Bobby Flay Chicken Posole Soup is an easy Southwestern dinner made with ancho chiles, hominy and shredded roasted chicken, ready in 40 minutes. The pot feeds four, and a cup of white Cheddar melts into each bowl. Fried blue and white corn tortillas go on last for crunch.
Flay cooked this on Boy Meets Grill, in an episode built around soup, and his version starts with a roasted stock. Chicken bones, onions, celery and carrots brown in a 450 degree oven, then simmer four hours. That browning is why the broth tastes closer to a restaurant pot than a carton.
The anchos need a real soak, because a stiff chile will not break down in the blender. I puree them with a quarter cup of the hot stock, so the paste loosens and disperses evenly. Skip that and you get flecks of chile skin instead of a smoky red broth.
Bobby Flay Chicken Posole Soup
Course: SoupCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalFour roasted aromatics and a bag of bones become six cups of stock before anything else happens, which is where the depth comes from. Then rehydrated anchos, porcini and a can of hominy carry the pot to four bowls in well under an hour.
Ingredients
- For the Soup:
1 recipe Rich Chicken Stock (below)
2 ancho chiles, soaked in water to soften
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, soaked until soft, drained and chopped
1 (28-ounce) can hominy
2 roasted chicken breasts, skin removed and meat shredded
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup shredded white Cheddar
- For the Rich Chicken Stock (about 6 cups):
4 pounds chicken bones, chopped
3 large Spanish onions, quartered (skin left on)
1/2 head celery, coarsely chopped
2 large carrots, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup whole peppercorns
Small bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems only
6 sprigs fresh thyme
- For the Fried Blue and White Corn Tortillas:
2 cups peanut oil
2 blue corn tortillas, julienned
2 white corn tortillas, julienned
Kosher salt
Directions
- Roast the stock base: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Toss the chicken bones, onions, celery and carrots with the olive oil in a large roasting pan, season lightly with salt and pepper, and roast until the bones and vegetables are a rich golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.
- Simmer and reduce the stock: Transfer the bones and vegetables to a large stockpot with 12 cups cold water, the bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley stems and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium and simmer 4 hours, skimming every 20 minutes. Strain through a mesh strainer, then cook over high heat until reduced by half.
- Puree the chiles: Bring the stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan, reserving 1/4 cup. Place that reserved 1/4 cup and the rehydrated ancho chiles in a blender and puree until combined.
- Build the soup: Add the pureed anchos, porcini and hominy to the simmering stock and cook 10 minutes. Add the chicken and cilantro and cook 5 minutes more, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Fry the garnish and serve: Heat the peanut oil in a high-sided saute pan to 350 degrees F, fry the julienned tortillas in 2 batches until just crisp, drain on paper towels and salt immediately. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the Cheddar and fried tortillas.
The 40 minute time covers the soup only, not the stock. Crumbled store-bought tortilla chips replace the fried tortillas, and the calorie figure is estimated from the ingredients because the source publishes no nutrition panel.
A few things about this pot only turn up once you have made it.
FAQs
Can I use store-bought stock instead of making the rich chicken stock?
Six cups is what Flay’s stock recipe yields, so that is the volume to match from a carton. Reduce two quarts of low sodium chicken broth by about a third first, because the recipe’s stock is cooked down by half. Season at the very end, since reducing concentrates whatever salt is already in there.
What is hominy, and do I need to rinse the can?
Hominy is dried corn treated with an alkaline solution, which swells the kernels and gives posole its chew. Drain and rinse the 28 ounce can, because the packing liquid is starchy and salty enough to cloud the broth. The kernels are already cooked, so the ten minute simmer is just for flavor.
Why white Cheddar instead of a Mexican cheese?
Picture the cheese melting into a chile broth: queso fresco would sit there in crumbles without pulling. White Cheddar melts and strings, so each spoonful carries cheese rather than leaving it at the bottom. Monterey Jack is the closest swap if you want something milder than the Cheddar.
How spicy is this soup?
Ancho chiles are dried poblanos, and they land around 1,000 to 2,000 Scoville units, which is mild. The heat reads as warmth and raisin sweetness instead of burn, so the soup suits kids and heat shy eaters. Add a chipotle in adobo to the blender if you want real bite.
Can I make this ahead for a crowd?
Make the stock up to three days ahead and the soup the day you serve it, since hominy softens on standing. Hold the cheese and tortillas until the bowls are filled, because both go limp in storage. For a bigger pot that reheats well, a barley thickened chicken dumpling soup scales better.
Do I have to fry my own tortillas?
Frying four julienned tortillas in 350 degree peanut oil takes about two minutes and gives you long crisp strips. Bagged chips work, though they are cut thick and soften faster once they hit the broth. If you would rather skip frying altogether, a smoked chicken pot pie uses the same shredded chicken without a garnish step.
