Posole Rojo

Staff recipe from Miguel

Written by Leslie O'Neil

Long time Oregonian and passionate chef and Ag Connect Cooperative’s superstar sales/wholesale manager, Miguel Mendoza, came to ACC from the local Bend restaurant scene. His last stop before heading over to this side of the food industry was at Tetherow as their banquet chef. This recipe is a riff off his popular Posole Rojo from his time there. And, as the snow piles up outside, a warming chicken soup sounds pretty perfect right about now!

{Image of Chicken Posole Rojo from Kristen of Slender Kitchen shown topped with green onions and cilantro}

Posole (or pozole) rojo is a traditional Mexican stew made with dried red chiles, hominy, and either pork shoulder or stewing chicken – think meats that need long, slow, cooking times. We’re sharing this as a con pollo (with chicken) variation to celebrate the stewing hens we have available from our friends and partners at Home Farm Foods in Culver, Oregon. The rich stew is a celebratory dish often served around Christmas, New Year’s, and birthdays or other celebrations. Serve topped with finely shredded cabbage, onions, radish slices, and cilantro (or sub parsley). This is a really great way to use your purple daikon radish, cabbage, and red onions from recent harvest boxes.  

{Images from @AmandaPhotographic of garlic, parsley, yellow onions, and oregano from ACC partner farms Deschutes Canyon Garlic, Sungrounded Farm, Boundless Farmstead, and Groundwork Organics}

Key ingredient: hominy. So what is it? Hominy is technically dried field corn but the kernels have gone through a process called nixtamalization that makes the corn more easily digestible and unlocks the nutritional content of the kernels. Rather than wax eloquent here, I highly recommend a quick Google search or check out the Food Network’s description: they do an excellent job describing what it is, how it’s made, the nutritional benefits, and what it tastes like.

{Stock image of hominy}

If you want something a bit more familiar, you could sub in white beans or pinto beans for similar textures but you’ll want to avoid regular corn kernels as they won’t hold up to the long cooking process. You’ll also lose some of the inherent earthy nuttiness provided by the hominy but you’ll still end up with a hearty and filling stew.

 

Posole Rojo con Pollo (serves 6-8)

Ingredients:

4 or 5 dried guajillo chilis

4 or 5 dried ancho chilis

8 ounces diced or crushed tomatoes

6 cloves garlic (2 smashed, 4 minced)

Kosher salt

2-3 pounds whole stewing chicken (recommend breaking down the chicken into parts to better fit into the pot but leaving the bones in)

Michelada spice rub (mix of red chile, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt, and cumin)

2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil

1 large white or yellow onion, finely chopped

8 Cups chicken or vegetable stock (low or no sodium)

1 Tablespoon dried Mexican oregano

1 bay leaf

3 x 15 ounce cans white hominy, drained and rinsed

Sliced avocado, shredded cabbage, diced onions, sliced radishes, finely chopped cilantro or parsley for topping.

 

Process:

Completely thaw the chicken if starting from frozen and break down into parts if using a whole hen. Rub the Michelada spice mix all over the chicken (use enough for a good coating) and set aside.

{Stock image of a whole stewing hen}

Break the stems off the guajillo and ancho chilis and shake out as many seeds as possible. Put the chilis in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Weigh the chilis down with a plate to keep them submerged. Soak until soft, about 30 minutes. Transfer the chilies plus 1½ Cups of the soaking liquid and the diced tomatoes into a blender. Add the smashed garlic and ½ teaspoon salt and blend until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl and push the sauce through the mesh with a rubber spatula. Compost the solids or save to make veggie stock.

 

Heat your oil in a dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add finely chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft (about 5 minutes). Add the minced garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and push the onion and garlic to one side of the pot. Add the chicken to the other side and sear, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides (about 5 minutes).

Stir in 2 cups of water plus the chicken or veggie stock, oregano, bay leaf, ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ - ¾ cups of the rojo sauce (depending on your taste). Bring to low boil then reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Partially cover and cook, turning the chicken a few times until the meat is tender (2-3 hours). Continue to simmer uncovered until the chicken begins to fall off the bone (about 30 minutes-1 hour).

Remove the bay leaf and stir in the hominy. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, remove the bones, and shred the meat. Return the shredded chicken to the pot. Add some water or stock to the posole if it’s too thick. Taste and season with salt, if needed. Serve with assorted toppings (see notes above) and the extra chili sauce.

If you’d like to add more veggies to add further layers of flavor and to use up what’s in your cupboards and fridge, here’s a few recommended, seasonal, options:

1. Add 1-2 cups carrots, finely chopped, to the pot alongside the onions before adding the chicken to brown. 
2. Another really tasty option would be winter squash: Add ½ inch chunks of butternut (peel first), sweet dumpling, kabocha, or acorn squash to the soup during the last hour of cooking. You may need to add a bit more water or stock at this time to keep all the ingredients submerged.

Whether you follow the recipe exactly or augment it, we hope you enjoy!