Authentic Chicken Pozole Verde Recipe

Kicking off Hispanic Heritage Month with one of my favorite Mexican dishes — Pozole Verde. This comforting soup is full of bright, layered flavors and makes a large pot perfect for family gatherings. If you love hominy, tender chicken, and a tangy green salsa, you’ll want to try this recipe.

What is Pozole?

Pozole is a classic Mexican soup built around hominy and a chile-based broth. It can be made red, green, or white depending on the chiles and aromatics used. Pozole is traditionally prepared with pork, but the verde version featured here is made with chicken.

Hominy — dried corn kernels that have been nixtamalized and rehydrated — gives pozole its distinctive texture and flavor. It becomes soft and slightly chewy in the broth and carries the soup’s seasonings beautifully. Pozole is often served on holidays and at large family meals; a pot will usually feed six to eight people and feels like a warm hug in a bowl.

Why you’ll love this recipe

Over years of cooking pozole I’ve refined a few techniques that build deep flavor without adding complexity. Instead of simply boiling a whole chicken and adding salsa, I make a small sofrito of onions, garlic, and spices first. That sofrito develops flavor and becomes part of the salsa verde when blended with roasted peppers and tomatillos.

I often spatchcock a whole chicken for this pozole. Flattening the bird gives more surface area to sear, which creates browned bits and caramelization that enrich the broth. I keep the removed spine to simmer with the broth so nothing flavorful goes to waste. If you prefer not to spatchcock, use skin-on thighs, drumsticks, or breasts — the soup will still be excellent.

Different types of Pozole

Pozole has regional and family variations. It can be made with chicken, pork, seafood, or other proteins. It also comes in three common color styles that reflect the chiles and ingredients used.

Ingredients

• Chicken — a spatchcocked whole chicken (about 4 lb) is ideal, but you can use a cut-up chicken or a mix of thighs, drumsticks, and breasts.
• Hominy — prepared hominy from a Mexican market is best, but canned hominy works well with a few extra steps to improve texture and flavor.
• Salsa verde — poblano peppers, jalapeños, optional serranos for heat, tomatillos, onion, garlic, cilantro, plus a little water to blend.
• Seasoning — kosher salt, black pepper, cumin, Mexican oregano, and optionally a touch of chicken bouillon for extra depth.
• Toppings — shredded cabbage or iceberg lettuce, sliced radishes, chopped onion, cilantro, lime wedges, avocado, jalapeños, and tostadas or tortillas with sour cream and hot sauce.

Prepared hominy

Prepared hominy from a Latin market cooks longer and requires rinsing and then simmering for about 90–120 minutes until tender. It also sometimes needs a quick sorting to remove any discolored bits. If you have the time and access, prepared hominy gives the best texture and flavor.

How to make canned hominy taste better

If you use canned hominy, a simple toasting step improves flavor and texture. Rinse and drain the hominy, pat it dry, then spread it on a baking sheet and roast until slightly browned on the edges. This develops a more pronounced corn flavor and reduces mushiness.

• Rinse canned hominy thoroughly and drain well.
• Pat dry and spread on a baking sheet.
• Roast at 400°F until just starting to brown at the edges.

Prepping the salsa verde

Roast the peppers and tomatillos by the method you prefer: oven, stovetop, grill, or air fryer. For convenience, roast in the oven at 400°F. If you are also toasting canned hominy, place the peppers and tomatillos on one side of the sheet and the hominy on the other.

Once roasted, remove skins and seeds from poblanos, and remove seeds from jalapeños if you want a milder salsa. Blend roasted peppers, tomatillos, onion, garlic, cilantro, spices, and about 2 cups of water until smooth. If you boiled prepared hominy, use some of its cooking water for extra flavor.

How to eat pozole — my way

Toppings make pozole shine. I like to pile on diced onion, lime, avocado, shredded iceberg lettuce (or cabbage), sliced radish, jalapeños, and plenty of cilantro. Spoon the hot pozole into bowls and let everyone top their bowl to taste.

A favorite snack from my childhood is a tostada spread with a little sour cream and hot sauce — a crunchy complement to the soup. Serve with lime wedges and extra hot sauce on the side.

Recipe: Chicken Pozole Verde

Servings: 6 | Prep: 30 minutes | Cook: 1 hr 30 mins

Summary: A comforting green pozole made with spatchcocked chicken, hominy, and a bright salsa verde of poblano, jalapeño, serrano (optional), and tomatillo.

Ingredients

• 4 lb spatchcocked whole chicken (or equivalent pieces)
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 5 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 2 lbs prepared hominy or one 29 oz can hominy
• 2 bay leaves
• Chicken bouillon and/or salt to taste (optional)

Salsa Verde

• 3 poblano peppers
• 3 jalapeño peppers
• 3 serrano peppers, optional
• 6 tomatillos
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 1 tbsp chicken bouillon (optional)
• 2 tsp Mexican oregano
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 cups water (for blending)

Toppings

• Cilantro, chopped
• Red radish, sliced
• Iceberg lettuce or cabbage, shredded
• Avocado, diced
• Lime wedges
• Onion, diced
• Jalapeños, sliced
• Tostadas with sour cream and hot sauce

Instructions

1. If using prepared hominy, rinse thoroughly and simmer uncovered in water for 1½–2 hours until tender. Drain and set aside.
2. Roast peppers and tomatillos at 400°F for about 20 minutes. If using canned hominy, roast the hominy on the same sheet for texture improvement.
3. Spatchcock the chicken by removing the spine and pressing the breast flat. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Keep the spine for the broth.
4. In a large pot, sauté diced onion in 3 tbsp olive oil over medium-low until translucent. Add garlic, cumin, Mexican oregano, and a tablespoon of bouillon if using; cook briefly without burning.
5. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and increase heat to medium. Sear the chicken skin-side down for 3–4 minutes, flip and sear the other side 2–3 minutes. Add the spine to the pot.
6. Add about 10 cups of water and 2 bay leaves. Bring to a gentle boil, skim any scum, reduce heat, and simmer covered for 45 minutes, turning the chicken if necessary so it cooks evenly.
7. Remove skins and seeds from poblanos. Blend roasted poblanos, jalapeños (seeds optional), tomatillos, onion, garlic, cilantro, and 2 cups water until smooth. Use cooking water if you boiled prepared hominy for extra flavor.
8. Remove the chicken, let cool slightly, then shred the meat and discard bones. Return shredded chicken to the pot.
9. Add the blended salsa and hominy to the broth. Taste and season with bouillon or salt as needed. Simmer another 10–15 minutes to meld flavors.
10. Serve bowls with desired toppings. Pozole keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Additional Info

Author: Stella Navarro-Kim

Course: Main Course | Cuisine: Mexican

Nutrition information is an approximation and varies by ingredients and portion size.