If your plans for 2017 include eating healthy, this chicken posole soup is for you! While I used meat, it could easily be made vegan, and is already a gluten free recipe, making it perfect to feed a crowd. This chicken posole soup warms the body and the soul, and is perfect for chilly winter nights.
Chicken posole soup ingredients:
- 2 tbs canola oil
- 6 baby bell peppers (I used red, orange, and yellow)
- 1 small yellow onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp oregano (divided)
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 25oz can hominy, rinsed and drained
- 3 cups of your favorite stock (I used pork stock made from rib bones, but you can easily use chicken or veggie)
- 1 cup water
- 1-2 tsp adobo sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo
Start by cleaning the chicken, removing any fat or nasty parts. Season with salt, pepper, and ½ tsp oregano. In a heavy bottomed pan, heat 1 tbs canola oil on medium high, and brown the chicken. Don’t worry if it is fully cooked because it will simmer in the soup, but make sure it has a nice golden brown crust, (about 5-8 minutes per side).
While the chicken is browning, remove the stems from bell peppers, and peel the onion and garlic. No need to chop the garlic but roughly chop the onion and peppers. Place onions, garlic, and pepper in a food processor and blend until everything is ground up pretty well. You want it to look like a slightly smoother relish. You can blend it until it’s all the way smooth, but I like some texture.
Next, remove the chicken from the pot and set aside in a bowl. Add in the additional oil, and the onion/pepper paste. Sauté until some of the liquid is evaporated and there are brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Add in the stock and water, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Bring everything to a simmer and add the rinsed hominy.
While the soup is coming to a simmer, take 2 forks and shred the chicken. You can also cube it, but I like the look and texture of shredding it. It feels more rustic to me.
Add the shredded chicken along with the adobo sauce to the simmering soup, and let it simmer for an additional 5-10 minutes. I usually serve this chicken posole soup with quesadillas, but it’s really filling on its own if you’re on a health kick. Enjoy!