Chicken pozolé, my second favorite of the pozolé recipes. My first experience with pozolé was the more traditional red chile pork pozolé. To be honest, it was my oldest sister who introduced it to our family. We were strictly a red chile menudo family, lol! To me the pozolé is just like menudo, minus the beef tripe and beef feet. So for those who don’t prefer to eat tripe, pozole is the best!
It wasn’t until a few years back that I started preparing chicken pozole, both in red and green. Besides the broth, cabbage, radishes, chile and lime, the hominy or maiz is my favorite! It was how my Mom convinced me to try menudo. She purposely would add extra hominy because she knew we would at least try the menudo. I love menudo these days!
And as I have said, a Mexican soups, just like tacos are nothing without the fresh garnishes!!
What is your favorite roasting method for poblanos? When I am only roasting a few, I do the traditional stove top dry roasting on a cast iron comal. This is how my Mom always did it for her delicious chiles rellenos. But when I have a larger amount, I use my broiler on high heat. It takes about 20-25 minutes turning as needed. Another great tip, remove the stems and seeds before roasting the poblanos. No more seeds sticking to everything! Store roasted chiles in a paper bag or glass bowl with a lid to steep and cool before peeling blistered skins.
Stove top method for roasting ingredients is sometimes more convenient.
If I don’t have fresh tomatillos on hand, I always have a few cups of homemade tomatillo salsa available in my refrigerator. I try to recycle glass jars, jelly jars and mason jars to store the homemade salsa.
Chicken Pozole (Pozole Verde de Pollo)
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breast or thighs
- 9 cups water
- 1/2 an Onion
- 6 cloves of garlic
- Handful of cilantro
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 carrot
- 1 stalk of celery
- 1 tsp peppercorns
- Salt to taste
You Will Also Need
- 2 1/2-3 cups maiz pozolero Hominy
- 1/3 cup pepitas(pumpkin seeds without the shell) toasted
- 2 large poblanos previously roasted
- 6 tomatillos previously roasted
- 1-2 serrano peppers previously roasted
- 5 fresh epazote leaves optional
- 1 tsp Mexican oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 cup broth from cooking chicken
- 3 tsp chicken bouillon powder optional
Garnish
- Radishes sliced
- Cabbage or lettuce shredded
- Lime wedges
- Chile serrano minced
- Chile piquin crushed
- More Mexican oregano
- Tortilla chips or tostadas
Instructions
Directions
- In a large pot, combine the chicken, 9 cups of water, onion, garlic, cilantro, bay leaves, celery, carrot, peppercorns and salt to taste. Adding the carrots and celery is optional. I just think it adds more flavor to the chicken stock. Heat to medium. When it comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Skim the foam on top as needed, cover partially and continue cooking for 45 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from pot, shred chicken and transfer to a cover dish, reserve. Using a slotted spoon remove all the solids from broth and discard.
- Add the maize(hominy) into the broth and keep on low. To the blender, add pepitas, poblanos, tomatillos, serranos, epazote, oregano, cumin, 1 cup of reserved broth and bouillon. Blend on high until smooth. Pour into pot with remaining chicken broth and maize(hominy).
- Bring the pozole up to boil, taste for salt and add the chicken back in. Continue cooking for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Serve pozole in large bowls and garnish with radishes, cabbage, lime, serrano, oregano and piquin. Serve with homemade tostadas or chips. Yields 6 servings.
Slow Cooker Method
- If you prefer to prepare this recipe in the slow cooker, you need to prep ahead a few ingredients. Roast and toast the ingredients as directed above to prepare your sauce. Once the sauce is blended, add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker, minus the hominy. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high 4-5 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Add back into slow cooker along with the hominy. Cook on high for 1 more hour.
Notes
Pepitas are pumpkin seeds without the shells. They can be found almost anywhere these days. I grew up enjoying them as a snack with chile and lime seasoning. Still enjoy them that way! Don’t forget to type in POZOLE to the search bar to see all the variations of pozole on my blog. Red, green, pork, chicken, beef, meatless and yes, even shrimp!!
Epazote!!! Fresh epazote, finally! Epazote is an herb used in Mexican cuisine. It was never available where I live until a few summer’s ago. Thanks to the organic farmers market in a city near me. I buy a couple of bunches and freeze the individual leaves in between paper towels flat. It works! I have epazote year round for my soups, stews and quesadillas. I have to admit, it has a strong odor when it’s fresh. I prefer the subtle flavors it adds when cooked. If you can’t find it for your recipes, substitute with fresh cilantro. Some herbs are better than none!
Many times, I will use the chicken bouillon powders and cubes instead of salt in my recipes. There are many brands to choose from on the market. It just adds a little more flavor to my dishes.
We all have that one friend that won’t eat green food, right? I know I do, Lol! I am sure happy that I love green food! I think it’s the most beautiful shade of green.
Crushed homemade tostadas or tortilla chips is my favorite way to enjoy this chicken pozole!
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Sonia, this recipe is right up my callejón with this cool weather we’re having in southern California! Saludos!
Oh good!! Hi Ana!! Hope all is well your way!
I’ve never had pozole verde so I decided to make it yesterday…. boy was this recipe delicious!!! My family thoroughly enjoyed it! Thanks so much for such a yummy recipe.
Crystal, I am so happy you tried the recipe. I do enjoy the green version as well. Thanks for the feedback!!
When you sub already made green salsa into recipe, how much do you use?
Margarita will you still be adding the poblanos, pepitas? Are you just substituting the salsa for the tomatillos in the recipe?
I bought a store salsa and I won’t be using poblanos or peppitas lol and I have this same question. How much salsa should I put?? Like how many oz does your blender say when you make your salsa??
I would add at least 2 cups of salsa. The soup base will be slightly different without the poblanos and pepitas. It will still be tasty though.
Made this today and came out delish! First part cooked in pressure cooker for 20 minutes. The rest of the steps followed the same. Could not find the epazote, but still came out great.
Thank you!
Thank you Alejandra for the feedback on the recipe! Gotta love that pressure cooker!
12/31/21 – and we are off to HEB to get ingredients to make the pozole. love you!
Love you all too! Happy new Year!
OMG!!! It was amazing!! I never doubted you, but you know we grew up on red menudo/pozole so this was different. Extremely flavorful. I went on the lower end of the peppers. I would probably add the 2nd serrano (you can never tell—each crop is different), and you know me…i didnt salt enough–HAAHAHA! Thanks for documenting these for the family and our friends down here in T-E-X-A-S!!
I am still on the fence between red and green pozole! Lol!!
This recipe is wonderful- delicious and full of flavor – I absolutely used to deslike anything with tomatillo and now I can’t stop making this lol..- I use chicken thighs and slightly grill it before adding the green salsa . My daughter absolutely loves it and now we cook it and share with those green pozole haters who end up loving it too lol ! The only thing I hare is that their is never any leftovers- my family devours it. Btw I plabte my own epazote plant because store does not always have it and I can’t have green pozole without epazote!!! Thank you
Thank you Espy for taking the time to write! I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe!! Happy Holidays!