Slow cooker chicken posole - we made this tonight - it was really spectacular

[NRaleighLiberal]

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-posole/ is the source - but I made some modifications.

Ingredients -

2 lbs boneless chicken breasts
1 jar (16 oz) red Enchilada sauce
1 jar (16 oz) green Enchilada sauce
1 jar (16 oz) green tomatillo cooking sauce
3 (16 oz) cans white hominy - I actually used 1 yellow and 2 white
1 onion and 4 clovers of garlic, minced in a food chopper
1 can (8 oz) chopped green chiles
1 tbsp good quality chile powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
4 cups chicken stock

toppings - shredded fresh cabbage, chopped scallions, chopped cilantro leaves, grated cheddar cheese, fresh lime quarters

This is how easy it was...

At 9 AM, I got out the slow cooker and put in the cooking pan all ingredients except the hominy into the slow cooker, set on low (8 hours) and went on with my day.

At 3 PM I added the hominy - I drained off some of the liquid from the cans (when it ran clear), but stopped as it got more viscous - just dumped the hominy and remaining liquid into the soup.

At 4 PM, I removed the chicken breasts and using 2 forks, shredded them, then returned the chicken to the soup.

We ate at 6 PM, putting some cabbage in large bowls then ladeling the soup over the top, and adding scallions, cilantro and cheese - and the juice of a quarter lime onto the soup. We served it with warm tortillas.

the heat level is medium - I rank it a 4 out of 10, bringing out a bit of a sniffle - but it is a great soup for a chilly evening!

[Warpy]

1. Posole verde is one of my go-to winter soups

One pound of frozen posole, cook until it "pops." Anyone who has ever cooked it knows what I mean, it takes about 90 minutes at a simmer.

Saute a package of ground turkey. Add chopped onion and garlic. In a blender, put cooked (for 15 minutes) tomatillos and chile peppers. I use jalapenos for flavor, serranos for heat. Pour the liquefied mixture over the cooked turkey and warm through. Leave a cup of water in with the cooked hominy, add green stuff, and add water to cover. Swirl in some Better than Bouillion, cover and simmer for half an hour so all the flavors will blend.

I usually eat the stuff without toppings, although I do like a squirt of lime. Pico de Gallo is also good because it's really hard to get enough heat into this soup.

I look forward to cold weather every year because it's soup season and this is one of my favorites.

[grasswire]

2. I don't think I've ever seen frozen posole.

Could try a Latin market, though.

[Warpy]

5. This is a border state, so it's in all the supermarkets

and health food stores. It cooks a lot more quickly than the dried stuff, which can take 4 hours at this altitude.

[grasswire]

3. sounds delicious

I'll bet the aroma was heady!

How much do you think this makes?

[NRaleighLiberal]

4. My wife and I had big bowls (and small seconds) for dinner - and there will be enough

for another dinner, and perhaps lunch portions as well.....so I would say feeds 6-8 depending upon the appetite!

[Warpy]

6. Everybody will demand seconds, so make enough for an army.

That's what I did when I brought coals to Newcastle by making it for a pot luck at work.

I made it with turkey instead of pork because I had both Jewish and Muslim coworkers. I liked it so much and I dislike pork so much that I kept on making it with turkey.

It's just one of those incredibly comforting winter foods. They're predicting snow here this weekend, so I'll get the fixings on Thursday.

[northoftheborder]

7. Help for a non-slow-cooker owner?

I keep seeing delicious recipes for slow cooking like this one, and wonder what temperature your average cookers use, say at medium. My lowest oven temperature is 170 F, so I'm wondering if I could use my oven as a slow cooker.

[NRaleighLiberal]

8. Here's what I would do....

In a large stove top covered pot, saute the chicken breasts until lightly browned in 1 tbsp oil - then add everything else except the hominy. (stock, sauces, spices) - bring to a boil, then lower to a slow simmer, with the pot mostly covered (let just a bit of steam escape) - simmer for 3 hours, then remove the chicken and shred - return to the pot, add the hominy, adjust spices (more cumin, chile powder, oregano to taste) - let it simmer another 30 min.

So it can be a stove top recipe - maybe start it at 1 PM for dinner time. Should work fine!

[northoftheborder]

9. Thanks, I might try it that way. That's how I do stew, on stove top, at slow simmer, 2-3 hrs.

[NRaleighLiberal]

10. The slower cooking helps the meat to be fall apart tender enough for shredding, and allows

the complexity of the spices to blend together. Enjoy!