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Pozole Verde is a hearty, spicy Mexican chicken soup made easy! Tender chicken and hominy all cook in a comforting broth flavored with tomatillos, poblanos, and jalapenos.
For more Mexican flavor, try my Salsa Verde Chicken and Chipotle Chicken Tacos next!
Why We Love This Recipe
- Flavorful – Poblanos, jalapenos, and tomatillos add a lot of flavor to this hearty chicken soup.
- Authentic – This Mexican chicken and hominy soup has traditional flavor and ingredients without a ton of extra work.
- Comforting – Chicken soup is a classic comfort food for many cultures. Slow simmering the chicken with the tomatillos, peppers, and onion creates a flavorful and nourishing broth.
RECIPE WALK-THROUGH
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken Thighs or Breasts – You can use either one. Thighs will be more flavorful, while breasts will be leaner.
- Hominy – I use canned hominy to keep things easy.
- Chicken Stock/Broth – I recommend choosing a low-sodium or salt-free version so you can control the salt level.
- Fresh Tomatillos – Remove the papery husk and cut them in half.
- Peppers – Poblanos and jalapenos add the perfect amount of heat to this hearty soup.
- Toppings – My favorite part! You can use radishes, avocado, cilantro, jalapenos, lime wedges, and more.
How To Make Pozole Verde
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
- Make The Broth – Bring chicken broth to a boil in a large Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Add chicken pieces, tomatillos, onion, poblanos, jalapenos, oregano, and salt. Bring it all to a boil again, then reduce the heat to low.
- Simmer – Cover the pot and simmer it for 40-45 minutes.
- Shred The Chicken – Remove the chicken from the pot and place it in a bowl. Remove the bones and skin, then shred the chicken and set it aside.
- Strain – Place a strainer over another large bowl and strain the remaining contents of the pot. Transfer the vegetables to a blender and set aside the broth.
- Blend – Blend the vegetables with garlic, cilantro, and 1 cup of broth until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Combine Everything – Return the blended vegetables to the Dutch oven and set it over high heat. Stir in the broth, chicken, and drained hominy. Cook everything for 5-10 minutes until it is warmed through.
- Serving – Serve the soup with your favorite toppings – we love to use cilantro, jalapenos, sliced radishes, avocado, and lime wedges. See below for more topping ideas.
Serving Suggestions
The best part of Pozole Verde is the fun toppings! Whether you’re serving this deliciously hearty soup to a crowd or as a simple meal for your family, try setting up the toppings in a taco bar style presentation.
Here are some of our favorite toppings:
- Sliced Radishes
- Jalapenos
- Cilantro
- Avocado
- Lime Wedges
- Chopped Onion (pickled red onions would be fantastic too!)
- Shredded Lettuce
- Sour Cream
- Tortilla Chips
- Chicharrón (pork rinds)
Storage Tips
The Best Way to Store Leftovers
This soup is one that tastes even better the next day! Keep leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. Store toppings separately.
Recipe Tips
- Milder Version – To reduce the heat from this soup, you can remove the seeds from the jalapeno and poblano peppers.
- Chicken Thighs or Breasts – You can use either one for this recipe. I prefer chicken thighs, as they add more flavor and stay moist and tender. Breasts are leaner but risk overcooking. If you do use chicken breasts, I recommend an instant read thermometer to ensure you don’t overcook them.
More Hearty Soup Recipes
- Pozole Rojo with Chicken
- White Chicken Chili Recipe
- Instant Pot Homemade Tomato Soup
- Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup
Recipe
Pozole Verde
Hearty and comforting, this spicy Pozole Verde is made with slow cooked shredded chicken, hominy, and a spicy tomatillo and pepper blend.
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 6 cups Chicken stock
- 2 pounds Chicken thighs or breasts
- 1 pound Tomatillos husked and halved
- 1 Small white onion quartered
- 2 Poblano chiles chopped
- 2 Jalapeños chopped, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon Dried oregano
- 4 Large garlic cloves smashed
- 1/2 cup Chopped cilantro stems and leaves; plus more for serving
- Kosher salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- 3 cans Hominy drained
- Red radishes sliced; for serving
- Avocado sliced; for serving
- Lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the chicken pieces, tomatillos, onion, poblanos and jalapenos, oregano, and salt. Return to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 40 minutes until tender.
- Carefully remove chicken from pot and shred the meat, discarding the bones and skin. Skim fat from the cooking liquid and reserve.
- Place a large fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and strain the broth through it. Set aside.
- Transfer the solids to a blender. Add garlic cloves, cilantro, and 1 cup of the broth and puree until it reaches your desired smoothness. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Return Dutch oven to stovetop, setting it over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the skimmed fat to the pot and allow to cook and sizzle for 30 seconds.
- Pour the tomatillo puree to the pot and stir, being careful not to get splattered with the hot sauce. Reduce heat to medium. Add the stock and stir to combine, then stir in the shredded chicken and drained hominy. Cook for 10 minutes until warmed through, seasoning with salt and pepper as desired.
- Serve the pozole garnished with cilantro, sliced radishes and jalapeno, avocado, and lime wedges.
Notes
For a milder version of this soup, remove the seeds from the jalapeno and poblano peppers.
Nutrition
Calories: 464kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 32gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 155mgSodium: 465mgPotassium: 897mgFiber: 2gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 505IUVitamin C: 49.1mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 2.5mg
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
i love pozole, particularly the green kind so i will make this. but now you have tweaked my curiosity about the “Aztecs ” being cannibalistic. so now while cooking their soup, i have to research, lol. while cooking the soup lol.thanks for the recipe….”” can’t rate it yet haha.
You are so welcome alex! Love the feedback, let us know here in the comments when you give it a try.
i love pozole, particularly the green kind so i will make this. but now you have tweaked my curiosity about the “Aztecs ” being cannibalistic. so now while cooking their soup, i have to research, lol. while cooking the soup lol.thanks for the recipe….””
I making Pozole for the 1st time today and can’t wait, need to clean kitchen 1st. LOL I got some Cholula Green Pepper Hot Sauce from Mexico. Green monday!!!
I’d ask that you revise your “historical” statement referring to the entire Aztec culture as cannibalistic. Ritual sacrifice, which was not part of the daily Aztec diet outside of the clergy and aristocracy, is often used as justification for imperialistic conquest. Otherwise, great job on an authentic recipe.
-Meztli
This soup was a hit!! Great flavor .
Hi Jackie, Thank you so much for taking the time to leave some positive feedback.