EVERGREENS AND TOMATOES
About the Recipe
Light summer soup to use up all of those tomatillos you have in your garden
Ingredients
Can be made vegetarian by omitting the chicken and swapping the chicken broth for vegetable broth
2 large chicken breasts
1.5 lbs tomatillos
1 Tbsp canola or avocado oil
1/3 cup fresh cilantro
7-8 hatch peppers - if hatch peppers not available you can use 3-4 poblanos or 1-2 jalapenos
4-5 large garlic clove
1 sweet onion Cilantro
2 25-oz cans hominy
6 cups chicken broth
Salt to taste
Garnish:
Sour cream
Radish
Limes
Avocado
Preparation
Step 1: Roast Tomatillos and Peppers
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
Cut the tops off of the hatch peppers, remove seeds, and cut peppers in halves. Toss halved peppers and tomatillos in canola oil separately, and then add to separate pans lined with parchment paper in a single layer with the pepper skins facing up.
Transfer the pans to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cool to the touch remove the skins from the roasted peppers and discard.
Add the tomatillos, cilantro, and peppers to a mixing bowl and blend with an immersion blender and set aside.
Step 2: Sear and Roast Chicken
Remove chicken from fridge and sprinkle the chicken lightly with salt and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes
Preheat oven to 350 degreesPlace seasoned cast iron pan on stove top at medium. To test whether the pan is ready drop a couple drops of water into the pan and you want it to sizzle and evaporate almost instantly. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Coat the chicken with a high smoke point oil (avocado or canola work well) and then place the breasts in the pan and sear for around 2-3 minutes on the first side and 1 minute on the opposite side.
Transfer pan to the oven and roast for 15 minutes or until the internal temperature is 160 degrees. The temperature will continue to rise once it is removed from the oven and will land around 165 degrees
Step 3: Bring them all together
Dice the onion and mince the garlic cloves
Place a large pot on stovetop at medium and add the 1 Tbsp of canola oil
Once the pot has heated up, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute then add the diced onions and cook until they are translucent.
Add 6 cups of chicken or vegetable broth and bring to a simmer.
Add in tomatillo, pepper, and cilantro mixture as well as 2 25-ounce cans of hominy and bring back to simmer then turn off stovetop.
Dice up the chicken and add to bowl the pozole is being served in and then ladle over the soup.
Top with sour cream, cilatro, radishes, avocado, and queso fresco and serve
Enjoy!