Psychedelicatessen: Easy Hash Chicken Posole

“Welcome to Psychedelicatessen, a weekly column exploring the world of cannabis cuisine, including recipes from the great chefs and ganjapreneurs who fuel our appetite for adventure.”

While planning and working during the final week before a High Times Cannabis Cup event, the core staff stays together in a rented house, giving coworkers a chance to share some familial moments together. Usually one or two High Times heads will take turns cooking for the others, and sharing dinners has become a favorite tradition, with several staffer boasting specialties that we all look forward to! Hospitality manager April Black has wowed the dinner crowd with her falafel, made entirely from scratch, while cultivation editors Danny Danko and Nico Escondido are known for putting on a mean BBQ, and former West Coast editor David Bienenstock can impress even the most hardened New Yorker with his personal pizzas. This past week in Santa Rosa, I re-created a fabulous recipe from Elemental Wellness’ chef Gabriel Reeves, Easy Hash Chicken Posole, along with crew leader Thumpah Lee, who whipped up a sumptuous taco bar, much to the appreciation of the staff and judges present.

Chef Gabe conducts weekly cooking classes at Elemental Wellness, teaching patients to safely create medicated foods at home, while also cooking “straight food” for staff lunches. A cancer survivor who previously cooked for Google staffers at the company’s Mountain View headquarters, Chef Gabe credits cannabis with saving his life, as well as everyday stress relief. This posole recipe comes from Mexico, where this traditional stew was cooked for special occasions — like a Cannabis Cup!

The next time you’re chilling with your herb-loving friends, try this easy, long-simmering dish for a satisfying supper!

Easy Hash Chicken Posole

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 quarts chicken broth
3 cups water
1 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons chili powder, or  to taste
3 cups white hominy, rinsed and drained
1-3 grams hash
10 tostada shells

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat two tablespoons canola oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts, and cook until no longer pink and juices run clear, about 20 minutes. Remove from skillet, drain, and cool. When completely cooled, shred chicken with a fork.

2. Heat remaining two tablespoons canola oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir onion and garlic until soft and transparent, about 5 minutes. Return shredded chicken to the skillet. Stir in the chicken broth, water, oregano, salt, and chili powder. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook about 90 minutes. Stir in the hominy and hash. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes more. Taste to adjust seasonings, adding more salt and chili powder, if desired. Serve in soup bowls with one tostada shell per serving. Garnish as desired.