Chile Chicken Posole

What is posole, you might ask? Generally, it's a Mexican stew consisting of meat, corn and vegetables, though myriad recipes for posole exist. Just imagine the different combinations you can make with pork, beef, chicken, and endless veggies. I like this version from Food Network because of my recent hominy-and-spicy-peppers binge, and I love the flavor of cilantro in the broth. I'll spare you the scary details about the origins of posole (from approximately 1500 AD)...it would kill your growing appetite and possibly end visitors to the blog altogether...but trust me on this recipe. And let me know if you find some changes to further enhance it.

Ingredients
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp. dried thyme
Salt and black pepper
Olive oil
1 large onion
1 jalapeno pepper
2 cloves garlic
3 (6 oz.) cans whole green chiles
1 cup fresh cilantro
4 cups chicken broth
2 (15 oz.) cans hominy
Optional: for garnish, sliced avocados, radishes, sour cream or tortilla chips


Directions
1. Dice chicken breasts into small cubes. Season with 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, salt and pepper.
2. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute chicken until just cooked, and set aside.
3. Roughly chop the onions and garlic. Remove seeds from the jalapeno and roughly chop. Saute in the pot until soft.
*Note: don't worry about finely chopping this stuff. It's going in the food processor.
4. Transfer mixture to a food processor. Add the chiles, cilantro and remaining 1/2 tsp. of thyme. Puree until smooth.

5. Return puree to the pot and cook over medium heat until it darkens to a deep green and gets thick.

6. Meanwhile, drain the hominy and set aside.
7. Once the puree is thickened, add the chicken broth, hominy and diced chicken. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes so flavors can blend.
8. Garnish with desired toppings and enjoy!