Green Chicken Soup
Green Chicken Soup is a twist on traditional chicken soup. The cumin and cilantro make this soup different from your momma's chicken soup.
Green Chicken Soup is a twist on traditional chicken soup. The cumin and cilantro make this soup different from your momma's chicken soup.
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1 whole onion minced
- 1 whole bay leaf
- 2 pounds chicken breast (i use boneless, skinless)
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 can green chillies (4 oz can, i think)
- 1 16 ounce can hominy
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- avocado cubes, scallions, tortilla chips for garnish
- Carbohydrate 26.749775 g
- Cholesterol 519.68 mg
- Fat 14.8102875 g
- Fiber 4.40155003452301 g
- Protein 218.7689175 g
- Saturated Fat 3.1262525 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (2465g)
- Sodium 6174.43275 mg
- Sugar 22.348224965477 g
- Trans Fat 5.535282 g
- Calories 1155 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large stock pot, over med-high heat, boil chicken, onion, cumin, thyme, bay leaf, garlic and salt.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Remove the breasts, dice.
- To the liquid add chilies and hominy.
- Return to boil and simmer 15 minutes, uncovered.
- Return Chicken to the pot, simmer uncovered for 3 to 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat, add cilantro.
- Serve with avocado, scallions and/or tortilla chips.
Thermal Control in Meat Poaching
Operating under strict time limits requires poaching chicken breasts directly in broth rather than roasting them separately. Submerging two pounds of boneless meat into six cups of simmering liquid ensures even heat transfer from all sides simultaneously. Boiling chicken too violently causes muscle fibers to contract too quickly, squeezing out moisture and leaving the protein dry, which is why dropping the heat immediately to a gentle simmer after the initial boil is crucial for tender results.
Starch Gelatinization and Hominy
Hominy brings distinct textural properties derived from nixtamalization, a process where corn kernels are soaked in an alkaline solution that softens the outer pericarp and releases bound niacin. Adding a sixteen-ounce can of hominy to the broth introduces complex carbohydrates that slightly thicken the simmering liquid as starches leach into the surrounding water. Letting the pot bubble uncovered for fifteen minutes evaporates excess moisture, concentrating the savory compounds efficiently.
Volatile Herb Preservation
Fresh cilantro contains delicate aromatic compounds primarily composed of aliphatic aldehydes that degrade rapidly under prolonged exposure to high heat. Removing the stock pot entirely from the heat source before folding in the quarter cup of chopped leaves prevents these volatile molecules from evaporating prematurely. Graining textures with cold avocado cubes, crisp scallions, and crushed tortilla chips provides a fatty and crunchy contrast to the hot broth.
