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For twelve years, I lived in Arizona, where authentic Mexican food was within three feet of me at any one time. Oh, friend. That food was a-MA-zing. The homemade tortillas! The (very) hot salsas! The margaritas! (Ahem.)
When I am creating recipes, I often try to recreate what I knew once upon a time. But to get a good Pozole Verde, you need pozole (hominy), right? Well, maybe. Perhaps we will be able to get the gist of this soup, though, with a few substitutions. Instead of hominy, I’m using diced white sweet potatoes, giving us the starchiness. As a sub for chilis, I’m using some grated horseradish — which is totally optional. If you are too sensitive to “heat”, you can leave it out. Fortunately, cilantro and lime don’t require subs!
Now about the chicken and the broth… You will notice that I’m calling for pre-cooked chicken. I believe that homemade is best, but if you find yourself short on time, find a plain, AIP-friendly rotisserie chicken and some good AIP-friendly broth.
If I could make this for you, I would. My hope is that you will make it at home, and feel the healing begin…
- 3 cups + 3 cups bone broth
- 3 cups baby spinach, loosely packed
- 1 cup chopped cilantro leaves (about ½ a bunch)
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- ½ cup chopped green onions
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon grated horseradish (optional)
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 cups diced white sweet potatoes
- 2 cups chopped, pre-cooked chicken
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
- *Optional garnishes: cilantro, avocado slices, lime wedges for squeezing
- In a blender, whirl 3 cups of broth, spinach, cilantro, garlic, green onions, lime juice and horseradish. Set aside.
- In a large soup pot, heat avocado oil over medium heat. Add sweet potatoes and sauté for 5-10 minutes, or until the vegetables are fork soft.
- Add chicken and salt to the pot and stir. Add 3 cups more of broth and the green broth from the blender. Heat through. Taste for salt. Serve with garnishes. (Garnishes are optional, but the soup is better with them!)
18 comments
This soup looks absolutely divine! Nom
nom nom!!! Thank you!!! Will be making this weekend!
This so looks delicious! Do you think it would work to freeze extra for quick meals?
Do I have to use white sweet potatoes? My grocery doesn’t have them.
Hi, Cindy! Sometimes, you can find Japanese yams. These will have a pinkish-purple skin and white flesh. They would also work. Another reader suggests green plantains, but I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say for sure. I’m all for experimenting in the kitchen!
Hi, Cindy! This soup never lasts long enough in my house to be frozen (HA!), but I believe it could work. It probably wouldn’t taste as FRESH, but I think it would be fine!
This was AMAZING! Wow. Thank you for sharing it because my entire family of 6 devoured it.
So so delicious! I added cauliflower rice too 🙂
We made this recipe this Monday and it was absolutely AMAZING! Thank you!
I made this soup and am very much enjoying it! It’s a little change of pace flavor wise, which I appreciate! I think next time I am going to sub some chopped, fried green(ish) plantains for the sweet potatoes! I would go for somewhere between green and yellow, they hold up really well, aren’t as sweet and fit the flavors well!
What an interesting idea, Tessa! If you try it, let me know how it goes! 🙂
My family and I really enjoyed this soup. Such fresh, vibrant flavors. Not hard to make either.
I made this with the help of my instant pot. I substituted the scallions for onions, spinach for mixed greens, sweet potato for Japanese yams, and cooked chicken thighs.
It’s what I happen to have in the fridge ><
The pozole tastes absolutely fresh and has an overall great flavor. I will be making this soup on the regular! Thanks!
“3 cups + 3 cups bone broth” Can you explain this step, as it is not clear to me. This looks delicious and I greatly appreciate you posting it, so THANKS!!!
The recipe uses 6 cups of broth but 3 cups are used in two separate steps. Hope that makes sense.
Made this tonight and really enjoyed it! Thanks for a great pozole substitute.
When I lived in Mexico, I developed a huge distaste for pozole and have steered clear of it ever since. This, however, looks and sounds divine, and I can’t wait to try it! It’s a plus to me that some of the original ingredients have been substituted. YAY! Thank you!
Question – why not use hominy instead of sweet potatoes? If I wanted to be a bit more traditional but still nightshade free, how much hominy would I use in place of the sweet potatoes?
Hi Karissa! This recipe is designed not to include corn, which is why sweet potatoes are used. If you tolerate corn though, you can absolutely use hominy!