Chicken Pozole Verde
Chicken Pozole Verde is a comforting Mexican soup filled with shredded chicken and hominy in a comforting green chile broth. (gluten free, freezer friendly)
Chicken Pozole Verde is a comforting Mexican soup filled with shredded chicken and hominy in a comforting green chile broth. (gluten free, freezer friendly)
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs (skin removed)
- 1 pound tomatillos (husked and washed)
- 3 jalapeã±o peppers (seeded and chopped (or keep the seeds if you like it spicy))
- 1 large handful fresh cilantro (stems and leaves)
- 1 28-ounce can white hominy (drained and rinsed)
- to serve: limes radishes, jalapeã±os, cilantro, oregano
- Carbohydrate 7.60744906813815 g
- Cholesterol 920 mg
- Fat 185.644090362355 g
- Fiber 2.36470915691321 g
- Protein 229.381247792024 g
- Saturated Fat 53.003022232389 g
- Serving Size 1 1 servings (2 heaping cups each) (1490g)
- Sodium 1249.68098728337 mg
- Sugar 5.24273991122494 g
- Trans Fat 15.9711700705536 g
- Calories 2676 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large pot or dutch oven, add chicken thighs, tomatillos, onion, jalapeños, chicken broth, oregano and sea salt. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover partially. Cook for 40 minutes, until chicken is fall-apart tender.
- Transfer chicken to cutting board and shred with a fork. Set aside.
- Using a large slotted spoon, place the cooked tomatillos, onions and jalapenos in a large blender. Add a large handful of fresh cilantro, a cup or so of the cooking liquid and puree until completely smooth.
- Add the shredded chicken, pureed veggies and hominy into the large pot. Stir and cook over medium-high heat for 15 minutes uncovered. Taste and season with salt as necessary.
- Serve with fresh lime juice, radishes, jalapenos, cilantro and oregano.
Bright green broth coats the tongue with the sharp acidity of cooked tomatillos and the herbal punch of fresh cilantro. Making pozole verde successfully depends entirely on how the vegetables are handled after the initial simmer. Boiling the tomatillos, onions, and jalapeños directly in the chicken broth softens their cellular walls. This initial cooking step removes the raw, aggressive bite of the nightshades before blending. Transferring these cooked solids to a blender alongside cooking liquid creates a smooth emulsion. Skipping this pureeing step leaves the soup watery and separates the fats from the liquid. Cooking the chicken thighs directly in the broth infuses the liquid with rendered proteins while simultaneously tenderizing the meat until it shreds easily with a fork. Hominy requires a thorough rinse under cold water before entering the pot to eliminate any canned metallic flavors. Pork shoulder functions as a direct substitute for boneless chicken thighs at a one-to-one weight ratio, though pork requires an additional thirty minutes of simmering time to reach the same shreddability. Fresh radishes and lime wedges served at the table cut through the rich, savory depth of the broth.
