Top Chef Tuesday: Soup's Up!

I can’t believe I’m doing this again. Like humanity depends on women forgetting how awful childbirth is, so too are the rigors of making these episodes…well, maybe not that hard. Last week was the premier of Top Chef Season 21 in Wisconsin and the chefs were challenged to make either a roast chicken, pasta, or soup, depending on which knife they drew from the block. The winning dish was an amazing looking pozole (or posole) verde. How does one get a green pozole (as opposed to the more common pork pozole which is red)? By using green peppers and tomatillos, of course. But, if you want to really impress your family, friends, and guests, you should make your own stock.  I’ve got you covered in my latest episode from making stock, to roasting vegetables, and the hominy as well as a bunch of extra tips and tricks! This soup is sure to please. Even my girls didn’t care that it was a little spicy for them, because the tasty crema cooled their little palates.

Chicken Pozole Verde

• 2 large white Onions

• 1 green bell pepper

• 10 large cloves of garlic

• ~4 lb Chicken

• 2 sprigs of fresh oregano

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 poblano and Anaheim peppers

• 3 jalapeno peppers

• 10 tomatillos, peeled and rinsed

• Cilantro

• 2 cans of hominy

• 1 tbsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• Several limes

• Sour Cream

• Green onions

• 2 avocados

• Radish

• Iceberg lettuce or green cabbage 

• Chicharrónes or tortilla chips
  

Rough chop one onion, the bell pepper, and 4 cloves of garlic. 

Heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large dutch oven, set over medium heat, and sauté the onion and pepper with a pinch of salt, for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, stir in the garlic and cook for another minute. 

Meanwhile, dry and season the chicken with kosher salt and black pepper. Move all of the veggies to the perimeter of the pot and place the chicken breast-side down and brown for about 4 minutes, increasing the heat to medium-high. 

After 4 minutes flip the chicken and brown for 3 minutes on the underside. Then, add in the oregano and bay leaves, followed by 16 cups of water, a tablespoon of salt and some black pepper.

Increase the heat to high and boil uncovered for about an hour. After 45 minutes, flip the chicken breast-side down and cook for another 10 minutes. 

While the stock cooks, place the remaining peppers, tomatillos, and remaining 6 cloves of garlic on a baking sheet, lightly coated with cooking spray, and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes and let the peppers cool for about 10 minutes.

Once the peppers have cooled, remove the stems and seeds within and rough chop, adding them to a blender with the tomatillos and garlic. Remove the outer layer of skin from the onion and chop into large chunks and add them to the blender, along with a ladleful of cooking stock water and blend. Reserve.

Drain and rinse the hominy and place on the baking sheet and place in the oven. Roast for 20 minutes and reserve. 

Once the chicken is done, remove it from the pot and allow it to cool. Pour the pot liquid through a sieve, into a large bowl and reserve the stock. Once the chicken has cooled remove the skin and pull the meat from the bones. Shred the meat and discard the carcass. 

Briefly rinse and wipe out the pot. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and return to the burner set on medium heat. Add in the tomatillo-pepper mixture from the blender (but do not clean out the blender). Season with salt and pepper, adding in the cumin and coriander as well. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Then, add in the reserved stock and return to a simmer. 

Once simmering, place 2 ladlefuls of stock into the blender, along with the leaves of a bunch of cilantro. Blend and reserve.

Taste the stock for any seasoning needs - you will likely need to add some salt. Once the flavor is good, add in the roasted hominy and cook for 5 minutes. 

After 5 minutes, add in the chicken, just to warm through. 

While the soup is simmering, prepare your toppings: combine some lime juice, minced cilantro, and sour cream in a bowl to make a crema. Thinly slice the green onions, radishes, and lettuce. Cut a lime into wedges and dice the avocados, dressing them with some lime juice and sea salt. 

Add in the reserved cilantro/stock mixture from the blender, along with the juice of one lime. Taste one final time for any seasoning adjustments. 

Serve in bowls, along with the toppings, adding on some chicharrónes or tortilla chips. ______________________________ Copyright 2024, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.