Pozole Verde - Green Chicken Pozole

No matter what time of the year it is, I always love making a flavorful Mexican Soup! After having the delicious pork version at my favorite Mexican restaurant, I knew I had to make a chicken version at home.

This Chicken Pozole or Pozole Verde is packed with fall-apart tender shredded chicken, roasted peppers, tomatillos, and cilantro for a slightly spicy, bright flavor. It only takes 10 minutes to prep and tastes even better than the restaurant version!

I also love this Mexican Chicken Soup, which was recreated after a restaurant version.

What is pozole?

Pozole, also called posole, is a traditional Mexican stew made of meat and hominy simmered in a flavorful broth made with Mexican chilies. It comes in two main varieties - red (pozole rojo) and green (pozole verde). Red pozole is made with dried chilies, and green pozole is made with fresh jalapenos, cilantro, and tomatillos. Traditionally, pozole is made with pork, although green pozole is often made with chicken as well.

The ingredient that you will always find in pozole is hominy. Hominy is a type of maize (corn) that has been treated with lime juice. It's usually found with the canned products in the Mexican or Latin section of the grocery store.

What To Serve With Pozole Verde

This soup can either be a starter for your main meal or it can be your entire lunch. Either way, it tastes fantastic with any of your favorite Mexican recipes. Serve some baked tortilla chips or baked tostada shells.

Then add all the delicious toppings - queso fresco, sour cream, cilantro, cabbage, radishes, lime wedges, sliced jalapenos, and avocado.

If you are going to serve this soup as a starter, then pair it with slow cooker beef machaca. It has different textures but lotsof the same flavors. Add some Mexican cauliflower rice on the side, and you have a healthy meal.

Want a Shortcut?

Instead of making your own salsa verde with tomatillos, cilantro, onions, and garlic - simply buy a store-bought salsa verde. Make sure to choose one that tastes great since it will be the main flavor component of the soup. Simply combine it with the chicken stock and simmer for at least 15 minutes. Taste it and adjust the seasoning as needed with extra jalapenos, cilantro, or more sauce. Once it tastes great, simmer the chicken in the stew until it easily shreds. Add the hominy to the pot, and dinner is done!

Recipe Tips And Ideas For Pozole Verde Soup

Follow these tips to make sure that this soup turns out spicy and flavorful every single time!

• Sauté the veggies: Sauté the garlic, onion, and peppers until they are fragrant - this takes about 5 minutes. Don't speed this up! It will enhance how the soup tastes if you give it plenty of time.
• Smooth broth: Use an immersion blender to create a smooth broth. If you don't have an immersion blender, add small amounts of the soup to a stand-alone blender.
• Electric mixer: Speed up the chicken shredding process with an electric mixer. Place all the chicken in a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer. It will quickly shred the chicken in just a minute or two.
• Internal temperature: Using an instant-read cooking thermometer is the best way to make sure your meat is fully cooked. The safe internal cooking temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees F.
• Meat swap: You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs for this recipe. If you don't want to use chicken, you can substitute it with pork tenderloin. You could also use a pork shoulder, which is traditionally used in pozole. It will just need to cook longer so the pork becomes nice and tender.
• Add more veggies: While pozole doesn't traditionally have extra vegetables, you could add zucchini, spinach, or kale to the soup. Also - pozole is delicious topped with lots of veggies like freshly;y shredded cabbage, diced onions, sliced radishes, cilantro, and jalapenos.
• Cilantro: If you don't like how cilantro tastes, replace it with fresh parsley.
• Tomatillos: Using freshly washed and husked tomatillos will give you the best flavor!
• Chicken broth: If you want more flavor, you can add some bay leaves to the chicken broth.

Cool, Store, Reheat, Repeat

Here's how to store and reheat leftovers so you can enjoy them again and again:

• Store: Cool the pozole completely, then transfer it to an airtight container. Keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. If freezing, leave some space at the top of the container to allow for expansion.
• Reheat: Warm it on the stove over medium heat until hot, or microwave in a covered bowl, stirring halfway through.
• Leftovers: Scoop out the shredded chicken and hominy and serve it in tortillas for easy Shredded Chicken Tacos!