Why You’ll Love This this Mexican Verde Chicken Posole
This pozole verde brings together tender shredded chicken, earthy hominy, and a vibrant green sauce that’s like a warm hug in a bowl.
The tomatillo-poblano base creates this gorgeous emerald broth that tastes way more complex than the simple ingredient list suggests, which honestly makes me feel like a kitchen genius every time.
Plus, you can customize your toppings however you want—avocado, sour cream, crunchy tortilla strips—turning each bowl into your own personal comfort food masterpiece.
Ingredients List
This pozole verde comes together with ingredients you can find at most grocery stores, though you might need to hunt down those tomatillos in the produce section.
- 7 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups water
- 4 boneless chicken breast halves
- 1 lb tomatillos, husked and halved
- 1 small onion, quartered
- 2 poblano chiles, cored, seeded and quartered
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and quartered
- 4 large garlic cloves, smashed
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 tablespoon oregano leaves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 (15 ounce) cans white hominy, drained
A few things worth mentioning about these ingredients and your health:
- Tomatillos pack vitamin C and antioxidants, while poblanos and jalapeños bring capsaicin that can boost metabolism
- Using chicken breast keeps the protein lean, though you could swap in thighs for more flavor if you don’t mind extra fat
- Hominy is basically corn that’s been treated with lime, so it’s gluten-free but fairly high in carbs
- You can easily control the sodium by choosing low-sodium chicken stock and going easy on the added salt
Step by Step Directions
This traditional Mexican soup combines tender chicken with a vibrant green sauce made from tomatillos and chiles, simmered together with hominy for a hearty, flavorful meal.
• Cook the chicken: In a large pot, bring 7 cups chicken stock and 2 cups water to a boil. Add 4 boneless chicken breast halves and simmer over very low heat for about 25 minutes until tender and cooked through.
Remove chicken and shred the meat, reserving the broth.
• Make the green sauce: In a blender or food processor, combine 1 lb halved tomatillos, 1 quartered small onion, 2 quartered poblano chiles, 2 quartered jalapeños, 4 smashed garlic cloves, 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, and 1 tablespoon oregano leaves.
Pulse until coarsely chopped, then add 1 cup of the reserved broth and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook the sauce: Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large deep skillet until shimmering. Add the tomatillo puree and cook over medium heat for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce turns deep green.
- Combine and finish: Pour the green sauce into the pot with the remaining broth. Add 3 cans of drained white hominy and bring to a simmer over moderate heat.
Add the shredded chicken back to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and cook just until heated through.
• Serve: Ladle into deep bowls and top with diced onion, avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips, lime wedges, or tortilla strips as desired.
For the most authentic flavor, consider using freshly ground spices with a premium spice grinder to enhance the aromatic qualities of your oregano and other dried seasonings.
Substitutions and Variations
• Herb substitutions: No fresh cilantro? Try fresh parsley instead, or even some chopped green onions.
And if oregano isn’t your thing, a pinch of cumin adds nice earthiness.
Additional Things to Serve With This Dish
This pozole is practically begging for some tasty companions to round out the meal.
- Warm corn tortillas – Because to be frank, you’re going to want something to scoop up every last drop of that gorgeous green broth, and tortillas are basically edible spoons that taste way better than actual spoons.
- Mexican rice or cilantro lime rice – A fluffy bed of rice soaks up the sauce beautifully and makes this already hearty soup feel like a complete feast.
- Simple black beans – Just warmed from the can with a little cumin and garlic, they add protein and that classic Mexican comfort food atmosphere.
- Fresh salsa or pico de gallo – The bright, chunky freshness cuts through the rich, creamy elements and adds a nice textural contrast.
- Warm flour tortillas with butter – Sometimes you want something a little richer and more substantial than corn tortillas, especially if you’re feeding hungry teenagers who seem to have bottomless stomachs.
- Mexican street corn salad – All the flavors of elote but easier to eat alongside soup, with corn, mayo, cotija cheese, and chili powder mixed together.
Cooking Tips & Tricks (Chef’s Notes)
Making pozole verde can be tricky if you’ve never tackled it before, but these little tips will save you from the mistakes that turn a gorgeous green soup into something that looks like it belongs in a swamp.
- Don’t skip the simmering step for the tomatillo mixture – I know 12 minutes feels like forever when you’re hungry, but this is what transforms that raw, sharp tomatillo bite into something deep and complex that won’t make your face pucker.
- Shred the chicken while it’s still warm – Cold chicken is stubborn and wants to break into chunks instead of those perfect, sauce-grabbing shreds that make each bite so satisfying.
- Save some of that chicken cooking liquid – You might need it later to thin the soup if it gets too thick, and it’s already perfectly seasoned from cooking the chicken.
- Taste your poblanos before adding them – Sometimes you get a spicy one that’ll knock your socks off, and sometimes they’re mild as a church mouse, so adjust the jalapeños accordingly.
- Don’t blend the tomatillo mixture completely smooth – A little texture is your friend here, unless you want soup that looks like baby food.
- Add the hominy at the end – Those little corn kernels have already been through enough processing, and overcooking turns them into sad, mushy pellets that nobody wants to fish out of their bowl.
Nutritional Facts
This hearty Mexican soup delivers substantial nutrition while keeping calories reasonable – perfect for a satisfying meal that won’t weigh you down.
- Calories: Approximately 320-350 per serving (recipe serves 6-8)
- Protein: 28-32 grams per serving from the chicken breast
- Carbohydrates: 35-40 grams, primarily from hominy and vegetables
- Fat: 8-12 grams, mostly from the small amount of cooking oil
- Fiber: 6-8 grams from the hominy, tomatillos, and peppers
- Sodium: 800-1000mg per serving (varies based on chicken stock used)
- Vitamin C: High content from tomatillos, poblanos, and jalapeños
- Potassium: Excellent source from chicken, tomatillos, and hominy
- Iron: Good source from chicken and hominy
- Magnesium: Provided by hominy and green vegetables
- Folate: Notable amounts from tomatillos and cilantro
- Niacin (B3): High levels from chicken breast
- Phosphorus: Substantial amounts from chicken and hominy
Fun “Did You Know?”
While pozole might seem like a straightforward soup, it’s actually one of Mexico’s most historically significant dishes with roots stretching back over 500 years to the Aztec empire.
I find it fascinating that hominy, pozole’s star ingredient, was considered sacred by the Aztecs and used in religious ceremonies. The word “pozole” comes from the Nahuatl word “pozolli,” meaning “foamy.”
Originally, this dish was only prepared for special occasions and religious festivals. Today’s chicken version is a modern adaptation – traditional pozole was made with pork, making our recipe a delicious evolution of ancient culinary traditions.
