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    Recipes » Soup » Mexican Soups

    Chicken Pozole Verde

    Published: Nov 4, 2021 · Modified: Oct 31, 2022 by Marissa Stevens · 14 Comments

    Gluten Free

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

    Chicken Pozole Verde is a hearty and delicious Mexican soup with a vibrant green, deeply flavorful broth loaded with tender chicken and hominy. It's a festive soup to serve on special occasions, but is easy enough to whip up on a weeknight with this simple recipe.

    Chicken Pozole Verde served in a white bowl.

    This history of this hearty and vibrantly flavorful soup goes back to the ancient Aztecs, so some form of it has been around for at least five hundred years! It's often made with pork, but here I've used boneless, skinless chicken thighs (you can use boneless skinless chicken breasts if you prefer). With just 15 minutes of prep and some hands-off time on the stovetop, you'll be sitting down to enjoy it in less than an hour.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients You Need to Make Chicken Pozole Verde
    • Optional Toppings
    • What goes into Pozole Verde?
    • Recipe Options
    • FAQ
    • Storage and Reheating
    • More Must Try Mexican Recipes
    • How to Make Chicken Pozole Verde
    • Recipe Video
    • Chicken Pozole Verde
    • 💬 Comments

    Ingredients You Need to Make Chicken Pozole Verde

    Chicken Pozole Verde Ingredients on a white marble board.
    • Vegetable Oil: such as avocado oil
    • White Onion: or yellow onion
    • Garlic: fresh garlic cloves
    • Tomatillos: look for firm (but not hard) tomatillos with a relatively tight husk wrapping all the way around
    • Jalapeños: look for peppers with firm, smooth skin
    • Dried Oregano: ideally Mexican oregano
    • Ground Cumin
    • Chicken Broth: ideally Homemade Chicken Broth or chicken stock
    • Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs: or boneless skinless chicken breasts
    • Cilantro: fresh cilantro with brightly colored, fragrant leaves
    • Hominy: canned white hominy
    • Kosher Salt

    Optional Toppings

    • Sliced Radishes
    • Shredded Cabbage
    • Finely Diced White Onion
    • Sliced Jalapeño or Serrano Chile
    • Diced or Sliced Avocado
    • Fresh Cilantro
    • Lime Wedges
    • Tortilla Chips

    What goes into Pozole Verde?

    Pozole Verde is a rich blend of chicken broth, tomatillos, green chiles and aromatics with tender chicken and white hominy as its main ingredients. Tomatillos (also called husk tomatoes) are key, with their signature tangy and refreshing flavor that's difficult to replicate with any other ingredient. This is just the base, though; the fun part is the all of the toppings.

    A bowl of pozole verde isn't complete until you top it with your favorite toppings, from sliced radishes and jalapeño peppers to fresh cilantro, avocado and crispy tortilla chips. Keep it simple or pile it high, it’s one of the most ancient build-your-own meals in the world!

    Chicken Pozole Verde served in a white bowl.

    Recipe Options

    • Use boneless skinless chicken breasts if you prefer them to thighs, but know that the meat may be a bit drier. You can also use shredded rotisserie chicken or Shredded Chicken that you've made in your slow cooker.
    • Make the soup with leftover Mexican pulled pork instead. You could also swap in Pork Bone Broth for the chicken broth.
    • Adjust the spices in this soup to suit your tastes - I encourage you to make it your own!

    FAQ

    What is the difference between “posole” and “pozole”?

    If you’ve browsed around pozole recipes, you probably found the word spelled either with an ‘s’ or with a ‘z.’ Both terms mean the same thing. The word pozole comes from the Nahuatl word pozolli, which means sparkling, likely referring to how foamy the water becomes when boiling hominy. 

    What does hominy taste like?

    Hominy is made from dried corn kernels treated with an alkali (nixtamalization). Unlike sweet corn, hominy is not sweet, but starchy. It doesn't have much flavor on its own, but absorbs the soup's flavors nicely.

    Storage and Reheating

    Store leftover pozole verde in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in freezer-safe containers or plastic bags for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

    More Must Try Mexican Recipes

    • Albondigas Soup (Mexican meatball soup)
    • Slow Cooker Birria de Res (Make delicious Birria Ramen with the leftover broth.)
    • Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas (with homemade Green Enchilada Sauce)
    • Carne Asada Nachos
    • Carne Asada Burrito
    • Chicken Tinga
    • Chicken Tostadas
    • Homemade Refried Beans

    How to Make Chicken Pozole Verde

    Soften onion, garlic, tomatillos, jalapeños, oregano and cumin in hot oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add broth and bring to simmer. Add chicken thighs and simmer until very tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer chicken to bowl or cutting board and shred with two forks.

    stirring oregano into tomatillo mixture
    softened tomatillo mixture
    adding chicken broth
    stirring in chicken broth
    adding chicken to boiling soup
    boiling soup ready to remove chicken and vegetables
    removing cooked chicken with metal tongs
    shredding chicken with two forks

    Strain out solids from broth and puree in blender along with cilantro and ½ cup of cooking liquid. Return mixture to soup along with shredded chicken and stir until heated through; season with salt to taste. Serve with your choice of toppings.

    straining out vegetables
    strained solids in blender
    cilantro added to strained vegetables in blender
    cilantro and tomatillo mixture smooth in blender
    adding smooth tomatillo mixture to soup
    adding shredded chicken to soup
    adding hominy to soup
    a spoonful of chicken pozole verde

    Recipe Video

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    Chicken Pozole Verde served in a white bowl.

