Edna Lewis’s Oven-Braised Southwest Chicken

Name: Edna Lewis’s Oven-Braised Southwest Chicken
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 chicken, 2 1/2 to 3 pounds; 2 16-ounce cans yellow hominy (do not use white); 1 medium onion, finely diced; 1 medium red or green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced; 1 small carrot, peeled and finely diced; 6 shiitake or domestic mushrooms, stems removed, caps diced; 3 to 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon oregano; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1 bay leaf; 1/3 cup dry vermouth; 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro; 2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional); Salt to taste.

Recipe from Edna Lewis

Adapted by Regina Schrambling

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Rating: 4(95)
Notes: Read community notes

In this recipe, which was featured in The Times in 1989, the chef Edna Lewis suggests braising chicken over hominy with a mélange of aromatic vegetables to make a one-dish meal that is both light and filling. When the bird is cooked, its juices meld with the vegetables to make a thin sauce that can be thickened with cream. Hominy can be found in the canned-vegetables aisle of your supermarket. —Regina Schrambling

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

1chicken, 2½ to 3 pounds
216-ounce cans yellow hominy (do not use white)
1medium onion, finely diced
1medium red or green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1small carrot, peeled and finely diced
6shiitake or domestic mushrooms, stems removed, caps diced
3 to 4jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1teaspoon ground cumin
1teaspoon oregano
½teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1bay leaf
⅓cup dry vermouth
¼cup finely chopped cilantro
2tablespoons heavy cream (optional)
Salt to taste.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Step 2
Cut the chicken into serving pieces, or have the butcher do so. Heat a nonstick skillet over a high flame and sear the chicken on all sides, but do not brown. This will keep the skin from seizing up during the baking. Set aside on paper towels.
Step 3
Drain the hominy in a sieve, rinse it and drain it again. Spoon into a 3-quart casserole with a lid. Arrange the chicken pieces on top.
Step 4
Layer the onion, bell pepper, carrot, shiitakes and jalapenos on top. Sprinkle with the cumin, then crumble the oregano over. Season with pepper and place bay leaf on top. Pour the vermouth into the casserole, cover and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until cooked through.
Step 5
When the chicken is cooked, remove from the oven and discard the bay leaf. Add the cilantro and cream (if you like) to the casserole and mix to combine all the ingredients in the casserole. Season with salt to taste. Serve the chicken pieces with the hominy mixture alongside and spoon the juices over.

Ratings

4 out of 5

95 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Joseph H4 years ago

I made this with the Boneless Thighs uncut. It went over VERY well with our guest in our facility in Carrollton Georgia. We served a few hundred guest that day and those who had the opportunity to eat this dish were definitely satisfied.

Coop4 years ago

Why not white hominy?

NYT Cooking6 years ago

Thanks, Yvette. It's been added to the ingredients list.

Rosesdaughter4 years ago

Is it possible to print the fractions of the measurements in a larger font? Unlike Edna Lewis’ recipe, I am no spring chicken and cannot see the 1/2s, 1/3s and 1/4s well. It would help me considerably. Thank you.

Yvette6 years ago

Directions call for oregano, but it’s not listed in ingredients. Typo?

pamalap4 years ago

I made this using Hatch green chile rather than jalapenos since being native New Mexican's, that's what we prefer. Also used bone in chicken thighs. It was delicious!

janisani3 years ago

Not for me. I never thought I'd say this, but it's a little too "homemade" for me.

Linda Dietrich4 years ago

I have cooked so many of Edna Lewis' recipes from my cookbooks and off the web; but I have never seen this one before so it made me want to try it since I grew up eating hominy and love it. In my opinion, in all the years I have been cooking, I have never made a recipe by her that all of my friends and acquaintances have not loved; especially her braised short ribs. This recipe I made for myself since I am the only person in my house that likes hominy and it was delicious.

Lynda4 years ago

This was horrible. I made extra trip to store with my mask for jalapeños—am sucker for hominy so got sucked in. Chicken skin was totally yucky. No crisp snd oregano dominant and husband could only taste jalapeños. Tried adding side of brown rice and melted cheese. Really unable to eat—had I fixed this for family I’d have had to buy dinner out. Why has no one reviewed. 1989 and some known chef? .

DrJ4 years ago

Is there a reason why there's no salt in this recipe???

Helen4 years ago

I was suspicious of this recipe when I saw the mushrooms on the list of ingredients. I went ahead and made it as written but used chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken. The outcome was disappointing. I won’t make it again.

Helen4 years ago

Hmm. When I saw mushrooms, I was a bit suspicious. Followed recipe as listed, but not a great outcome from my perspective

Caton4 years ago

I had to settle for white hominy, so I don’t know if yellow would’ve been a game changer, but this was still a four-star recipe. I would brown the chicken next time for deeper flavor, and question whether the steamed bay leaf contributed anything to the dish, but would totally make it again. This filled a 3 quart casserole to the very rim—you might feel safer with something a bit larger.

Vvv034 years ago

Couldn't find yellow hominy in my Brooklyn neighborhood, so used frozen yellow corn, which was fine, but the not browning suggestion is bad advice. The chicken was that scary light beige hospital food color. It tasted okay, but honestly for the chopping work involved, not worth the effort.

Mark Keinath4 years ago

Made this last night using boneless, skinless thighs. The mixture of golden/yellow hominy with the other chopped ingredients was very tasty along with the cumin and oregano. The 4 chopped and seeded jalapenos gave it just the right amount of kick. My choice of chicken created a rather bland tasting meat. Not bad, not great. If there had been bone and skin it might have been a bit better. But this recipe is a keeper!

Dan4 years ago

Pantry is a bit depleted due to quarantine and I am out of hominy. I substituted frozen yellow and the family loved it. Can't wait to try it again with hominy - I will probably add more peppers and mushrooms next time.

pamalap4 years ago

I made this using Hatch green chile rather than jalapenos since being native New Mexican's, that's what we prefer. Also used bone in chicken thighs. It was delicious!

Coop4 years ago

Why not white hominy?

stephanie4 years ago

i am curious about this too. i love to add hominy to stews and have always bought white because that is what is available to me. since covid, sometimes there is now only yellow. as a result, i've tried both separately and mixed together and honestly i cannot tell any difference beyond the color. perhaps the note is a leftover bit from the original 1989 recipe, and at that time there was some kind of difference? seems unlikely but i can't think of anything else.

Rosesdaughter4 years ago

J4 years ago

I have white hominy in the pantry, but not yellow. The recipe instructs not to use white. Why not? White corn and yellow corn are not that different.

KW in Miami4 years ago

If you compare canned white and canned yellow hominy, the yellow is usually more tender and more "poofy", at least in my experience.

Gail4 years ago

Can this recipe be made in the slow cooker?

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