Anjie’s Green Chile Chicken Pozole

This green chile chicken pozole is a traditional treat that Anjie Villalobos, one of our favorite Familia Kitchen homecooks, makes on the regular with her granddaughter Charlee. ”She and I are kindred spirits in so many ways—most especially in the kitchen! Char loves cooking and is always enthusiastic to participate and very curious about all things culinary. (I have learned that if you stick just about anything into a tortilla, give her some hot sauce and call it a taco, nine times out of 10 she will eat it and love it!)”

Anjie reports that, like Charlee, she also learned to make pozole at a young age. ”I grew up watching my mom and my grandma make it. For the most part they would make the traditional red pozole with pork, mostly around the holidays and whenever we would have big family gatherings. Over these past years, Mom started experimenting with green chicken pozole and it quickly became a family favorite. No doubt there are many different methods and variations for making it, but I find this easy and reliably delicious!”

”I make pozole at least once a month. Sometimes I make green and sometimes I make red, just depending on what I am in the mood for. It’s an easy and healthy dish so I often make a big pot. As with most soups and stews, I find it tastes even better the next day!”

”We are a family who thinks of recipes as more of a guideline than something to be strictly followed. We are not ones to measure or write things down. For this one, I just took the basic ingredients my mom uses and then made it my own. I’ve got to tell you, coming up with the measurements and sharing the steps for cooking methods was the hardest part of this! I am usually one to feel my way through without really thinking. 🙃 That is probably the way I approach most of life … although that has gotten me into big trouble in certain areas of life, it seems to work for me in the kitchen!”

”I’ve had so many great pozoles, but if pressed (and maybe I’m being nostalgic), I would say my grandmother’s pozole was the best I have ever had. She put so much love into all that she cooked, and her love could be tasted in everything.”

For more family recipes from Anjie, check out her and her mom, Zelma’s Grandma Pino’s New Mexican Sweet Chile Rellenos, guacamole, Mexican frijoles de olla or refried beans, and garlicky shrimp tacos—served on her handmade corn tortillas (see how to make them set-by-step here).

Ready to Make Anjie’s Green Chile Chicken Pozole?

Anjie’s Green Chile Chicken Pozole

Recipe by Anjie Villalobos

4.2 from 11 votes

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Ingredients

• For Chicken and Broth

• 2 lb. chicken breast

• 64 oz. chicken broth

• 3 bay leaves

• 2 Tbsp salt

• 6 cloves garlic, chopped

• 2 serranos, sliced lengthwise

• 1/2 large white or yellow onion, in one chunk

• 2 Tbsp Mexican oregano, heaping

• For Green Salsa

• 18 to 20 tomatillos

• 12 serranos, chopped

• 1/2 large white or yellow onion, quartered

• 1 Tbsp salt

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1 bunch cilantro, large

• 1 1/2 cups water

• For Combined Pozole

• 75 oz. white hominy, cooked and drained

Directions

• Cook the Chicken
• In a large pot on the stove or in a crock pot, add chicken and cover with broth. Add bay leaves, 6 cloves of garlic, 2 sliced serranos, 1/2 onion in one chunk, and Mexican oregano.
• Cook until chicken shreds with a fork—about 1 hour on the stove or 3 hours in a crock pot on high.
• Make the Green Salsa
• Broil serranos and tomatillos in oven until the chiles are blackened on top—about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Once serranos and tomatillos are roasted, remove from the oven Add to blender with the rest of the salsa ingredients. Mix on medium speed until thoroughly blended, about 2 minutes.
• Putting It All Together!
• When chicken is done cooking, remove and discard the onion half and bay leaves.
• Add green salsa mixture and 75 oz. of white hominy to the same pot. Cook for an additional 1 hour.
• Garnish with your favorite toppings—consider: cilantro, avocado, pico de gallo, sliced cabbage and/or radishes. Serve caliente.

Notes

• Anjie admits she likes her pozole a little salado, so this recipe uses 3-ish Tbsp of salt, depending on how she feels the days she’s cooking. She encourages cocineros to use less or more salt, according to taste.