Green Pozole Recipe (Mexican Stew) with Pheasant
This Green Pozole is a comforting Mexican stew filled with hominy and shredded meat from pheasant legs and thighs. The amazingly delicious broth is made from chicken broth, tomatillos, onion, garlic, jalapeños, cilantro, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Traditionally, making a green pozole recipe can be an all-day affair. But my wild game version is easy to make and ready in just one hour and lives up to the dish’s wildly popular reputation.CELEBRATE THE END OF ANOTHER SOUP SEASONWith only one week left of winter, I just had to squeeze in another recipe to celebrate soup season. Although, I do live in North Dakota, and we have been known to experience some pretty epic blizzards during the last week of April!When temperatures drop, many people will instinctually reach for a wild rice soup or homemade vegetable soup, but it would be a mistake to miss out on this nicely spiced stew that is enormously popular in both Mexico and our house in Fargo, North Dakota. I love it because it keeps well in the fridge, so don't be afraid to make a big vat of it to feed yourself and the family all week.If you are looking for more great soup recipes, be sure and check out my extremely popular Stuffed Cabbage Soup or Easy Venison Ravioli Soup.WHAT IS POZOLE?Pozole is a traditional Mexican stew, made with hominy (corn) and a protein like pork or chicken, in a flavorful, rich broth made with tomatillos and peppers. Although this dish originated in Mexico, it's now extremely popular in the American Southwest.There are a multitude of different ways to experiment with a pozole. My wife loves the fresh flavors so much, I created a Fish Pozole so we could enjoy it during the Season of Lent.This stew is usually accompanied by an assortment of toppings like sliced radishes, lime wedges, shredded cabbage, diced onions, fresh cilantro (each served in its own bowl) along with warm tortillas. Verde means green in Spanish and green pozole, not surprisingly, is lighter and more refreshing than a red pozole. WHAT IS HOMINY?Hominy is basically corn kernels, yellow or white maize, that have been processed so they lose their outer layer, making them easier to digest. Dried hominy kernels are soaked in an alkali solution of lye or slaked lime. The corn kernels then puff up when they are boiled.Hominy kernels become about three times the size of raw sweet corn kernels after they are cooked. They can be eaten like corn or used to fortify a variety of soups and stews like this Green Pozole.GREEN POZOLE INGREDIENTS– Pheasant legs and thighs– Hominy– Chicken Broth– Tomatillos– Onion– Garlic– Jalapeños– Cilantro– Lime– Seasonings including kosher salt, black pepper, cumin, chili powder, and Mexican oreganoHOW TO COOK PHEASANT LEGS1. Season the pheasant legs and thighs with 2 teaspoons of the kosher salt.2. Set instant pot or other pressure cooker to sauté setting. Add oil. Once the oil is hot, add the pheasant, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until meat is nicely browned.3. Add 2 cups of the chicken broth with 1/2 teaspoon each black pepper, cumin, and Mexican oregano to the pressure cooker and mix well. Now secure lid on the pressure cooker and pressure cook for 30 minutes. Then allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes.4. Reserve all the liquid and transfer it to a bowl to use later. Then allow the pheasant meat and bones to rest and cool for at least 15 minutes.HOW TO COOK GREEN POZOLE1. Meanwhile, add one cup of water to a blender. Then add tomatillos, yellow onion, garlic, one of the jalapeños, and one bunch of cilantro. Blend until smooth, scraping down sides if necessary.2. In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil and add tomatillo puree and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce turns a deep green, about 5 minutes. 3. Add the reserved liquid used to cook the pheasant, the remaining 4 cups of chicken broth, the hominy with liquid, and another 1/2 teaspoon each of kosher salt, black pepper, cumin, chili powder, and Mexican oregano and stir well to combine. Cover and bring the stew to a simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes.4. The pheasant meat should be cool at this point, making it easy to pull off the bones using your fingers or tongs. Discard the bones and tendons and transfer the meat to a bowl and save for later. Stir the shredded pheasant meat into the stew.5. Taste the green pozole and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Ladle the stew into individual bowls and serve immediately with the garnishes so people can add whatever toppings they want.MORE PHEASANT RECIPESIf you are looking for more great ways to use pheasant in your diet, be sure and check out my Pheasant Pot Pie or Pheasant Florentine or Pheasant Salad Sandwich and Buffalo Pheasant Dip and Pheasant Salad and Pheasant Olive Garden Gnocchi Soup. Or you can find all my upland bird recipes here.If you are headed our way to hunt pheasants in North Dakota, check out the Top 5 Places in North Dakota to Hunt Pheasants. And if you want me to come along with you as your camp cook, photographer, or butcher, you can find out more details here.CONNECT WITH ME AND JOIN OUR WILD GAME COOKING COMMUNITYIf you make this Green Pozole Recipe with Pheasant, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #wildgameandfishDid you enjoy this Green Pozole Recipe? Be sure to leave a 5-star rating RIGHT HERE!
Ingredients
- 6 pheasant legs and thighs (from 3 birds)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 pound tomatillos, husked and halved
- 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and halved
- 2 whole bunches of fresh cilantro leaves and stems
- 2 15-ounce cans hominy
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 limes, cut into quarters
- 6 medium radishes, sliced thin
- 1 red onion, sliced thin
- corn or flour tortillas, warmed
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients.
- Season the pheasant legs and thighs with 2 teaspoons of the kosher salt.
- Set instant pot or other pressure cooker to sauté setting. Add oil. Once the oil is hot, add the pheasant, and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, until meat is nicely browned.
- Add 2 cups of the chicken broth with 1/2 teaspoon each black pepper, cumin, and Mexican oregano to the pressure cooker and mix well. Now secure lid on the pressure cooker and pressure cook for 30 minutes. Then allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes.
- Use this time to slice and chop your vegetables.
- Transfer pheasant meat to a large plate and allow the pheasant meat and bones to rest and cool for at least 15 minutes. Reserve all the liquid and transfer it to a bowl to use later.
- Meanwhile, add one cup of water to a blender. Then add tomatillos, yellow onion, garlic, one of the jalapeños, and one bunch of the cilantro. Blend until smooth, using a spatula to scrape down sides if necessary.
- In a large Dutch oven, heat the remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil and add tomatillo puree and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce turns a deep green, about 5 minutes.
- Add the reserved liquid used to cook the pheasant, the remaining 4 cups of chicken broth, the hominy with liquid, and another 1/2 teaspoon each of kosher salt, black pepper, cumin, Mexican oregano, and chili powder, and stir well to combine. Cover and bring the stew to a simmer over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.
- The pheasant meat should be cool at this point, making it easy to pull off the bones using your fingers or tongs. Discard the bones and tendons. Stir the shredded pheasant meat into the stew with a squeeze of fresh lime juice from one of the lime quarters.
- Taste the green pozole and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Ladle the stew into individual bowls and serve immediately with the remaining lime wedges, radish, red onion, and cilantro on the side so people can add whatever toppings they want.
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