Pozole Verde is a comforting Mexican stew filled with shredded chicken and hominy in a delicious green chile broth made from tomatillos, jalapeños, and cilantro. It’s easy to make, hearty, and ready in only one hour!
Pozole verde is one of my favorite traditional Mexican dishes to make when I’m craving something comforting yet light and bright.
Unlike pozole rojo, which is made from succulent shredded pork in a rich red chile broth, or pozole blanco, which is made completely without any chiles at all, this green pozole is filled with tender shredded chicken in a tangy tomatillo green chile broth.
It’s also ready in half the time, making it perfect for busy weeknight meals. If you have an Instant Pot, take a look at my Instant Pot Pozole!
What is Pozole?
Pozole (or posole) is a traditional Mexican stew made with pork and hominy cooked in a flavorful chile broth. There are three main variations of the dish:
- pozole verde – made with a green chile broth
- pozole rojo – made with a red chile broth
- pozole blanco – made without any chiles at all
Pozole is served year-round, but is popular during the fall and winter months, as well as celebrations like birthdays, Christmas, New Years, and other holidays.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Hominy: It’s a type of maize that’s been soaked and treated with lime. Hominy looks like big puffy corn kernels and can usually be found in the Hispanic foods section of your local grocery store, or in the canned vegetables section near the yellow corn. Learn more about hominy.
- Chicken: I used boneless skinless chicken thighs for lots of flavor without too much fat, but you can use chicken breasts or any other chicken cut that you prefer.
- Tomatillos: These green tomato look-alikes add a great tanginess and brightness that really makes the chile sauce pop. Make sure to remove the papery husks and rinse off the sticky residue before cooking with them. Learn more about tomatillos.
- Chiles: I used jalapeños for a medium heat level, but you can use poblanos for milder spice or serranos for hotter spice. Or a combination of all three!
- Onions, garlic, oregano, and cilantro: For added flavor in the green chile sauce.
- Broth: Chicken or vegetable are best. If you’re in a pinch and don’t have any, you could use water instead.
- Toppings: I recommend lime wedges, sliced radishes, Mexican oregano, thinly shredded cabbage, diced onions, cilantro
How to Make Pozole Verde
1. Cook: Add chicken thighs, tomatillos, onion, garlic, jalapeños, broth, oregano, and salt in a large dutch oven. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover partially, and cook for 40 minutes.
2. Blend: Remove the cooked tomatillos, onions, jalapenos, and garlic with a slotted spoon and transfer to a blender. Then add a large handful of fresh cilantro, a cup of the cooking liquid, and blend until completely smooth.
3. Shred: Remove the cooked chicken from the pot, transfer it to a cutting board or plate, and shred.
4. Combine: Add back the shredded chicken, blended green chile sauce, and hominy to the pot.
5. Simmer: Simmer for 15 minutes, give it a taste, and season with more salt as desired.
How to Serve Pozole Verde
Toppings are a huge part of serving pozole. Here are some ideas of what to add to your bowl:
- chopped onions
- lime wedges
- sliced radishes
- fresh cilantro
- Mexican oregano
- thinly sliced cabbage
Storing and Freezing
Storing: Pozole verde can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezing: To freeze, cool pozole in the refrigerator. Once cooled, transfer to a freezer safe container or bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
More Mexican Recipes
Pozole Verde
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 pound tomatillos husked and rinsed
- 1 large onion roughly chopped
- 3 jalapeño peppers halved (seeds removed if you don’t want it spicy)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 cups broth chicken or vegetable
- 1 cup cilantro, stems and leaves
- 2 15-ounce cans white hominy, drained and rinsed
Toppings: lime wedges, sliced radishes, Mexican oregano, thinly shredded cabbage, diced onions, cilantro
Instructions
- Add the chicken thighs, tomatillos, onion, jalapeños, garlic, oregano, salt, and broth to a large pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 40 minutes until chicken is fall-apart tender.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred it with a fork. Set aside.
- Carefully transfer the cooked tomatillos, onions, jalapeños, and garlic with a slotted spoon to a large blender. Add in 1 cup of the cooking liquid and the cilantro, and blend until completely smooth.
- Pour the blended mixture back into the pot and stir in the shredded chicken and hominy. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook uncovered for 15 minutes. Taste and season with more salt, if necessary.
- Serve with toppings such as fresh lime juice, thinly shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, cilantro, diced onions, and Mexican oregano.
Notes
- Chicken: I recommend using boneless or bone-in chicken thighs as they stay juicy and have more flavor, but you can use chicken breast if you prefer.
- Tomatillos: Look for fresh and firm, bright green ones with papery husks for the tangiest flavor. If you can’t find tomatillos near you, many readers have said they’ve used a pound of canned tomatillos with great success. If you use canned tomatillos, don’t cook them in the pot with the chicken in step 1; instead, just add them to the blender like in step 3.
- Adjust the heat level: Keep the jalapeño seeds for extra spice, or swap for milder Anaheim peppers if sensitive to heat. For more spice, use serrano peppers.
- Mexican oregano: Its fruity, citrusy notes add authenticity. Regular oregano works in a pinch.
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