{comfort food} Hearty Chicken Pozole

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Happy Fall!!

It's already NOVEMBER, guys.  When did that happen?? Time is passing at a frightening pace.  Ayden is already 8 months old (say wha?!) and I'm afraid I'll wake up tomorrow and it will be his first birthday!  I could cry just thinking about it.  He is changing so much each and every day (crawling everywhere, jabbering "Momma" and "Dad/Dada") and has blossomed into a sweet, happy boy.  He's already a complete wild man and is non-stop on the go from the minute he wakes until he closes his eyes. We love him so.

swoon.

We recently took Ayden to the pumpkin patch for the very first time and though it was smack dab during his nap time (parenting fail) he rallied and had fun taking in the commotion of the hay rides and crowds.  We even took a hay ride as a family and Ayden tried to make friends with a little boy sitting next to us.  The kid was totally creeped out by the strange baby touching his shoulder.

That's Ayden's new BFF in the green t-shirt.

I have a great recipe for you today.  I've been dying to make some cozy fall food, but it has been so darn hot around here for the past couple of months that we've been sticking to summer dishes.  On Halloween Friday we finally got a tiny taste of chilly weather so I took advantage and made some Chicken Pozole for dinner.  A rainstorm blew through and gave drought-parched Southern California a good soaking (YAY!) and to be honest, I wanted to jumped around in the puddles like a little kid.  I'm totally going to stomp around in the rain with Ayden when he's big enough to get his own cutie rain boots.

Pozole is traditionally made with pork, however, it's becoming more and more common to find it made with chicken these days.  We found beautiful local produce at the market, including the most amazing bunch of organic cilantro I've ever seen.  The entire car smelled like cilantro on the way home.

This is a great make-ahead recipe and also freezes really well!  It's not overly complicated and the ingredients are easy to find.  I'm thinking this could be an awesome crock-pot recipe, too!  Served with creamy avocado and crunchy cabbage, this is a hearty meal in a bowl.  Hubby crumbled a couple unsalted tortilla chips in his, while I dunked crusty bread into mine.  Delish!

Chicken Pozole
|Serves: 4-6 | Prep: 10 mins | Cook time: 30 mins |
2 tsp coconut oil
1 small white onion, diced
1 large tomato, diced
3 cloves garic, minced
1 lb chicken breast, cubed*
2 qts. low sodium chicken broth
1- 25 oz can hominy, drained and rinsed
2-3 tbsp chili powder (to taste)
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)
2 bay leaves

For serving:
shredded cabbage
sliced radishes
sliced avocado
fresh cilantro
lime wedges
oregano

In a large stockpot, melt the coconut oil on medium high heat.  Add onions and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.  Add minced garlic and diced tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are soft, about 3-4 mins.

Pour in broth and stir to combine.  Add in chicken, hominy, chili powder, poultry seasoning, oregano, cayenne and bay leaves.  Stir to combine.  Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove the bay leaves prior to serving.

*Chicken can also be shredded.  I find cubed is much easier/quicker.