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Pozole Verde Recipe
5 from 48 votes

Pozole Verde Recipe

Pozole Verde is a Mexican chicken stew featuring a sauce made from blended pumpkin seeds, tomatillos, poblano and jalapeño peppers, and herbs. Bone-less chicken thighs are cooked with these ingredients and hominy, creating a rich broth with tender meat and a mildly spicy, tangy green flavor, garnished with avocado, radish, and crispy tortilla chips.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Instant Pot Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
Servings: 6
Calories: 278 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients

Pozole Verde:
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds pepitas
  • 1 1/2 pound bone-less (skin-less chicken thighs)
  • 1 yellow onion peeled, ends trimmed and discarded, and quartered, or white onion
  • 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 oregano Italian will work in a pinch, dried, Mexican
  • 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 radish ends trimmed
  • 1/4 yellow onion peeled and diced, or white onion

Instructions

To Make it in an Instant Pot:
    Cup of Yum
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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. 
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Back to the blender! Allowing some steam to escape from the blender, process until very smooth, about 2 minutes.
  7. 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.
  8. 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:
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Remove the chicken and transfer to a cutting board. Place a strainer atop a big bowl, and pour the liquid through.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Back to the blender, allowing some steam to escape from the blender, process until very smooth, about 2 minutes.
  7. 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.
  8. Divide amongst bowls and garnish with crispy chips, slices of avocado, radishes, jalapeño, sliced cabbage and/or diced onion. 

Notes

  • Freeze leftovers up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container after cooling to room temperature; thaw before reheating.
  • If poblano peppers are unavailable, use pasilla peppers; Anaheim or hatch chiles require reducing or omitting jalapeño to maintain balanced heat.
  • Essential equipment includes an Instant Pot for pressure cooking and a fine strainer for refining the stew.

Nutrition Information

Serving 6g Calories 278kcal (14%) Carbohydrates 15g (5%) Protein 29g (58%) Fat 12g (18%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Cholesterol 71mg (24%) Sodium 991mg (41%) Potassium 1051mg (22%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 4g (8%) Vitamin A 388IU (8%) Vitamin C 46mg (51%) Calcium 48mg (5%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 278

% Daily Value*

Serving 6g
Calories 278kcal 14%
Carbohydrates 15g 5%
Protein 29g 58%
Fat 12g 18%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 71mg 24%
Sodium 991mg 41%
Potassium 1051mg 22%
Fiber 4g 16%
Sugar 4g 8%
Vitamin A 388IU 8%
Vitamin C 46mg 51%
Calcium 48mg 5%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.