← Nouns Cooking · Mexican

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg bone-in chicken pieces
• 1 white onion, halved
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 2.5 l Water
• 2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 500 g Tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 1 Poblano chillies, seeded and chopped
• 2 jalapeño or serrano chillies, stems removed
• 40 g Pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 1 bunch coriander (about 30 g)
• 1 handful spinach or radish leaves
• 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 800 g tinned hominy (drained weight), rinsed
• ¼ small cabbage or 1 lettuce, finely shredded
• 6 Radish, thinly sliced
• ½ white onion, finely chopped
• 2 Lime, cut into wedges
• 6 tostadas (crisp-fried tortillas) (optional)

Method

1. Put the chicken, onion halves, 2 garlic cloves, salt and water in a big pot. Bring to a simmer, skim, and cook gently for 35–40 min, until the chicken is cooked through (75°C / 165°F). Lift it out, shred the meat and discard skin and bones. Keep the broth.
2. Meanwhile, simmer the tomatillos, poblano and chillies in water for 8–10 min until soft, then drain.
3. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 2–3 min, until they puff and start to pop.
4. Blend the tomatillos and chillies with the toasted seeds, coriander, spinach, the remaining garlic, the oregano and 500 ml of the broth until very smooth.
5. Heat the oil in the empty pot (or a clean one) over medium heat, pour in the green sauce and fry for 5 min, stirring, until it thickens slightly. Pour in about 1.5 litres of the broth and add the hominy.
6. Simmer for 20 min so the flavours meld, then return the chicken and heat through. Season well. Serve in deep bowls with the cabbage, radishes, onion, lime and tostadas on the side.

Tips

• Keep the green sauce at a simmer, not a hard boil, so it stays bright green.
• Pumpkin seeds aren’t tree nuts, but check for seed allergies before serving guests.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Maricruz Avalos Mexican Please My Latina Table