Recipes » Chicken » Posole (green)

Ingredients

• For the Chicken and Stock:
• 1 medium chicken, plus 2 legs and thighs (about 4 pounds total), cut up and skinned
• 3 quarts water
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 bayleaf
• 2 fresh parsley sprigs
• pinch of dried thyme
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• For the Pozole:
• 1 pound (about 2 1/4 cups) pozole
• 4 quarts water
• 1 pound (about 8 large) fresh tomatillos, husked and rinsed, or two 13-ounce cans, drained
• 2 ounces (1 small hunch or 2 cups) sorrel leaves, stems removed and leaves washed and torn
• 5 fresh cilantro sprigs
• 6 to 8 serrano or 3 to 4 jalapeno chiles to taste, stemmed and coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 2 large fresh epazote sprigs, chopped, optional
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt to taste
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• For Garnish:
• 1 small red onion, (about 1 tablespoon), finely chopped
• dried oregano, preferably Mexican
• 1 small avocado, peeled, pitted, and minced, optional
• 6 tortillas, toasted and crumbled
• 8 leaves romaine lettuce, cut crosswise into thin slivers

Preparation

The day before you wish to make the pozole, cook the chicken. Combine all the ingredients for the chicken and stock and bring to a simmer. Skim off any foam that rises. Continue to skim for a few minutes, until there is no more foam, then cover and simmer for 1 hour. Remove the chicken pieces and the bay leaf from the broth and transfer the chicken to a bowl. Strain the broth through a cheesecloth-lined strainer, cover; and refrigerate overnight. Allow the chicken to cool until you can handle the meat, then remove the meat from the bones and shred, discarding any fat. Transfer to a bowl, cover tightly, and
refrigerate overnight.
The next day, skim off and discard the fat from the top of the stock. Measure out 2 quarts of stock and set aside. Freeze whatever remains.

Rinse the pozole and combine with the water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until tender and the kernels have begun to splay Drain over a bowl and measure out 1 quart of cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, prepare the tomatillo mixture. Simmer fresh tomatillos in water to cover for 10 to 15 minutes, until tender. Drain and place in a blender (just transfer the canned tomatillos to the blender). Add the sorrel, cilantro,and chiles and blend until smooth.Heat the oil in a large heavy casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat.