Slow-Cooker Mexican-Style Chicken and Hominy Stew

By Thom7747

Why this recipe works:

For the liquid for our Mexican-style chicken and hominy stew recipe, we settled on chicken broth, as it lent not only depth of flavor but body to the stewing liquid. While traditional pozole rojo calls for dried red chiles, we found that their flavor was seriously diminished after hours of slow cooking, so we instead added chili powder along with the onions. Though the freshly rehydrated hominy produced superb results, the pozole with canned hominy was still really good and saved a significant amount of prep time.
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Serves 6 to 8

This traditional Mexican stew features tender shredded meat and hominy in a flavorful broth and is garnished with colorful raw vegetables. If you have trouble finding canned ­hominy, look for it in the international aisle of your ­supermarket. In addition to lime wedges, we recommend preparing other ­traditional garnishes of shredded lettuce, diced red onion, fresh cilantro, and sliced radish.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, minced
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano, or 2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano
• 5 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 5 teaspoons)
• Salt
• 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 (14-ounce) cans white or yellow hominy, drained and rinsed
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 5 pounds bone in chicken thighs, skin removed and trimmed
• Ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced
• 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lime
• 8 corn tortillas, warmed
• 2 limes, cut into wedges

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from cooksillustrated.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onions, tomato paste, chili powder, oregano, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the onions are softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits.

2. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker and stir in the remaining 4 cups chicken broth, hominy, tomatoes with their juice, and soy sauce until evenly combined. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and nestle it in the slow cooker. Cover and cook, either on low until the meat is tender 4 to 5 hours.

3. Transfer the meat to a platter and cool slightly. Let the stew settle for 5 minutes, then gently tilt the slow cooker and remove as much fat as ­possible from the surface using a large spoon. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken, discarding the bones and fat. Add the chicken back to the slow cooker, stir in the cilantro and lime juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the tortillas and limes wedges.