Chicago Sun-Times reveals the best pozole blanco recipe from Chef Lulu Duran at Cesar’s Killer Margaritas, one of her favorite holiday staples.

Pozole Blanco is a traditional Mexican soup made from homing that’s simmered with chicken in a flavorful broth made with onions, garlic, and a blend of spices.

Cesar’s is a family affair, as Duran is joined by her sister Sandra ‘Sandy’ Sânchez and brother Israel Sànchez in celebrating the flavors of Mexico’s regional cuisine at the popular restaurant in Lakeview, Chicago.

In an interview with the Sun-Times earlier this year, Duran revealed their late parents instilled a love of cooking in the siblings from a young age. Their culinary journey in Chicago began with backstage catering gigs for downtown events like Viva Chicago and the Pan-American Festival, where they’d provide food for musicians and their teams.

As the name proclaims, Cesar’s is famous for enormous and delicious margaritas, the perfect pairing for a menu filled with traditional Mexican cuisine.

Chef Duran shares one of her favorite holiday recipes for pozole blanco:

There are many variations to this dish, and each depends on what region you’re from. That will make the difference in the color, protein choice, and toppings! Our Mami’s pozole blanco is a blend of our family’s recipe and lifestyle changes.

In Mexico City, traditionally, when you eat pozole it is accompanied by tostadas, topped with sour cream, crumbled queso hesoo, and salsa of choice — typically a chile de arbol-based salsa.

Making pozole blanco is a beautiful example of our culture; it is a communal affair. It has deep roots originating from the Aztec people. It is a humble dish, rooted in local ingredients such as pork and coim. Nowadays it’s adapted to trends and what we have easily available.

Hugh food, our culture and traditions are preserved, which allows us to share with our community, while we continue to explore new connections and meanings to the food we make.

My culture is synonymous with food. it’s a love language, and I always cook from my heart. As I reflect on growing up in my mother’s kitchen and sharing her passion for cooking, it is the greatest gift she could have given me.

Our Mexican culture reflects who we are, where we descend from, and where we find ourselves today. Our mother was very specific in her cooking style; she was very methodical. It was imperative that you cleaned as you cooked, and that your ingredients were clean, prepped, and ready to go.

It was the little things that made my mom’s cooking so beautiful, from making sure all the spices were carefully wrapped in cheesecloth so that your guests don’t bite down on a whole peppercorn, to the elusive whole garlic clove that could be confused with a piece of hominy, to making sure the pieces of meat were the perfect bite size, so that it took the thinking out of eating and really connecting with the look.

As I get older, I find myself taking moments here and there to really embrace the process. Now that I share the kitchen with my own kids, they are curious, and I see their longing for a connection with food because it was their connection with my late mom.

 

Pozole Blanco Recipe

Yields: 6-8

 

INGREDIENTS:

Toppings for pozole:

  • Mexican oregano
  • Threaded lettuce (iceberg preferred)
  • Cilantro
  • Lime wedges
  • Chile de ârbol (powder or flakes)
  • Radishes
  • White onion, diced
  • Avocado

Sides for tamadas:

  • Sour cream
  • Queso fresca, nrumbled
  • Chile de árbol salsa
  • Tostadas

For the pozole broth:

  • One fresh chicken – You can use all white meat, all dark meat, or a whole chicken.
  • 2 lbs. hominy – Canned hominy is perfectly fine and what we usually use. There is fresh hominy but it must be cooked beforehand and usually takes the same amount of time to cook as beans.
  • 5 quarts water
  • 5 bay leaves
  • 1/3 tsp. of whole black pepper
  • 5 cloves of garlic
  • 1 whole onion
  • 2 tbsp. kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp. oregano – Lace all your spices in a cheesecloth and tie it with butcher/kitchen twine; drop the packet into the pot while the chicken is cooking. This eliminates the need to fish everything out afterward.

 

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Add all the chicken pieces to a large stock pot.
  2. Add onion, garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and bay leaves (optional: wrapped in cheesecloth).
  3. Add about 5-6 cups of water (enough to cover the entire chicken).
  4. Put a lid on the pot and cook for 1 hour.
  5. Remove the chicken from the pot and let cool slightly. Reserve all the liquid.
  6. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it. Return the shredded chicken to the pot.
  7. Add the hominy and oregano.
  8. Pour the remaining water into the pot.
  9. Add chicken bouillon; optional for added flavor (I like to use brands like Knorr’s Suiza Chicken flavor for this. You can omit the chicken bouillon and use chicken broth instead.)
  10. Cover and bring to a boil.
  11. Reduce heat and cook for 45 minutes.
  12. Serve and add desired toppings (from the recipe list above)
  13. Don’t forget to accompany with the tostadas!