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Pozole Verde overhead shot of soup
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5 from 16 votes

Pozole Verde Recipe

This Pozole Verde de pollo is my favorite winter soup. This bright and flavorful soup is a lot like a Mexican stew using tomatillos, pepitas, chicken and hominy!  Top it with fried tortilla chips or tostadas, slices of avocado, thinly sliced radishes and cilantro for some added freshness and texture.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Instant Pot Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 6
Cost: 10

Ingredients

Pozole Verde:

  • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds/pepitas
  • 1 1/2 pound bone-less (skin-less chicken thighs)
  • 1 yellow or white onion (peeled, ends trimmed and discarded, and quartered)
  • 1 pound tomatillos (husks removed and roughly chopped)
  • 5 cloves garlic peeled
  • 1 poblano pepper (trimmed and roughly chopped)
  • 1 jalapeño (stems removed)
  • 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano (Italian will work in a pinch)
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup cilantro leaves
  • 1 (24-ounce) can hominy (drained)

Garnishes:

  • 2 tortillas (sliced into triangles and fried (or just buy tortilla chips)
  • 1 avocado (sliced)
  • 2 radishes (ends trimmed)
  • 1/4 yellow or white onion (peeled and diced)

Instructions

To Make it in an Instant Pot:

  • To a small skillet, set over medium-low heat, add the pumpkin seeds and a pinch of salt. Toast for about 2 minutes, shaking the pan every now and then. When they start to brown, pour them right into the jar of your blender (we’ll be adding more stuff to the blender later!). Cover the blender and pulse until ground, about 30 seconds to a minute.
  • To the Instant Pot, add the chicken, onion, tomatillos, garlic, poblano pepper, jalapeño, Mexican oregano, chicken broth and 2 teaspoons of salt. Close the “vent” and set the pressure cooker to high and timer to 15 minutes.
  • When the Instant Pot goes off, do a quick release. I like to cover the valve with a clean kitchen towel and flip it open using a wooden spoon’s handle. When there is no more pressure, remove the lid, opening it away from you. 
  • Remove the chicken and place on a cutting board. Place a strainer atop a big bowl, and pour the liquid through. Transfer all of the solids (the pepper, onion, tomatillos, etc.) to the blender, along with a cup of liquid (you can eyeball this measurement). Add the cilantro to the blender uncovered. It'll cool off a bit while we do the next step.
  • Pour the strained broth back into the Instant Pot; and then add the hominy. Set the machine to the “saute” function and place the timer on 5 minutes. This will cook the hominy a bit while we blend up the green sauce and shred the chicken.
  • Back to the blender! Allowing some steam to escape from the blender, process until very smooth, about 2 minutes.
  • Shred the chicken using two forks. By this time, the broth and hominy should be very warm. Add the chicken back to the Instant Pot, along with the remaining blender green sauce. Give it a big stir and adjust the salt to your liking. I added an additional 2 teaspoons of kosher salt.
  • Divide amongst bowls and garnish with crispy chips, slices of avocado, radishes, jalapeño, sliced cabbage and/or diced onion. 

To Make on the Stove in a Large Pot:

  • To a small skillet, set over medium-low heat, add the pumpkin seeds and a pinch of salt. Toast for about 2 minutes, shaking the pan every now and then. When they start to brown, pour them right into the jar of your blender (we’ll be adding more stuff to the blender later!). Cover the blender and pulse until ground, about 30 seconds to a minute.
  • To a medium to large pot, set over medium-high heat, add the chicken, onion, tomatillos, garlic, poblano pepper, jalapeño, Mexican oregano, chicken broth and 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and the tomatillos have softened.
  • Remove the chicken and transfer to a cutting board. Place a strainer atop a big bowl, and pour the liquid through.
  • Transfer all of the solids (the pepper, onion, tomatillos, etc.) to the blender, along with a cup of broth (you can eyeball this measurement). Add the cilantro to the blender.
  • Pour the chicken broth back to the pot, along with the hominy and turn the flame to medium-heat. This will warm up the broth and cook the hominy a bit while we blend up the sauce and shred the chicken.
  • Back to the blender, allowing some steam to escape from the blender, process until very smooth, about 2 minutes.
  • Shred the chicken using two forks. By this time, the broth and hominy should be very warm. Add the chicken back to the pot, along with the remaining blender green sauce. Give it a big stir and adjust the salt to your liking. I added an additional 2 teaspoons.
  • Divide amongst bowls and garnish with crispy chips, slices of avocado, radishes, jalapeño, sliced cabbage and/or diced onion. 

Notes

To Store: 
This recipe freezes REALLY well. To freeze, allow to come to room temperature. Store in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and then warm when thawed. 
Substitutions for Poblano Pepper: 
If you can't find a poblano pepper, you should be able to use a pasilla pepper. Anaheim peppers/hatch chiles can tend to be spicy so if using those instead of a poblano, I would eliminate or halve the jalapeño. 
Equipment Tools: 
Instant Pot | OXO Strainer | Tongs | Chef's Knife
 

Nutrition

Serving: 6g | Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 991mg | Potassium: 1051mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 388IU | Vitamin C: 46mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 2mg