Hearty and satisfying Chicken Pozole Verde or Green Pozole is a traditional Mexican stew, made with shredded chicken and white hominy in a flavorful and vibrant green chile broth. Incredibly easy to make, this pozole verde recipe is gluten-free, healthy and delicious.
Mexican Pozole Verde
Meet Chicken Pozole Verde, the much easier, quicker, but equally delicious cousin of the famous pozole rojo.
Known as “the magic cure of all ailments”, authentic Red Pozole is made with small pieces of pork shoulder which take much longer to cook than chicken. For this reason, this traditional Mexican soup is usually made on special occasions like Mexican independence day and Christmas.
This easy pozole verde recipe aka pozole verde de pollo is made with chicken breasts or thighs and hominy in a flavorful broth similar to salsa verde but not as concentrated.
The green sauce in this delicious Mexican soup is made with green chiles such as poblano peppers and jalapeño peppers, fresh tomatillos, chicken broth and cilantro. This comforting Mexican stew is usually served topped with tortilla chips, thinly sliced radishes, shredded cabbage and lime wedges.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe?
- One Pot: This great recipe is made in one-pot on the stovetop making clean up a breeze.
- Healthy: This chicken posole verde recipe is made with lean protein and fresh ingredients such as puffy whole corn kernels, fresh chiles and herbs. This comforting soup is low-carb, gluten free and good for you!
- Meal Prep: This soup recipe can be made ahead and freezes well.
What’s Pozole (Posole)?
Pozole or Posole, one of the most iconic traditional Mexican soups is a robust and rich stew made with chiles and meat in a savory broth. Mexican cuisine has three different variations of this tasty soup, green pozole, red pozole and pozole blanco (white posole); however, all the versions have one ingredient in common, hominy.
What’s Hominy?
Hominy is a type of corn or maize that has been soaked in a lye or lime solution to soften the outer hulls. The corn kernels are then rinsed and the hull is removed. You can purchase ready to eat canned hominy at any grocery store.
What Is Pozole Verde Made Of?
This is just a partial list of ingredients and substitutions. Check the printable recipe card below for the complete ingredient’s list and their exact quantities.
- Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts both work well.
- Chicken Stock or Chicken Broth: Used as part of the cooking liquid.
- Chiles: To make the savory and mildly spiced green chile sauce, this pozole recipe uses poblano chilies and jalapeno peppers. For a spicier soup, substitute the jalapeños for serrano peppers.
- Tomatillos: These are also known as Mexican husk tomatoes. If you cannot find fresh tomatillos, sub them with 6 to 8 ounces of canned tomatillos.
- Spices: Dried oregano (use Mexican oregano, if available), ground cumin, ground coriander, sea salt or Kosher salt, ground black pepper and bay leaves.
- Lime Juice: There is nothing quite like the flavor of fresh lime juice. The juice from the bottle cannot compare to the real fruit.
- Cilantro: You’ll need a small bunch of fresh cilantro (or a large handful of fresh cilantro).
- Hominy: You will need two cans of hominy, drained and rinsed.
How to Make Pozole Verde from Scratch?
For specific instructions and times, please check the printable recipe card below.
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and chiles and sauté until the onions start to become translucent. Stir in the minced garlic cloves and tomatillos and sauté until the peppers have soften. Remove from the heat.
- Place tomatillos and the green chile mixture into a blender and add some chicken broth and the fresh cilantro. Blend until a smooth sauce forms.
- Return the blended mixture to the pot or Dutch oven and add the remaining broth and seasonings. Stir to combine.
- Add the chicken and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot partially and simmer until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate or cutting board and shred it with two forks.
- Return the chicken to the pot and stir in the hominy. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes over medium heat and season to taste. Serve with a squeeze of lime and desired toppings.
Is it Pozole or Posole?
Actually both spellings are correct! You will find the spelling of this soup’s name both ways.
What Does Pozole Verde Taste Like?
Reminiscent of salsa verde in taste, this iconic Mexican dish is hearty with fresh flavors from the tomatillos and cilantro. A cross between a stew and a soup, chicken pozole verde or pozole de pollo is filling and mildly spiced. Definitely a dish that can be enjoyed by the whole family.
Is Pozole Verde Spicy?
