BOOM! Another recipe for your enjoyment.  Chicken Posole Verde. This one is courtesy of a tour that I took in Iowa with the Iowa Corn Board, and chicken thighs. Yes. I really, really like chicken thighs. This one can be made in the morning and heated up for your enjoyment later. It’s REALLY good y’all. If you don’t want to hear about hominy or my trip to the number one producer of corn’s state, you can jump to the recipe right now. 

Before I go on, I’m going to answer the question that you have. How in the world does this connect to corn? Well, it has hominy in it, and now you’ll love me forever. Hominy is a maize or corn, for those of us in the US, that is treated with an alkaline – or lye. It’s not harmful to you, so keep your britches on. Learning about this during the Iowa Corn Quest was probably one of the highlights for me. 

For those of you who don’t know by now, Iowa is the United States leading producer of corn with Illinois and Indiana coming in for a second and third spot. Something about those ‘I’ states. The placement of the states makes it easy to ship corn down the Mississippi River for dispersal as needed. 

Posole, also spelled pozole, means “hominy”, is a traditional soup or stew from Mexico. It is made from hominy, with meat, and can be seasoned and garnished with shredded cabbage, chile peppers, onion, garlic, radishes, avocado, salsa or limes. Posole is typically served on New Year’s Eve to celebrate the new year. We eat it as soon as the temperature drops a bit in the city, and we love it because it’s so economical for a family of 6. 

What I loved the most about making this dish several years ago was figuring out uses of hominy. I knew it existed. I knew where to find it in my grocery store, but I didn’t know how to use it, and I wanted to do it justice. This dish definitely does that. I also know that I’ve done a very good job when Mr. Houseful comes back for seconds or thirds BEFORE sending compliments to the chef. This is also a great dish to have little helpers assist with. If you’re comfortable with them chopping – or pressing buttons on the blender, you can have all hands on deck. 

You may have all of the things in your pantry already, but just in case you’re reading this at work, make sure to check your pantry and fridge for chicken thighs, chicken broth, poblano peppers, jalapenos, tomatillos, salt & pepper, cilantro, dried oregano, and canned hominy. 

Remember, with any recipe, you are free to tweak the ingredients to suit your tastes as you see fit. Don’t like spice, don’t add a bunch of it! Want more spice – ADD IT! That’s the joy of recipes in general. They are a starting point for you, and then you can go crazy making it to your liking. 

You can also use chicken breasts in this, but why would you. While I raise chickens and totally respect all parts of the chicken variety, breasts tend to not be as flavorful as the darker meat. You know why? Because they do nothing but showcase chicken superiority. Thighs and legs get a fantastic workout from all of the scratching and running that chickens do, therefore, making taste buds happy. I know. Too much circle of life storytelling here, but you should already know me by now, right? 

Why not try to whip some up before the year is over. I’m pretty positive you won’t be disappointed!

Chicken Posole Verde