Chicken Pozole Verde, also known as Green Pozole, is a traditional Mexican stew that combines tender shredded chicken with white hominy in a rich and beautifully deep green tomatillo and green chiles broth. This classic Mexican dish stands out for its vibrant green color, clean flavor and ease of preparation. The blend of chiles, tomatillos, and fresh herbs results in a hearty and satisfying meal that is gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb and healthy.
Pozole Verde Recipe at a Glance
- What is it? Chicken Pozole Verde combines chicken and hominy in a green tomatillo chile broth. This comforting Mexican stew is usually served topped with tortilla chips, thinly sliced radishes, shredded cabbage and lime wedges.
- Main Ingredients: Boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cooked hominy, fresh tomatillos, poblano peppers, garlic cloves, chicken stock or chicken broth.
- What You Need to Know: This easy Chicken Pozole Verde recipe is a much quicker alternative to pozole rojo or red pozole. Unlike other pozole recipes, this classic Mexican soup is made in just one pot, making clean-up simple.
- Dietary Information: Gluten free, dairy free, low-carb. Contains animal products.
- Taste: This delicious Mexican soup offers a rich, comforting taste reminiscent of classic red pozole but much lighter. The flavorful broth resembles salsa verde but is less concentrated with a more predominant chicken soup taste. Fresh chiles like jalapeño peppers and poblanos, tomatillos and fresh herbs bring the soup to the next level of flavor. This easy soup is not very spicy thanks to the addition of hominy.
- Pros:
- Quick: This easy pozole verde recipe aka pozole verde de pollo is ideal for those who want a tasty, quicker meal without compromising on authentic flavors.
- Healthy: This flavorful Mexican soup, is packed with lean protein, nutritious whole grain hominy and fresh ingredients like tomatillos and chiles.
- Meal Prep: Perfect for meal prepping as it can be made ahead and also freezes well.
- Cons: Fresh tomatillos are not always available.
What Is Pozole Verde Made Of?
Ingredients and Substitutions
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. Bone-in chicken can be used and will add depth of flavor to the stew. Cooking times will need to be adjusted if using bone-in chicken. If you prefer, you can also use a rotisserie chicken, shredded., Make sure to add the shredded chicken to the soup in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- Aromatics: Fresh garlic cloves. Garlic paste can also be used. I use yellow or brown onions but white onion can be used. I don’t use red onion in this recipe to keep the green hue of the soup vibrant.
- Chicken Stock or Chicken Broth: Used as part of the cooking liquid. If you have homemade stock that’s always best!
- 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 with serrano peppers.
- Tomatillos: These are also known as Mexican husk tomatoes. In a pinch, if you cannot find fresh tomatillos, sub them with 8-12 ounces of canned tomatillos.
- Spices and Fresh Herbs: Dried oregano (use Mexican oregano, if available), ground cumin, ground coriander, sea salt or Kosher salt, ground black pepper and bay leaves. Fresh cilantro. If you despise cilantro, use parsley.
- Lime Juice: There is nothing quite like the flavor of fresh lime juice. The juice from the bottle cannot compare to the real fruit.
- Hominy: You will need two (15-ounce) 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.
Green Pozole Recipe Tips For Success
- Rotisserie Chicken: Although store-bought rotiserrie chicken saves time, making pozole verde with raw chicken results in a much flavorful broth. 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.
- Hominy: Drain and rinsed the hominy before using it.
- Tomatillos: Husk and rinse them with lukewarm water to remove their sticky residue
- Chicken: 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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 that has been treated with a lye or lime solution, making the outer hulls softer. After soaking, the kernels are rinsed and the hulls are removed. Canned hominy, which is ready to use, can be found at most grocery stores.
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!
How can you adapt a chicken pozole verde recipe for a slow cooker?
- Sauté: In a pot or skillet, sauté onions, jalapeños and poblano peppers 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.
- Blend: Transfer the tomatillo 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.
- Add ingredients into Crockpot: Add the bended tomatillo mixture, additional broth, the spices and the chicken to the slow cooker.
- Cook on low: Let it cook for 6-8 hours or until chicken is tender. Cook on high for 4-5 hours.
- Shred the chicken: Remove the chicken from the crock pot and shred it with two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and add the drained hominy. Simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Serve with traditional toppings.
Can I Make Green Pozole 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.
What’s the Difference Between Pozole Verde and Rojo?
The main difference between green pozole (pozole verde) and red pozole (pozole rojo) is the type of meat and the type of tomatoes and chiles used to make these recipes. Green pozole is made with chicken, green tomatillos and green chiles while red pozole is made with pork, dried red chiles, canned tomatoes and fresh tomatoes.
Making Ahead, Storing, Freezing and Reheating
- Making Ahead: You can cook and blend the tomatillo mixture 1-2 days in advanced. Store it in the fridge
- Storing: You can store leftover chicken pozole verde in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freezing: To freeze chicken pozole verde, first allow it to cool to room temperature. Next, ladle the cooled soup into airtight containers or freezer bags Remove as much air as possible from the bags to prevent freezer burn. Using a vacuum sealer can be effective for this. Label each container or bag with the soup’s name and the date (so you can easily keep track of how long the pozole has been frozen). Chicken Pozole Verde can typically be frozen for up to 3 months.
- Thawing: For best results, thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheating: To warm your pozole verde, slowly bring it to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Leftovers can also be reheated in a microwave-safe container. Use short intervals, stirring in between, to heat it evenly. This prevents cold spots and ensures a delicious, warm meal.
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)
Chicken Pozole Verde Soup (Mexican Green Pozole)
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.
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.
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Recipe Notes
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Chicken Pozole Verde Soup (Mexican Green Pozole)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 285
Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Fat 10g15%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Trans Fat 0.02g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 103mg34%
Sodium 1735mg75%
Potassium 967mg28%
Carbohydrates 12g4%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 36g72%
Vitamin A 358IU7%
Vitamin C 48mg58%
Calcium 61mg6%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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