This recipe for chicken pozole uses one jalapeño, seeded and deveined, which makes this stew mildly spiced. For moderate heat, you can use 2 to 4 jalapeños or serrano peppers. For an extra spicy dish, I recommend you remove the pepper’s seeds but leave the veins intact. That’s where the pepper’s heat is!
Can I Make Green Pozole with Chicken Creamy?
Yes, to add creaminess to this brothy stew, you can stir 4 ounces of sour cream and 4 ounces of cream cheese into the soup.
Making Ahead, Storing, Freezing and Reheating
- Making Ahead: You can make the chile verde sauce the night before.
- Storing: You can store chicken pozole verde in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: Cool the soup completely, then store in an airtight freezer-safe container or freezer safe resealable bag and freeze for about 2 months.
- Thawing: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheating: This comforting and flavorful soup can be reheated in the microwave in small intervals or in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring as needed. If the soup is too thick, you can add additional broth until reaching your desired consistency.
Green Pozole Recipe Tips For Success
- Some recipes for pozole verde are made with rotisserie chicken. Although this saves time, in my opinion cooking the chicken in the green sauce adds so much flavor to both, the stew and the chicken.
- If using rotisserie chicken, you will need about 3 1/2 to 4 cups of shredded chicken. Add the chicken to the soup in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- Drain and rinsed the hominy before using it.
- Husk and rinse the tomatillos. After removing the paper-thin husk you will notice that the tomatillos are sticky. This is normal and easily removed by rinsing the tomatillos with lukewarm water.
- You can make this recipe with bone-in chicken, whole chicken cut into pieces, or bone-in chicken thighs or legs. Adjust the cooking time and add additional broth as needed.
- Make sure not to overcook the chicken. Cook it just until it’s easy to shred.
Take A Look At These Other Amazing Mexican Recipes
- Chile Colorado Recipe (Mexican Stew)
- Easy Homemade Guacamole
- Mexican Chicken Adobo (Adobo de Pollo)
- Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
- Fresas con Crema (Strawberries and Cream)
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Chicken Pozole Soup (Green Pozole)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion peeled and chopped
- 1 jalapeño pepper seeded, deveined and chopped
- 2 poblano peppers seeded and chopped
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound tomatillos husked, rinsed and quartered
- 8 cups chicken broth divided
- 1 small bunch fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 pounds boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breast
- 2 (15-ounces) cans hominy, drained and rinse
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon or more to taste – optional
- Ground black pepper to taste
Toppings (optional):
- Thinly sliced radishes, sliced avocado, sliced jalapeños, lime wedges, fresh cilantro, shredded cabbage, tortilla chips
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions, jalapeños and poblano peppers and sauté stirring often for 3-4 minutes or until the onions start to become translucent. Stir in the garlic and tomatillos and sauté, stirring regularly for about 4-5 minutes or until the peppers have softened. Remove from the heat.
- Transfer the onion mixture into a blender and add about a cup of chicken broth (cold broth is fine). Add the fresh cilantro and blend until the mixture is completely smooth. You can add additional broth, if needed.
- Return the blended mixture to the pot or Dutch oven and add the remaining broth, dried oregano, ground cumin, ground coriander, bay leaf and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add the chicken and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot partially and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate or cutting board and shred it with two forks. Return the chicken to the pot and stir in the hominy.
- Cook uncovered for 10 minutes over medium heat. Taste the soup and stir in the chicken bouillon if the soup lacks depth of flavor. Simmer for about 5 minutes and season to taste with salt and ground black pepper.
- Serve in soup bowls garnished with your favorite toppings.
Chef’s Tips
- You can use two (15-ounces) cans or one (28-ounces) can of hominy.
- Drain and rinse the hominy before using it.
- Husk and rinse the tomatillos. After removing the paper-thin husk, you will notice that the tomatillos are sticky. This is normal and easily removed by rinsing the tomatillos with lukewarm water.
- Store chicken pozole verde in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Khandy says
This was a big hit at our holiday party. My mother in law is from Juarez, Mexico and she approves 🙂
Kathryn says
I made this recipe without any changes and it was delicious. Gave the recipe to my sister in law and she said it was the best chicken pozole she ever had. Thank you
Lorena says
Amazing! It turned out perfect.
Selena says
I’ve tried a few pozole recipes and this one is by far the best! It turned out so good. Comfort food in a bowl!