My family’s Chicken Pozole Verde recipe! Tangy tomatillos, tender chicken, and hominy in one cozy bowl. Ready in under an hour and so easy!
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Pozole Verde
Today I’m sharing our authentic Chicken Pozole Verde recipe, a delicious Mexican soup loaded with shredded chicken, plump hominy, and just the right kick of heat.
This green pozole comes together in under an hour, so you don’t need to wait for a holiday or a Sunday dinner to make it. One big pot feeds a crowd, the leftovers taste even better the next day, and the toppings (crunchy cabbage, creamy avocado, lime, radish) make every bowl feel like a fiesta.
Just cook the chicken with hominy, make a Salsa Verde, then add the salsa to the chicken and hominy soup. That’s it! Easy peasy.
Buen provecho! ♥️ xo, Ana
Ingredients
- Canned Mexican style hominy. You can use the yellow or white variety.
- Chicken breasts. I use boneless & skinless breasts to keep the recipe lean with higher protein than fat. However, this can also be cooked with boneless skinless chicken thighs or lean pork.
- The veggies: white or yellow onion and fresh garlic.
- Seasoning: chicken bouillon, kosher salt, black pepper and Mexican oregano.
Main ingredients for the Salsa Verde
- White or yellow onion
- The peppers: Fresh jalapeños, serrano, and roasted poblano peppers.
- Garlic cloves
- Whole tomatillos in cans. I’m using in cans since that’s what I have available during this winter season. The flavor is not compromised!
- Cilantro
- Seasoning: Chicken bouillon, kosher salt and ground black pepper.
To garnish: shredded cabbage, radishes, avocado, chopped cilantro and limes.
**You’ll find the complete recipe and ingredient list in the card at the end.**
How To Make Chicken Pozole Verde
- Rinse the hominy until the water runs clear.
- In a large dutch oven or stockpot, add the hominy, chicken breast, onion, garlic, water, bouillon, salt, pepper and oregano. Cook on medium high covered.
- Meanwhile make the salsa verde: In a small skillet, add the olive oil and saute the onion, the chiles and garlic over medium high heat. Saute for 2 minutes or until they get soft and look roasted.
- To a blender or food processor, add the sauteed vegetables, tomatillos, poblano peppers, cilantro, bouillon, salt and pepper. Blend for a minute or two.
- Blend for a minute or two until smooth.
- Add about 2 cups of the salsa verde to the chicken and hominy mixture. Cook for about 1 hour on medium heat, covered or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- When the chicken is cooked, transfer the chicken to a cutting board, plate or bowl and shred with 2 forks, then transfer back to the pot.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes.
To serve top with avocado, cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice and shredded cabbage. Tortilla chips or tostadas make a great pairing.
Ana’s Recipe Tips
- Make Ahead: Make the Salsa Verdeup to 3 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the fridge to save time on the day of cooking.
- Note: you may have about a cup left of the salsa to enjoy with chips or make another dish like green chilaquiles.
- Roast the poblano peppers ahead of time. Store them in the fridge or freeze, and they’ll be ready to add a smoky kick to the salsa verde when needed.
- Prepare garnishes like chopped cilantro, shredded cabbage, lime wedges, and sliced radishes in advance. Keep them refrigerated until it’s time to serve.
- While many garnishes can be prepared ahead, assemble the pozole just before serving to ensure the best texture and flavor.
Storage, Freezing & Make-Ahead
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The garnishes should be stored separately in airtight containers or ziploc bags.
- Freezing tips: After letting the soup cool completely, pour pozole into a freezer safe container. Here are a few things to keep in mind when preparing to freeze soup.
- Liquid expands when you freeze it so do not fill your freezer safe container all the way full. Leave 1-2 inches of space in a bag or container for the liquid to expand.
- Line the top of the soup with a piece of plastic wrap to reduce the risk of freezer burn. The less air in the container the better.
- Thaw in refrigerator before reheating.
To reheat: The best way to reheat pozole is to place in a sauce pot, cover and cook over medium-low heat until heated through. Cooking it again in real heat (versus microwave) will help develop the flavors even more!
But if you can’t use a stove, go ahead and reheat in microwave for 2 to 3 minutes or until hot per serving.
Serving Suggestions
This is a dish that is perfect on its own and doesn’t need side dishes. It has protein, healthy carbs and veggies as toppings. Serve with tostadas and a tall glass of horchata or any agua fresca to make it the perfect meal.
