Hominy & Jalapeno Chicken Soup

When it's below 10 outside you know it's time for some soup. Especially if you plan on staying inside to watch the 2014 Winter Olympics. Every night we just turned on whatever event is playing. The event we like the most is curling. Unfortunately it seems to be the only event that plays in the middle of the night where we live. As long as we wake up at 3 am we can watch it. Probably won't happen as much as we want. :) 

This is a fantastic flavorful Mexican style soup. It's great because you can really dial the spice up or down, depending on how you like it. The original recipe called for the peppers to be seeded, but I know in this household we want to be breathing fire! So I decided to leave in the seeds, as well as adding a little more chili powder. For us it still wasn't as spicy as we like, so my husband ended up adding a little hot sauce to his third helping. Pretty sure after his third bowl I knew this dish got a double thumbs up. Along with being tasteful, this recipe was also very easy. It requires time, but most of that time doesn't require any action. So if you want a simple but exotic dish, here you go! 

The original recipe called for a whole cut up chicken, but when I was at the store I found the leg quarters to be on sale. You could really use any piece of the chicken; white meat, dark meat, etc. Just use what you like, and maybe whats cheap.

Be careful when you handle the chicken in the pot, it is very hot and the oil will most likely pop. I was hit a few times, but I survived. :)

This is what it looks like to crush the garlic. After roughly chopping, take the blade of the knife and slide it over the garlic; pressing down with your fingers. This releases the juices and makes it much more potent in any dish.

This is how I tend to measure my spices. I hate dishes and will try to avoid dirtying more than I have to!

Hominy & Jalapeno Chicken Soup
adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray volume Jan/Feb 2013

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3-3.5 lbs chicken (a whole cut up chicken/chicken legs/breasts)
Salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped
2 jalapeno chilies, stemmed, seeded (if you do not like spicy)*, and thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped and crushed
1 tablespoon chili powder, or more to taste
1.5 cups chicken broth
1 cup canned hominy, drained
1 small bunch of cilantro, stems discarded roughly chopped
1 lime, cut into 6 wedges
Sour cream for topping (if desired)

Directions:

1. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the oil over high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Working in batches if necessary, add the chicken to the pot in a single layer. Cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
2. Lower the heat to medium and discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pot. (Be careful the fat is very hot.) Add the onion, half of the jalapeno, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, then stir in chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. 
3. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot. Add the hominy and enough water to just cover the chicken (from me it was about 2 1/4 cups). Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, cover and cook for 40 minutes. Remove the chicken pieces and let cool slightly. Shred the meat and return to the pot (discard skin and bones).
4. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with remaining jalapenos and the cilantro. Serve with lime wedges, sour cream (if desired) and an extra sprinkle of salt and pepper. 

*To seed the jalapeno: After cutting off the stem take a small pairing knife; holding the jalapeno in one hand, carefully slide the knife along the inside of the pepper removing the membrane and seeds. 

Serves 2-4