There is nothing quite like a steaming, bowl of Green Chicken Pozole (Pozole Verde de Pollo) 🍲 to bring comfort to the table. This traditional Mexican soup combines tender shredded chicken, white hominy, and a tangy salsa verde.
Whether you’re gathering with family on a crisp weekend or looking for a hearty, soul-warming meal, this easy-to-follow recipe delivers bold, authentic flavors right to your kitchen.
Also try my recipe for Red Chicken Pozole.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe ❤️
- Authentic Flavor: Made from scratch with fresh tomatillos, aromatic herbs, and traditional spices for a bright taste.
- Naturally Gluten-Free: A wholesome, hearty stew that relies on whole ingredients like corn hominy and lean chicken.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: Tastes even better the next day, and it freezes wonderfully for busy weeknights.
- Customizable Toppings: Everyone at the table can personalize their bowl with radishes, shredded cabbage, fresh lime, and avocado.
-Maggie
👩🏼🍳 Instructions
How to Make Salsa Verde
- To start, add fresh tomatillos, serrano peppers, chopped onions, garlic, and about 10 cups of water in a large stock pot over medium heat.
- Bring this to a boil and cook for 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Place the cooked ingredients in a food processor or high-speed blender.
- Add salt and fresh cilantro. Pulse or blend until you get a smooth green sauce.
Here, we’re making a basic salsa verde. Try making a double batch and freezing it in a sealable bag for up to 6 months.
In fact, you can use store-bought salsa verde instead and save yourself this step.
Great additions! Consider adding roasted poblano peppers or toasted pumpkin seeds. Swap out serranos for jalapeño peppers.
🐓 How to Cook the Chicken
- Add the whole chicken pieces, salt, pepper, bay leaf, onion, garlic cloves, and water in a large stock pot.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook.
- Discard the onion, garlic, and bay leaf.
- Once the chicken is cooked and tender, remove it and let cool slightly before shredding.
- Leave the chicken broth in the stock pot for the next step in this recipe.
What cut of chicken to use? I recommend chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs.
Making the Stew
- Add white hominy to the large pot and let it simmer in the flavorful broth.
- Return the shredded chicken to the pot.
- Add the salsa verde, Mexican oregano, and a bay leaf. Stir to combine.
- Let everything continue to cook together over medium heat until ready to serve.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
🌟 You can also use shredded rotisserie chicken but be sure to remove the skin so as not to interfere with the flavor profile.
🌟 Use a slow cooker to infuse deeper flavors.
🌟 If you find the soup too thick, add some chicken broth.
🌟 Elevate your pozole with a bit more salsa verde for an extra kick.
🙋🏻♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, pozole verde actually tastes even better the next day! As it sits in the refrigerator, the hominy absorbs the flavors of the salsa verde and rich chicken broth. Store it for up to 5 days and gently reheat on the stovetop.
Use canned white hominy for this recipe. Just be sure to thoroughly rinse and drain it in a colander before adding it to the stockpot so it doesn’t cloud the broth.
It depends. Pozole can be healthy with its fiber-rich hominy and lean meats. However, versions with fatty meats, high sodium, or excessive toppings can make it less so. Mindful ingredient choices and moderation are key.
“Pozole” and “posole” refer to the same traditional Mexican soup made with hominy and meat. The difference is in spelling: “Pozole” is used in Mexico, while “posole” is a variant seen in the U.S. Both represent the same rich dish that’s rooted in Mexican culture.
The different versions of pozole are red, white, and green (like the Mexican flag). The difference comes from the vibrant green sauce made from green chiles and tomatillos, giving it unique and bright flavors compared to the red chile or white (without any chile) versions.
Pozole gets its name from the Náhuatl word “pozolli” and refers to the foam produced when corn is boiled. This stew dates back to pre-colonial times.
🫙 Storing and Reheating
- In the refrigerator, store the stew in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Or, store in a sealable freezer bag or freezer-safe container for up to 4 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- To reheat, place in a stock pot and cook for 6-7 minutes until warm. Or place in a microwave-safe bowl, cover and heat for 2 ½ to 3 minutes.
