Pozole Verde de Pollo (Green Mexican Hominy and Chicken Soup)

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)

Prep Time:15 minutes Cook Time:2 hours Total Time:2 hours 15 minutes Servings: 8

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!

Slow Cooker: Optionally skip step 1 and place everything up to the oregano into the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 3 hours, before continuing on with the remaining steps. Feel free to just puree the tomatillos, jalapeno, poblanos and cilantro without roasting to save time.
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!

Nutrition Facts Provided by Napier West

Yum

Comments

Heather Christo says
March 8, 2017 at 5:03 pm
Pozole is one of my very favorites and I love this green version!
Maria Lichty says
March 8, 2017 at 5:29 pm
I love adding hominy in soup!
Rocky Mountain Woman says
March 8, 2017 at 9:22 pm
This looks so good!!! Can't wait to try it.
We Are Not Martha says
March 9, 2017 at 4:29 am
What a beautiful looking and flavorful sounding soup!!
Sues
Anonymous says
March 9, 2017 at 6:06 am
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
Unknown says
March 10, 2017 at 11:04 pm
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 says
March 10, 2017 at 11:06 pm
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?
kevin says
March 14, 2017 at 7:46 pm
Angil: Yes you can! Enjoy!
Jess Larson says
April 24, 2017 at 9:50 pm
we are trying this for dinner tonight! can't wait!
Jackelin says
September 21, 2017 at 7:44 pm
Love that you use dried hominy for this recipe. Adding this to my soup rotation this winter.
Kayla Sandell says
September 23, 2017 at 4:15 pm
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 🙂
http://kitchentuts.com/ says
October 9, 2017 at 7:29 am
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.
Samantha O says
November 13, 2017 at 10:34 pm
Hi! Should the chicken supposed be raw or cooked?
kevin says
November 14, 2017 at 4:51 pm
Samantha O: The chicken is raw and cooks as the soup simmers. Enjoy!
Morgan O says
November 19, 2017 at 6:35 pm
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
kevin says
November 21, 2017 at 5:48 pm
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.