    Chicken Pozole Verde

    Marissa Stevens
    A weeknight easy version of this classic, comforting Mexican soup.
    5 from 3 votes
    Save Recipe Saved! Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 35 mins
    Total Time 50 mins
    Course Main Course, Soup
    Cuisine Mexican
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 354 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil such as avocado oil
    • 1 large white onion chopped
    • 4 large cloves garlic coarsely chopped
    • 1 pound tomatillos husks and stems removed, rinsed and quartered
    • 3 jalapeños seeded (or leave the seeds for a spicier soup) and cut into large pieces (gloves recommended!)
    • 1 tablespoon dried oregano ideally Mexican oregano
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 6 cups chicken broth
    • 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs trimmed
    • 1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems, plus more for garnish
    • 2 15-ounce cans hominy drained and rinsed
    • kosher salt to taste

    Optional Toppings

    • sliced radishes
    • sliced jalapeño
    • diced or sliced avocado
    • cilantro
    • lime wedges
    • tortilla chips

    Instructions
     

    • Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat; add onion, garlic, tomatillos, jalapeños, oregano and cumin; cook and stir until softened, about 10 minutes. Add broth and bring to simmer. Stir chicken thighs into broth and bring back to simmer. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until chicken is very tender.
    • Transfer chicken to cutting board and shred into bite-size pieces with 2 forks.
    • With a slotted spoon, transfer cooked onion, garlic, tomatillos and jalapeños to blender. Add cilantro and ½ cup of the cooking liquid and blend until smooth. (I recommend using a kitchen towel instead of a lid to cover blender when blending hot liquids.)
    • Stir blended tomatillo mixture, shredded chicken and hominy into broth and bring to simmer over medium heat; add salt to taste. Cook and stir until heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve with desired toppings.

    Notes

    1. Note the toppings are optional and not included in nutrition information.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 354kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 34gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 144mgSodium: 1756mgPotassium: 896mgFiber: 6gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 187IUVitamin C: 39mgCalcium: 67mgIron: 3mg
    Keyword Cinco de Mayo, comfort food
    Tried this recipe?I'd love to see it! Tag me on Instagram at @pinchandswirl or leave me a comment and rating below.

    More Mexican Soups

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    • Albondigas Soup

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Laura says

      January 22, 2022 at 6:32 am

      I didn’t see where/when u add the cumin?

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        January 22, 2022 at 9:56 am

        Thank you for catching that, Laura! It gets added in along with the dry oregano - I've updated the recipe to include it.

        Reply
    2. Isabel says

      December 25, 2021 at 8:57 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe was so easy and it came out so perfect! I doubled the recipe but only added one whole chopped up onion instead of two. But It was the perfect Christmas dinner meal! For the first time making it.....it definitely was a hit!!!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        December 27, 2021 at 8:43 am

        I'm so happy this was a hit, Isabel! Thank you for coming back to let me know.

        Reply
    3. Ben | Havocinthekitchen says

      November 07, 2021 at 4:09 pm

      I've never had Chicken Pozole Verde, but this soup looks utterly delicious, hearty, and beautiful. Perfect for the colder time of the year!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        November 08, 2021 at 12:19 pm

        Thanks so much, Ben. It really is such a comforting soup!

        Reply
    4. MaryAnn | The Beach House Kitchen says

      November 07, 2021 at 9:23 am

      5 stars
      This would be a total hit at our house Marissa! Love the use of chicken thighs and how easy the recipe looks too!

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        November 08, 2021 at 12:20 pm

        Thanks, Mary Ann! It really is a snap to put together.

        Reply
    5. Valentina says

      November 05, 2021 at 7:42 am

      What a delicious and hearty meal. Looks wonderful! Hominy is an ingredient I often forget about, so for the reminder. 🙂 Valentina

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        November 08, 2021 at 12:20 pm

        I forget about it too, Valentina. It really adds a great texture to soups and stews.

        Reply
    6. David @ Spiced says

      November 05, 2021 at 4:59 am

      5 stars
      Oh, I love a good bowl of pozole verde! The base itself is delicious, but it's just begging for all of the delicious toppings. This is the kind of food I need to warm my belly on these cold winter days - even though it's not even winter yet. Haha.

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        November 08, 2021 at 12:20 pm

        It's been so chilly here too, David! All I've been craving is soup.

        Reply
    7. angiesrecipes says

      November 04, 2021 at 9:02 am

      So you served this just like soup? I have never had this before, it surely looks very tempting with the combo of flavours.

      Reply
      • Marissa Stevens says

        November 08, 2021 at 12:21 pm

        Thank you, Angie! Yes, served as soup with lots of toppings (similar to chili).

        Reply

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