Green Chilli and Tomatillo Chicken Soup with Hominy

Poach the chicken. Put the chicken thighs, water, onion, garlic and bay leaf into a large heavy pot and bring to a bare simmer over medium heat. With the lid ajar, let it cook 25-30 minutes, until the thickest piece of chicken reads 74°C on an instant-read thermometer. Gentle heat here keeps the thighs tender rather than tightening them into tough strands.

Shred and keep the broth. Lift the chicken out with tongs, cool slightly, then shred it with two forks. Discard the bay leaf but leave the broth, onion and garlic in the pot - they carry straight through into the finished soup. This broth is the backbone of the dish, so nothing extra needs adding for flavour at this stage.

Char the green vegetables. Heat the grill (broiler) to high and spread the tomatillos, poblanos, jalapeño and unpeeled garlic over a foil-lined tray. Grill for 10-12 minutes, turning once, until blistered and soft, then peel and seed the poblanos and peel the garlic. Charring browns the vegetables' natural sugars and softens their raw bite, which gives the sauce its depth.

Blend the green sauce. Blend the charred vegetables with the coriander, oregano, cumin, the cooked onion and garlic lifted from the pot, and 250ml of the broth until smooth. Scrape down the sides once or twice so nothing stays in large pieces. Using the already-cooked onion and garlic gives the sauce a rounder, sweeter edge than raw ones would.

Fry the sauce. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, then add the green sauce - it will splutter as it hits the hot pan, so pour it in carefully and stand back. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring, until it darkens slightly and smells less raw. This short, hot fry cooks out the sauce's sharp, grassy edge.

Simmer with hominy. Tip the fried sauce into the pot with the broth, add the hominy and 1 1/4 tsp salt, and simmer for 20 minutes. The soup is ready when the hominy kernels are tender and the liquid has thickened slightly. This longer simmer lets the hominy soften through and the flavours settle into one soup.

Return the chicken. Stir the shredded chicken back into the pot and heat gently until the soup returns to a simmer and reaches 74°C throughout. Taste and adjust the salt if needed. Bringing it all the way back to heat together makes sure the chicken is safely reheated rather than just warmed on the surface.

Serve with toppings. Ladle the soup into bowls while it's piping hot, then scatter over the shredded cabbage and sliced radish and add a few avocado slices. Serve with lime wedges on the side so everyone can add a squeeze to taste. The cool, crunchy toppings against the hot broth are what turn this into a proper finished dish.