White Chicken Posole

We arrived at the Nickel and Dime last night at 11 p.m., road weary but happy to be back. Visiting relatives and friends in SoCal is always fun, but there's a sigh of relief as we turn onto the dirt road for the final miles to our place. I flipped off the radio so we could have some blessed silence as we made our way home. Ten hours of satellite radio will do anyone in. Just saying.

We came home to temps in the 20's, dropping into the single digits tonight and tomorrow. Today I did a little Facebook catching up and saw a friend's abuelita (grandma) making posole for New Year's. Ahh. Posole and a grandma making soup for the holidays is something special and worth memorializing anywhere. I could almost smell the chiles and the comforting broth and thought, "Dang, I want some of that!" 

Posole, sometimes spelled pozole, is a lightly spiced, hominy soup made with pork or chicken, but here I've opted for chicken. With the added garnishes, it makes a satisfying lunch or dinner and not just for the holidays.

This recipe is a quick and easy version, so you should be done cooking in about 30 minutes, which is definitely a winner. I won't be making posole tomorrow, but with these cold temps, you can bet it will be on the menu sometime soon.

Chicken Posole

Ingredients

1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, diced
1 t dried thyme
Salt and pepper
2 T olive oil
1 large onion
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (remove seeds and veins)
2 cloves minced garlic
3 small cans diced green chiles (or to taste)
4 c chicken broth
2 15 oz. cans hominy, drained

Optional garnishes: Cubed or sliced avocado, chopped radishes, chopped cilantro, salsa, lime wedges, shredded cabbage or lettuce, tortilla chips



Directions

1. Toss the diced chicken with 1/2 t thyme and some salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, jalapeno and garlic and cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add chiles and the remaining thyme. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

3. Add the broth, hominy and chicken to the saucepan. Cover and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 10 minutes. Garnish to your heart's content.

And remember what your abuelita always says: "Eat your posole while it's hot!"