Smoked Chicken Pozole Verde

Chicken pozole verde is a vibrant Mexican hominy stew elevated with smoked leftover chicken and a roasted green chile broth. Tangy tomatillos, poblano peppers, cilantro, and garlic create bright layers of flavor, while tender hominy adds a satisfyingly chewy texture that contrasts beautifully with the succulent chicken. Rooted in centuries-old Mexican culinary traditions, this version adds wood-smoked depth that makes every spoonful more complex. Serve topped with shredded cabbage, radishes, avocado, lime, pickled red onions, and warm tortillas for a soulful, crowd-pleasing meal chased with a fresh batch of lavender infused lemonade.

Pozole is one of my favorite style of soups. It's kind of like gumbo in that you can make it based on personal preference. I like a good seafood pozole in place of chicken sometimes and also will change it up and go with chicken pozole rojo over the traditional verde.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Flavor Profile: This pozole verde delivers layers of bright, herbal heat from roasted tomatillos, cilantro, and poblanos balanced with smoky, savory depth from the chicken. Each bite hits with citrusy tang, mild spice, and the comforting richness only slow-simmered soul food can bring.

Texture Profile: The broth is silky and lush, coating every spoonful of chewy hominy and fall-off the bone tender chicken. Crisp garnishes like radishes and cabbage add crunch, while avocado and crema smooth it all out for a satisfying contrast.

Cooking Technique & Time: Pozole verde comes alive with slow simmering — about 30 minutes to develop deep flavor and meld the roasted green sauce into the broth. Smoking the chicken first layers in that signature depth that makes this bowl stand out. You can always used leftover store bought smkoked chicken. I'm partial to chicken thighs but chicken breasts are cool too.

What Smoked Chicken Contributes:

Smoked chicken adds a subtle woodsy depth that transforms the broth from simple to soul-stirring. The smoke infuses the pozole with a savory backbone that plays beautifully against the tangy tomatillo base and chicken broth, giving each bite a whisper of the pit.

Beats and Eats (music to pair with verde pozole)

Much like Nate’s buttery smooth delivery, this chicken pozole verde is all about effortless flavor and quiet confidence. The smoke, the spice, the soul — all come together in perfect harmony. This is the kind of bowl that doesn’t need to brag… it just hits different. Put the track on repeat and let the groove carry you through every spoonful.

Key Secrets to Making It Great:

• Roast your green ingredients (tomatillos, peppers, garlic) to deepen their sweetness and complexity.
• Use homemade stock for extra richness and body.
• Don’t skip the smoked chicken — that’s the soul of the dish.
• Finish with bright garnishes like lime, radish, and cilantro to balance the smoky depth.

Keep up with my food exploits on Instagram and YouTube. If you like any of the music you find on the site, visit me at Spotify to find curated playlists.

Chicken Pozole Verde with Smoked Chicken and Tomatillos

Author: Marwin Brown

392kcal

5 from 2 votes

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Prep 10 minutes mins

Cook 25 minutes mins

Delicious puzzle verde made with leftover smoked chicken, hominy, and vegetables. It’s as delicious as it is comforting.

Servings 6 people

Course dinner, Soup

Cuisine Mexican

Ingredients

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• ▢ 2 tablespoon Olive oil
• ▢ 1 medium Red onion diced
• ▢ 1 medium Yellow onion diced
• ▢ 2 whole Zucchini Squash diced
• ▢ 1 large Poblano Pepper deseeded and deveined, diced
• ▢ 16 oz Salsa Verde
• ▢ 6 cups Chicken Stock
• ▢ 2 Smoked Chicken Halves
• ▢ 28 oz Canned White Hominy pozole
• ▢ 1 cup Fresh Cilantro finely chopped
• ▢ 1 Lime quartered
• ▢ 1 Avocado diced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Pepper
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Cumin
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Dried oregano
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Paprika
• ▢ Tortilla chips

Method

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1. Heat dutch oven on medium heat. Add red and yellow onions and saute for 5 minutes.
2. Add poblano pepper and squash and saute another 2-3 minutes seasoning with half of the spices and dried oregano.
3. Add stock to the pot, bringing to boil and then reduce to simmer.
4. Add smoked chicken, and the remaining seasoning and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add the salsa verde the last 10 minutes of cooking.
5. Add cilantro sprigs plus juice from the lime to the pot. Stir and simmer for another 5 minutes.
6. Serve with avocado and tortilla chips. Enjoy

Nutrition

Calories392kcalCarbohydrates43gProtein18gFat16gSaturated Fat3gPolyunsaturated Fat2gMonounsaturated Fat9gTrans Fat1gCholesterol31mgSodium1786mgPotassium1020mgFiber8gSugar15gVitamin A1102IUVitamin C42mgCalcium59mgIron2mg

Video

Notes

Use leftover smoked chicken bought from your favorite bbq restaurant. Otherwise simply season two chicken halves with salt and pepper. Smoke in a smoker at 225 degrees F until done. Feel free to use store-bought rotisserie chicken for convenience.

Make your own chicken stock if you have time. It gives you greater control of slat content plus it will be a cleaner more complex flavor.

Season as you go, i.e. at each step.

Remove the seeds and veins from the poblano to keep the heat in check. I like to add other green chilis as well like jalapenos and serrano for additional complexity of flavor.

I use a quality store-bought salsa verde rather than making my own. There are a lot of good ones out there so it's simpler to buy than to make.

Time permitting let the pozole sit a spell. Time allows the flavors to come together in a more balanced way that you'll love.

For additional garnish consider thinly sliced radishes and/or pickled cactus.

This is a hearty stew so additional sides are unnecessary. I do like eating my pozole verde with biscuits or cornbread. They're great for sopping or dipping depending on your preference.

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