Quick Chicken Pozole

The challenge

Achieving tender, flavorful, long-cooked meat for pozole, a thick, hearty Mexican stew accented with hominy, onion, and garlic.

The convention

Spending several hours stewing cuts of pork or chicken.

The quickie

Tossing in flavorful, already-cooked rotisserie chicken from the supermarket.

HOW THE QUICKIE WORKS

• Rotisserie chicken, which has already been seasoned and well-cooked, is shredded into bite-size pieces and added to the soup at the end to simply be warmed through
• Using canned diced tomatoes and canned hominy instead of dried saves soaking and cooking time
• Everything comes together easily and quickly in a Dutch oven on the stove

HOW THE QUICKIE COOKS UP

Pozole is usually seasoned with fresh Mexican oregano, which can be difficult to find; we found fresh Mediterranean oregano works just as well. We wait to add the chicken until just before serving to ensure it does not overcook. Pozole can be served with a variety of garnishes, including diced avocado, thinly sliced cabbage or romaine lettuce, minced onion, red pepper flakes, diced radishes, lime wedges, and tortilla chips.