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for 1-2 minutes. Set aside, off of the burner.
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Add shredded chicken and corn to broth, return to a boil. Add shrimp, cover and remove from heat for 5 minutes. Remove cover, add the tomatillo puree. Stir well and serve. Top with avocados slices, roasted, salted pumpkin seeds, finely chopped cilantro and thinly sliced radishes.
Recipe Notes
* Tomatillos look like green tomatoes with a papery covering. The covering can be kind of sticky and hard to remove. I remove the covering under cold, running water and it comes off really easily. Start at the bottom and peel towards the top (stem end) then just twist the whole peel off at once.
** Start out with 1 jalapeño and all the other ingredients. Taste and add more heat, if desired by adding the second jalapeño.
*** I really like to leave the skin on the chicken breasts as it imparts great flavor to the broth. It does add a bit more fat. if I have time, I make the broth in advance, then refrigerate it overnight. The fat will have solidified and it can be easily removed, making the soup lower in fat. Then I proceed with the rest of the recipe.
**** Recipe can be prepared in advance through step 4. Cool and refrigerate broth mixture, tomatillo puree and shredded chicken separately. 20-30 minutes before serving, proceed with recipe, starting at step 4.