🍲 Ideas for Toppings
- Shredded cabbage
- Shredded lettuce
- Diced white onion
- Jalapeno slices
- Sliced serrano chiles
- Cilantro
- Radishes
- Oregano
- Totopos (Tortilla Chips)
- Lime wedges
- Avocado
🥄 More Pozole Recipes
- Pozole Blanco (White Pozole)
- Red Beef Pozole
- Pozole Rojo
- Shrimp Pozole
- Pozole de Frijol
Green Chicken Pozole (Pozole Verde de Pollo) is a comforting Mexican soup made with bright green broth, tender chicken, and fun toppings. Grab your favorite bowl, pile on the cabbage, radishes, and lime, and enjoy!
Green Chicken Pozole (Pozole Verde de Pollo)
Ingredients
To Cook the Chicken:
For the Salsa Verde:
- 2 lbs tomatillos (about 16) husks removed and rinsed
- 4 serrano peppers stems removed
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ onion
- 4 cups water
- ½ bunch cilantro
- 1 lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
To Cook the Chicken:
- In a large stock pot, add the chicken, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and bay leaf.
- Cover with water and cook for 1 hour.
- Once cooked, remove the chicken to cool slightly.
- Discard the onion, garlic, and bay leaf.
- Reserve the chicken broth inside the stock pot.
- Shred the chicken and set aside.
For the Salsa:
- Remove the husks from the tomatillos and rinse well.
- Place the tomatillos, serranos, onion, and garlic in a medium stock pot.
- Cover with water and bring to boil.
- Simmer for 7 minutes.
- Discard the water.
- Add all the ingredients from the pot into a blender.
- To the blender, also add salt, lime juice, and cilantro.
- Blend until smooth.
- Set aside until ready to use.
To Make the Pozole:
- Add the oregano, bay leaf, salt, shredded chicken, and salsa to the pot with the chicken broth.
- Drain and rinse the hominy.
- Add the hominy to the pot and cook covered for 10 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy.
Definitely five stars. I halved the recipe. I used bone-in thighs and did not remove the skin until after cooking. The resulting broth was perfect and so was the chicken. But I must have had simmered too hard (more like a boil) because I was left with only two cups of broth. I added water and Knorr’s chicken bouillon to make up the difference before I returned the shredded chicken. The salsa verde was spot on.
I’ll definitely make again, but I’ll try not to boil a lot of the broth away.
That’s exactly what I would have done too. The adaptions you made were perfect. Glad you enjoyed it!
Absolute perfection! Best my husband and I have ever had-and we’ve had a lot! Make this recipe- you won’t regret it!!
The ultimate compliment! Glad you both loved it.
Absolutely delicious! My husband couldn’t get enough of it.
Thank you! Hope you and your husband like it.
Planning on making this week just a quick question when do you add the salsa? I’m guessing when you add the chicken back in the broth..?
Yes, exactly. Add the chicken broth and salsa to the pot. Hope you enjoy!
I love pork pozole and have made it many times. I like yor recipe, but I would use pork. .
I have the pork version posted on here too. This is more for people who prefer chicken.
An outstanding recipe that proves Mexican food can be healthful as well as delicious! Fun for St Patrick’s day! Thanks
Yes, I twist on St. Patricks Day, for sure.
I am so in love with pozole! Thanks for the easy tips anc recipe. A favourite now 🙂
I’m in love with pozole too. Glad you enjoyed it!
So warm and cozy!
Yes! The best.
Green chicken pozole looks yum.
Thanks. It is YUM!
This soup was delicious! Such great flavor!
Thanks for your comment.
Such a delicious stew!
Thank you!! 🙂
What a great recipe! Love tomatillos too and love that you added that in this recipe.
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it.
This chicken dish sounds delicious. Can’t wait to try it!
Yes! You should. This is soooo good.
OMG, sooooo good! Thanks so much for the recipe. Will definitely be making it again.
Thank you, love it when people try my recipes. So glad you enjoyed it!
My husband and I thought this was delicious!
This is one of my hubby’s favorites too. Hope you give this recipe a try.
Looks good, can’t wait to make this recipe.
Thank you! Hope you like it.
Just mde it today! Easy, healthy and really delicious!! Thank you!
Yay! So glad you liked this recipe. You’re quite welcome.