Print Recipe:
Chicken Pozole Verde Recipe
Ingredients
Green Pozole
- 110 ounce can Mexican style hominy
- 2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into large chunks - boneless, skinless
- ½ medium white or yellow onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 8 cups water
- 1 tablespoon ground chicken bouillon or 1 cube
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
Salsa Verde
- ½ teaspoon olive oil
- ½ medium white or yellow onion
- 2 fresh jalapeños, cut into halves - stemmed and seeded
- 2 serrano peppers, cut into halves - stemmed and seeded
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2-28 ounce cans whole tomatillos
- 1 large roasted poblano pepper - stemmed and seeded
- ¼ cup packed cilantro
- ½ teaspoon ground chicken bouillon or ½ cube
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or more to taste
Garnish
- Shredded cabbage, radishes, avocado, chopped cilantro
- Limes
Instructions
- Rinse the hominy until the water runs clear.
- In a large stockpot, add the hominy, chicken breast, onion, garlic, water, bouillon, salt, pepper and oregano.110 ounce can Mexican style hominy , 2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into large chunks, ½ medium white or yellow onion , 2 garlic cloves, 8 cups water, 1 tablespoon ground chicken bouillon or 1 cube, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- Cook on medium high covered.
- Meanwhile make the salsa verde: In a small skillet, add the olive oil and saute the onion, the chiles and garlic over medium high heat. Saute for 2 minutes or until they get soft and look roasted.½ teaspoon olive oil, ½ medium white or yellow onion , 2 fresh jalapeños, cut into halves, 2 serrano peppers, cut into halves, 2 garlic cloves
- To a blender or food processor, add the sauteed vegetables, tomatillos, poblano peppers, cilantro, bouillon, salt and pepper. Blend for a minute or two.2-28 ounce cans whole tomatillos, 1 large roasted poblano pepper, ¼ cup packed cilantro, ½ teaspoon ground chicken bouillon or ½ cube, ½ teaspoon kosher salt or more to taste, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper or more to taste
- Add about 2 cups of the salsa verde to the chicken and hominy mixture. Cook for about 1 hour on medium heat, covered or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- When the chicken is cooked, transfer the chicken to a cutting board, plate or bowl and shred with 2 forks, then transfer back to the pot. Simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes.
Note: you may have about a cup left of the salsa to enjoy with chips or something else.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed.
- To serve top with avocado, cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice and shredded cabbage. Tortilla chips or tostadas make a great pairing.
Video
Your Private Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Quesions
Green pozole gets its color from tomatillos, cilantro, and green chiles like poblano and jalapeño. Red pozole (pozole rojo) uses dried red chiles such as guajillo and ancho. The green version tastes bright and tangy; the red tastes smokier and richer. Both build their body around hominy and slow-simmered pork or chicken.
Grab a 26-ounce can of whole tomatillos (drained) for a quick swap. In a pinch, green tomatoes with an extra squeeze of lime can work, but fresh tomatillos give the most traditional tangy flavor.
Raw tomatillos can taste sharp. Roasting or boiling them before blending softens their bite and brings out their natural sweetness. Over-blending cilantro stems can make the broth bitter too, keep the blend quick and pulse-style.
Yes, naturally. Hominy comes from dried corn treated with cal (lime water), and all the other core ingredients -tomatillos, chiles, broth, herbs are gluten-free. Double-check your store-bought chicken broth label to be safe.
As a busy mom, can you switch out making the salsa verde from scratch with store bought?
I have not tried a jarred salsa verde I liked. They all taste too processed for me. You can use it but I think the result of the pozole would not be as good. If you have access to a Mexican restaurant or meat store, perhaps they can sell you some salsa verde? Also, you can make my salsa verde using canned tomatillos. Make it ahead of time. I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions. Provecho! Ana
Going to try and make this tonight !!
Love this so much! Thank you Ana, super clear instructions and very simple. Whole family loved it!!
Enjoyed this for dinner last night and it was a savory success! Easy, hearty and delicious; my kind of comfort food, indeed!
I love pozole verde and was looking for a good recipe. It turned out so flavorful and felt so nourishing!
What a delicious way to warm up! This soup was packed with flavor. My husband and I couldn’t get enough! Yum!
The flavors are incredible, with the tanginess of the tomatillos and the heat of the jalapenos. The tender chicken and hearty hominy make it a delicious and satisfying meal.
This soup is amazing – so much flavor!
I hope you like this Pozole Verde as much as I do! Please leave me a comment or question and I’ll get back to you asap. Stay well! xo, Ana