Today I have a recipe for pozole verde de pollo or a green Mexican hominy and chicken soup using an ingredient that is new to me, hominy. Hominy is a dried corn has been treated with an alkali, in a process called nixtamalization and it makes for an excellent alternative for potatoes, beans, etc., especially in soups like this! I have come across dried hominy and hominy in a can and you can use it much like beans where you soak the dried hominy overnight and then cook it until tender or you can use it straight from the can. Pozole is another name for hominy and it’s also the name of the soup/stew that it is commonly served in. There are a lot of different kinds of pozole with the more common ones being white, green or red, based on the colour. This is a green pozole and the green comes form the broth, which is a chicken broth base, with pureed tomatillos and green chilies like jalapenos and poblanos along with plenty of cilantro. Other than the long cooking time for the hominy, this soup is super easy to make and it’s just packed with flavour! The fun part of this soup is of course the topping/garnishes that you serve it with and I like extra cilantro, lime wedges, avocado, queso fresco, radish and onions!
Pozole Verde de Pollo (Green Mexican Hominy and Chicken Soup)
A green Mexican style chicken soup with hominy (a large corn kernel) in a tasty tomatillo and chili chicken broth!
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 teaspoons cumin, toasted and ground
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups hominy, soaked in cold water overnight
- 3 pounds chicken (whole or legs, thighs, etc.)
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 pound tomatillos
- 2 jalapenos, cut in half
- 2 poblano chilies, cut in half
- 1/2 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (~1 lime)
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat, add the onion and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes, before adding the garlic and cumin and cooking until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the broth, chicken and hominy, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the hominy is tender but still has that al-dente chewiness, about 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, roast the tomatillos, jalapenos and poblanos in under the broiler, in a cast iron pan over high heat or in the direct flames of a gas stove until they are lightly charred black before pureeing them along with the cilantro in a blender with some of the broth from the soup and mixing it back into the soup.
- Remove the chicken from the soup, let cool until you can handle it, shred the meat and mix it back into the soup.
- Mix in the lime juice and season with salt and pepper before enjoying!
Option: Use bacon grease instead of oil!
Option: Add 2-4 tablespoons masa harina and simmer to thicken.
Option: Serve garnished with avocado, radish, onion, cilantro, sour cream, cheese, tortilla chips, etc.!
Option: Add a hit of fish sauce (or soy sauce)!
Option: Instead of using dried hominy use a drained 28oz can of hominy!
Avgolemono Soup (aka Greek Lemon Chicken Soup)
Jalapeno Popper Chicken Soup
Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
Chicken Noodle Soup
Thai Chicken Noodle Soup
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup
Tom Yum Gai (Thai Hot and Sour Chicken Soup)
Spicy Roasted Corn and Jalapeno Avocado Soup
Colombian Chicken and Corn Soup (Ajiaco)
Salsa Verde Carnitas
Salsa Verde
Chili Verde
Creamy Salsa Verde Skillet Chicken
Skillet Chicken Verde
Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
Pozole is one of my very favorites and I love this green version!
I love adding hominy in soup!
This looks so good!!! Can't wait to try it.
What a beautiful looking and flavorful sounding soup!!
Sues
Kevin, I love hominy and I use the canned version all the time. It comes in white and yellow. So much easier then starting with dry hominy and no real difference in flavor or texture. Will try this recipe. Thanks, Suzanne
This might be a dumb question, BUT lol can I use shredded rotisserie chicken instead at the end instead of adding chicken thighs or drums to the soup?
This might be a dumb question, BUT lol can I use shredded rotisserie chicken instead at the end instead of adding chicken thighs or drums to the soup?
Angil: Yes you can! Enjoy!
we are trying this for dinner tonight! can't wait!
Love that you use dried hominy for this recipe. Adding this to my soup rotation this winter.
Thanks so much for this recipe. I made this for the first time for my sisters and everone loved it! I used a couple of your suggestions and added masa flour as well as some fish sauce. I made a really big pot and I know I definitely won't get bored with the leftovers 🙂
my son love chicken but i always try to use chicken use those recipie which is healthy for child.He loved it and really tasty.awesome.
Hi! Should the chicken supposed be raw or cooked?
Samantha O: The chicken is raw and cooks as the soup simmers. Enjoy!
If I used canned hominy would I add it at the same time as the chicken or would I put it in later?
Thanks,
Morgan
Morgan O: You can put it in later. Since it is ready to serve from the can you really just need enough time for it to warm in the soup.
You’re making me hungry… I think I just heard my tummy growl. lol!
I kept it simple using canned hominy and rotisserie chicken. I’m only disappointed that it took 36 years for me to discover this soup. SO good. Thank you!
Made this New Year’s Eve. I double batched it. Cooked chicken in separate pot, let chicken cool, shredded chicken to remove bones, and dumped chicken shreds into main pot 20-30 minutes toward the end. I removed some of the char from my vegetables before pureeing. GREAT RECIPE! The traditional pozole is pork with red sauce but I dislike eating pork. I am a sucker for green Mexican sauces =) Got so many compliments. Oh, do let the hominy cook for about 2 hours if you want it on softer side. My hominy was al dente but everyone has their preferences. I forgot to add/char the jalapeno. I’m so glad I did because the poblano peppers had a kick of their own. Thank you for sharing!
This is absolutely delicious! Ive made it in the past and I am currently making it as I type this. Full of flavor and easy to add extra heat to if you’re into that. Me….I’m into that lol. Highly recommend this recipe 🤤