hatch chile chicken pozole.
roasted hatch chile peppers, native to New Mexico, make the perfect spicy addition to this hearty green chicken pozole soup.
Serves: 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes jump to recipe.
Last time I was in New Mexico, I scoured some lunch menus and planned an afternoon at a local café. Knowing it was their specialty, I ordered a cup of pozole and ate it on the veranda outside, enjoying the warm air and subtle breeze. It was one thing I had really wanted out of our trip, a simple cup of pozole, and enjoying it on that patio was everything I could have asked for.
People who know me really, really well know how much I love pozole. Or maybe they don’t, honestly, because I really don’t talk about it often. It’s one of those things I really prefer not to make at home, whether because I like my memories of New Mexico pozoles too much or because I’m too darned lazy. Truth is, it’s easy to make and will absolutely taste just as good as any pozole you’ve ever had. Promise, you don’t have to dream about it until you go back to the southwest, especially if you can get your hands on hatch chiles.
Pozole (or posole) is a Mexican soup not dissimilar to chicken noodle soup. The differences are notable, though: pozole is made with chiles and hominy, a kernel of maize that is like a large, squishy piece of corn. Hominy is what makes pozole so good and the best way I can describe why is to tell you that it smells like baking tortilla chips. You know…that fresh toasted corn smell? It’s that.
Paired with chiles in a cozy, warming soup, hominy is almost better than any noodle could ever be. All you need to complete such a soup is tomatillos and, of course, hatch chiles.
All about hatch chiles
If you live in the southwest, you’re welcome to skip this section altogether.
For everybody else: hatch chiles are a large green pepper grown in the Hatch valley of New Mexico. They only have one growing season and it’s through summer, so you’ll likely only ever see them around August and September. They’re very similar to poblano peppers but lighter in color and (in my opinion) much spicier. In general, though, you can prepare and use them the same way.
If you stumble across a sale on roasted hatch chiles, I highly recommend buying them. From one lazy cook to another: this is a game changer. Especially in the summer, when the last thing you want to do is turn on the oven or broiler? Um, yes. Thank you, grocery people.
The vast majority of stores selling hatch peppers, though, will be selling them as regular, raw, waxy peppers. Don’t worry about it, just take a handful and roast them.
Roasting hatch chiles
If I was smarter, I’d make a whole recipe page about roasting peppers. The truth is, it’s just a technique, and there’s really no recipe to follow. The idea is to remove the waxy, bitter skins. To do this:
Turn the broiler to high
Place peppers under broiler, nice and close
Blister. As much as possible — so about 10 minutes, flipping often
Remove from the oven and drop into a bowl. Tightly cover with plastic wrap. Watch it sweat.
Let the peppers cool, then peel off the skins. Voila — ready to use.
And if you are lucky enough to have a gas stove, just use that. My mom has a fancy colander-like bowl that makes it easy, but you can also just plop the pepper onto the flame and use heat-proof tongs to flip it. This is way fast and easy to control. Yes, I am forever jealous of those with gas stoves.
what hatch chiles look like after roasting and peeling.
hatch chile chicken pozole ingredients
mirepoix: Minus carrots, that is. Celery, onion, garlic. Go ahead and grab more garlic than you think you’ll need. It’ll be worthwhile. Celery is a “me” thing, it’s not very authentic, but I love the addition of the crunchy stalks. If you don’t have any on hand, it won’t make or break the soup.
chicken: I used thighs because they are more tender, but swapping for breasts won’t change the dish at all. In fact, pozole is often made with whole chicken, so if you’re feeling ambitious you can try bone-in cuts, too.
chicken broth: Truthfully, I almost always use half-broth, half-water. It’s because I hate buying broth, so if I need more than one box, I’m using water. Again, traditional pozole is often made with just water, taking flavor from the chicken bones and garlic. Using broth is a shortcut for flavor. If you are really in a bind, try using chicken bouillon cubes for more flavor. Worst case, use a lot of salt.
hominy: These are kernels of maize, similar to a big, squishy corn. They’re white and look a little bit like chickpeas. These should be at any grocery store, but will more than likely be in the international aisle since their usage is, largely, for pozole. That being said, they’ll almost certainly be at your local Hispanic market. I used La Preferieda, and I used the 1-pound can. If you’re doubling the batch, go for those giant cans.
spices: I actually only used cumin, salt, and pepper here. I’m not sure what else you’d need, considering that there are already fresh peppers, garlic, onion, and cilantro in the soup already. I blended whole cumin into the salsa verde, but you can totally use ground cumin directly in the soup, too.
tomatillos: I find these easiest to buy at the Hispanic market, but these should be anywhere. They’re located near the tomatoes, usually, and look like little green tomatoes in a crispy husk. Don’t let their facade fool you, these feel sticky and taste weird raw.
hatch chiles: You’ll find these around August and September in stores that stock them — in my experience, usually local markets and smaller grocery stores have them over big-box stores (like Walmart, Kroger, Jewel). Try Sendik’s, Heinen’s, or whatever your local grocery is. If they’re nowhere to be found, swap for roasted poblanos, jalapeños, or for a real kick, serranos.
cilantro: Just a small handful into the salsa and another small handful for serving. This helps with the heat. If you hate cilantro, just leave it out. It doesn’t make or break the soup.
lime: Again, mostly for calming the spice. I highly recommend a good squeeze of lime into the soup, though, because the acid really balances the richness well.
hominy is stored in cans with liquid, like beans. Drain them well.
Before adding the salsa, it’ll look more brownish-green.
hatch chile chicken pozole pairing options
I’ve often seen pozole used as a side dish or appetizer rather than a main course. Of course, it’s plenty filling, and there’s no reason you can’t eat a bowl on its own for dinner. However, if you’re looking for entrees to pair with, appetizers to serve alongside, or just toppings, here are some ideas:
fresh tortilla chips
sliced avocado
guacamole and chips
shaved cabbage or lettuce
carnitas
sweet potato flautas
burritos (New mexico style, with red and green sauce)
tequila shrimp
vinho verde
blended tomatillos and peppers. should look (and taste) like a hot salsa verde.
