Print

Chicken Pozole Verde Soup Recipe

Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.6 from 84 reviews

Chicken Pozole Verde Soup is a vibrant and hearty Mexican stew featuring tender shredded chicken simmered in a flavorful green sauce made from tomatillos, poblano peppers, jalapeños, and fresh cilantro. This comforting soup is enriched with hominy and seasoned with traditional spices like oregano, cumin, and coriander, making it a perfect dish for a cozy meal. It’s garnished with fresh radishes, avocado, jalapeños, lime, cabbage, and tortilla chips for added texture and zest.

Ingredients

Scale

Soup Base

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, deveined and chopped
  • 2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed and quartered
  • 8 cups chicken broth, divided
  • 1 small bunch fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Protein and Hominy

  • 2 pounds boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breast
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans hominy, drained and rinsed
  • 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon (optional, or more to taste)

Garnishes

  • Thinly sliced radishes
  • Sliced avocado
  • Sliced jalapeños
  • Lime wedges
  • Fresh cilantro
  • Shredded cabbage
  • Tortilla chips

Instructions

  1. Sauté: Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions, jalapeños, and poblano peppers. Sauté, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes until the onions begin to become translucent. Stir in the minced garlic and tomatillos, then continue sautéing for another 4 to 5 minutes until the peppers soften. Remove the pot from heat.
  2. Blend: Transfer the sautéed mixture into a blender. Add about 1 cup of chicken broth (cold broth is fine) along with the fresh cilantro. Blend the mixture until completely smooth, adding more broth if necessary to achieve a good blending consistency.
  3. Season: Pour the blended mixture back into the pot or Dutch oven. Add the remaining chicken broth, dried oregano, ground cumin, ground coriander, bay leaf, and salt. Stir everything well to combine all the flavors.
  4. Cook: Add the boneless chicken to the pot and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot partially, and simmer gently for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender and thoroughly cooked.
  5. Shred the chicken: Remove the chicken from the pot and place it on a plate or cutting board. Use two forks to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. Return the shredded chicken to the pot and stir in the drained and rinsed hominy.
  6. Simmer: Cook the soup uncovered for 10 minutes over medium heat. Taste the soup; if it lacks depth, stir in 1 teaspoon or more of chicken bouillon for enhanced flavor. Let the soup simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and ground black pepper according to your preference.
  7. Serve: Ladle the soup into serving bowls and garnish with your choice of thinly sliced radishes, avocado slices, fresh jalapeños, lime wedges, fresh cilantro, shredded cabbage, and crunchy tortilla chips for a delightful combination of textures and flavors.

Notes

  • Using chicken thighs will provide more tender and flavorful meat, but chicken breast can also be used for a leaner option.
  • If you prefer a spicier soup, keep some jalapeño seeds or add extra sliced jalapeños as a garnish.
  • Tomatillos can be found fresh in most Latin grocery stores or in the produce section of larger supermarkets.
  • This soup can be made in advance and tastes even better the next day as the flavors meld.
  • For a thicker soup, you can mash some of the hominy before adding it back to the pot.
  • Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

Keywords: Chicken Pozole, Pozole Verde, Mexican soup, Hominy soup, Tomatillo soup, Chicken soup, Mexican stew, Comfort food

Find it online: https://chefmilacook.com/chicken-pozole-verde-soup-recipe/