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!
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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
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 pound tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 jalapeño peppers, halved (seeds removed if you don't want it spicy)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano (Mexican oregano preferred)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
- 1 handful 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
- Cook: In a large pot or dutch oven, add chicken thighs, tomatillos, onion, jalapeños, garlic, oregano, salt, and broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 40 minutes until chicken is fall-apart tender.
- Shred: Transfer chicken to cutting board and shred with a fork. Set aside.
- Blend: Using a large slotted spoon, carefully transfer the cooked tomatillos, onions, jalapenos, and garlic to a large blender. Add in a cup of the cooking liquid and the cilantro, and blend until completely smooth.
- Simmer: 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: Serve with toppings such as fresh lime juice, thinly shredded cabbage, sliced radishes, cilantro, diced onions, and Mexican oregano.
Video
Isabel’s Tips:
- 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.
Nutrition Information
I thought this recipe was going to be too complicated to make more than once and I was wrong. I will definitely have it on repeat! 🤤 yum!
I just finished making this recipe with my home grown tomatillos (first time growing) and it is absolutely delicious.
This is excellent! Thank you for the delicious recipe!
This is soooo good. I will be making this frequently.
Been using this recipe for pozole for a few years now and my family loves it!!
LOVE this recipe! It’s my go-to for making pozole verde. I don’t make any changes – just follow the recipe as is. Perfect!
I like to use serrano’s, and a few more of them plus more hominy but definitely a good starter
I have now made this 3 times in the last few weeks. Flavor is wonderful and soup is really easy to make. I upped the hominy the second time I made it and the third time I added green beans and carrots. The base flavor is excellent!
I am so proud of this meal! Everyone loved it.
Fabulous! I made this recipe and now I am hooked…will definitely be trying more of your recipes…Thank You!!!!
This hit every spot imaginable. I’ve never been so grateful for a recipe. I plan to use this so much in the future and all your other recipes cause a girl this is fire
Love this recipe it’s my go to! Impresses all my grandma mom and aunts, my friends, and their mom’s and aunts! 😆
I don’t change a thing on this recipe except I like to char the tomatillos and peppers slightly, take them out and sear the chicken breast on high quickly just to give the skin a slight crisp, then throw everything into the pot with the broth.
Adds a little more flavor to me at least.
Delicious! I followed the recipe. Added cojita cheese and avacado to garnishes.
This was delicious, I’ve never made any kind of soup other than the canned ones and I’m so glad I gave this a try. Was easy enough for anyone to attempt and absolutely worth it. Can’t wait to make the rojo