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Chicken Pozole Verde

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5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Yield 9 cups (5 servings)
Category Main Dish
Cuisine Mexican

Description

A rich and creamy pozole verde recipe loaded with light and tangy flavors, shredded chicken and tender hominy.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
  • 4 pound bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (1 ½–2 pounds total)
  • 1 pound tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1 large white onion, roughly chopped
  • 3 fresh hot green chiles, such as jalapeño, anaheim and/or poblano, seeded and stemmed and cut into large chunks (I like one of each)
  • 2 large cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons dried Mexican oregano, marjoram or regular dried oregano
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 bunch cilantro, divided
  • 1 (25- to 28-ounce) can white hominy, drained
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • Avocado, green cabbage, and radish for serving

Instructions

  • Add pumpkin seeds to a large Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat and toast, stirring occasionally, until toasty, fragrant and popping noises begin, about 4 minutes. Transfer seeds to a bowl.
    toasted pumpkin seeds in a large Dutch oven
  • Pat chicken thighs dry; season with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Heat Dutch oven over medium-high. Add chicken, skin-side down, and cook until golden brown, 6–8 minutes, flip and continue to cook until browned on second side, about 4 minutes.
  • Add tomatillos, onion, chiles, garlic, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt and broth to Dutch oven with chicken.
    chopped chiles, raw tomatillos, chopped white onion, dried oregano,salt and pepper in a large dutch oven
  • Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer, partially cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through and vegetables start to break down, 35–40 minutes.
    stewed onions, tomatillos and chiles in a Dutch oven
  • Using tongs, transfer chicken to a plate; set aside to cool.
  • Meanwhile, set a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl and pour borth and liquids into strainer. Press on solids to extract excess liquid. Skim grease off broth.
    cooked onions, tomatillos and chiles in a strainer set over a bowl
  • Transfer solids to a blender, add toasted pepitas and ¾ cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems; blend until smooth.
    thick green sauce in a blender
  • Remove and discard skin from chicken; shred chicken. Discard bones.
    shredded chicken on a white plate
  • Add puréed mixture, reserved broth, and shredded chicken back to pot. Stir in hominy and 3 tablespoons lime juice; bring to a simmer and cook until hominy has slightly plumped and become tender; about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
    green soup with hominy and shredded chicken in a Dutch oven
  • Divide between bowls and top with cilantro, diced avocado, shredded cabbage, and thinly sliced radishes.

Notes

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat on the stove top until simmering, adding additional water to thin as needed.
We don't recommend using boneless, skinless chicken breasts as the skin of the thighs infuse the broth with a lot of flavor. If you do use breasts, opt for skin-on and bone-in.
We prefer Mexican oregano for this recipe, if you can't find it or don't have it, marjoram is the next closest thing. Regular dried oregano will also work.

Nutrition

Calories: 440kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 41gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 766mgFiber: 5gSugar: 2.5g
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