Slow Cooker Chicken Pozole - An Easy Dinner

As a family of Mexican food lovers (we grew up 15 minutes from the Mexican border), it's been rather difficult living in a country where the closest thing we can get to Mexican food is Taco Bell. (*le sigh*) I try often to make as close to "back home" Mexican food as possible with the ingredients I can find locally. Thankfully, it's been close enough to tide our cravings until we can make a trip back home to visit.

Last night I made chicken pozole. Normally, pozole is made with pork instead of chicken, but since we're in a Muslim country pork isn't available. Also, pozole is made by lovingly soaking dried chiles, blending them with other spices, onions, garlic... Mmmm...

But like I've said before, with the weather heating up I feel far less inclined to spend large amounts of time slaving in a hot kitchen. Though, I will admit, I do have air conditioning in my kitchen for specifically that purpose. At least, I'm assuming so. This is Bahrain and we are a desert island after all. Either way, I'd much rather spend my time with my son by our pool than in the kitchen cooking dinner.

Also, I don't know how many other people experience this, but when the weather starts to warm up -- I tend to eat less. In fact, our whole family does this. It's not that we're less hungry than cooler month, it just seems we've got less capacity in our stomachs. Which could be seen as a good thing, considering warmer months tend to equal less clothing. What better way to make a light, but filling, dinner than to make a slow cooked soup?

Enter the slow cooker...I love throwing things into a slow cooker because it does all the work for you and there's minimal clean up.

My family really enjoyed this soup and I hope you enjoy it too!

Slow Cooker Chicken Pozole

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

6 chicken thighs, skin removed
1 (15 oz) can white hominy, rinsed and drained*
3 cups good quality chicken stock

2 (14.5 oz) cans of diced tomatoes

1 (4 oz) canned diced mild green chiles
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
3 scallions, both green and white parts, sliced thinly
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 TBSP cumin
2 tsp light ancho chili powder
1 1/2 tsp Mexican oregano
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt, or to taste

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

 

Optional Toppings:
Chopped cilantro
Queso Fresco or Monterey Jack cheese
Radishes, shredded (using the large holes on your grater) or thinly sliced
Avocado, diced
Sour cream
Cabbage, shredded
Lime, cut into wedges
Warm tortillas or tortilla chips (I like to make my own corn tortillas, fresh is always better)

*Hominy is preferred, but if your stores don't carry it, you can substitute whole kernel corn 

Directions:

1. Place chicken thighs in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients, and stir to combine.

2. Cover and cook on low for 5 – 6 hours, or until chicken and carrots are cooked through and tender. Once tender, remove the chicken from the slow cooker and pull the meat from the bones and shred with two forks. Return the chicken to the slow cooker, and stir to combine.  Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with desired toppings.

3. If you like by using frozen chicken thighs, you can extend the cooking time on low and let it run 8 hours or more if needed. And no need to worry about the skins in that case – just remove the skin when you pull the chicken to shred it.