Pozole Verde
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks – bone-in, skin-on
- 10 cups water
- 1 medium white onion – quartered
- 4 cloves garlic – lightly crushed
- 2 leaves bay leaves
- 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt – divided
- 1/2 cups pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
- 1 1/2 pounds tomatillos – husked and rinsed (~21 medium tomatillos)
- 2 chiles poblano chiles
- 2 chiles serrano chiles
- 1/2 medium white onion – roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic – roughly chopped
- 1 cups cilantro – leaves and tender stems
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 56 ounces canned white hominy – drained and rinsed
- 2 sprigs epazote
- mexican oregano – dried, lightly crushed (for serving)
- white onion – finely chopped (for serving)
- green cabbage – finely shredded (for serving)
- radishes – thinly sliced (for serving)
- limes – cut into wedges (for serving)
- tostadas – for serving
Instructions
1. Combine the chicken, water, quartered onion, crushed garlic, bay leaves, and 2 teaspoons of the kosher salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skim foam, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook until the chicken is cooked through and tender, 35–40 minutes.
2. While the broth simmers, toast the pepitas in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring, until puffed and fragrant, 3–4 minutes; let cool. Position a rack 6 inches from the broiler and line a sheet pan with foil. Arrange tomatillos, poblano chiles, and serrano chiles on the pan and broil, turning once, until tomatillos are blistered and softened and chiles are charred in spots, 6–8 minutes per side. Transfer the poblanos to a bowl, cover to steam 10 minutes, then peel, core, and seed.
3. In a blender, combine the charred tomatillos, peeled poblanos, serranos (stems removed), the roughly chopped onion, chopped garlic, cilantro, toasted pepitas, and 1 cup hot chicken broth from the pot. Blend until very smooth, 45–60 seconds.
4. Remove the chicken to a plate to cool slightly. Strain the remaining broth into a bowl and discard the onion, garlic, and bay leaves; wipe out the pot.
5. Heat the neutral oil in the pot over medium heat. Pour in the green puree and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened and the color deepens, 5–7 minutes. Return the strained broth to the pot along with the drained hominy; bring to a simmer and cook until the flavors meld and the hominy is tender but still toothsome, 15–20 minutes.
6. Shred the chicken into bite-size pieces, discarding skin and bones, and stir it into the pot with the epazote. Simmer 5 minutes more. Season with the remaining 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste, then let the pozole rest off heat for 5 minutes.
7. Ladle into warm bowls. Serve with shredded green cabbage, sliced radishes, finely chopped onion, and dried Mexican oregano (crushed between your fingers), plus lime wedges to add at the table and tostadas alongside.
Pozole Verde is a celebratory Mexican hominy soup with a bright, herbaceous green broth and tender shredded chicken. The color and freshness come from tomatillos, green chiles, cilantro, and often a subtle nutty body from ground pumpkin seeds. Each bowl is finished at the table with crisp toppings—shredded cabbage or lettuce, sliced radishes, chopped onion, a sprinkle of dried oregano, and a squeeze of lime—so every bite balances brothy warmth, corn chew, and refreshing crunch.
Rooted in the pre-Hispanic tradition of nixtamalized maize cookery, pozole has long been a dish of gatherings and ritual. Regional styles evolved over time: pozole rojo is enriched with dried red chiles, pozole blanco is uncolored and fragrant, and in Guerrero and neighboring states, pozole verde features green chiles, tomatillos, herbs, and often pepitas for gentle thickening. Today it’s a Thursday staple in parts of Mexico and a fixture at festivities, where the garnishes and communal serving ritual are as iconic as the soup itself.