Pollo Verde Con Nopales (Salsa Verde Chicken & Cactus)

This pollo verde (or chicken chile verde) is a classic Mexican dish made with a punchy, bright salsa verde and given a slight twist with nopales, or cactus paddles. Serve this green salsa chicken over a bed of white rice, with warm corn tortillas, and a few slices of avocado for a dinner that’s not only deeply comforting but also good for you.

This dish is traditionally a Mexican stew made with pork shoulder and homemade salsa verde, often turned into impromptu tacos or made with potatoes for the ultimate comfort meal. If you love pozole verde de pollo (green pozole), you’ll definitely love this easy salsa verde chicken recipe. 

What are Nopales?

Nopales are actually the leaves of the prickly pear cactus. And yes, you can eat them! In fact they are not only delicious (if you know how to prepare them properly) but also good for you.

Loaded in antioxidants, minerals and vitamins A, C and K, the nopal is used in traditional/holistic medicine. Around these parts, we simply enjoy the taste of nopales, which is slightly acidic – almost lemony even. They are a regular part of our carne asadas in the summer and my son will sometimes go through periods where he begs me to make ensalada de nopales (which is just cooked nopales strips, tomato, white onion, cilantro and a little olive oil and lemon). 

The only reason we don’t eat more of this delicious vegetable is that our city’s Mexican market only sells the cactus paddles with their thorns, and I don’t love the extra (sometimes painful) work that goes into prepping them. Possibly this underscores just how much of a gringa I am, but been there, done that. Thanks, but no thanks. Usually. (I’ll go to great lengths for good food.) Fortunately, there is a Mexican market 30 minutes from our house where I can get nopales that have their thorns removed. If you can’t find them with the thorns removed, here is a video that teaches you how to prepare nopales.

Of course, nopales are only delicious if you cook them properly. That’s because they are a mucilaginous plant that releases slimy juices, or baba, when you cook them. The trick for sauteed cactus is to cook your sliced, julienned, or chopped cactus in a little salt and oil until the juices have been released and evaporate from the pan. (FYI, there is more than one way to cook nopales to release their baba, so let me know if you’ve got any tricks I should explore in the comments.)

Side note (bonus recipe?): I mentioned we eat grilled cactus when we do carne asadas in the summer. That is quite possibly my favorite prep. Brush dethorned cactus paddles, whole, with a little canola oil (or other oil that can withstand high heat). Grill until they wilt and go from bright green to the color of cooked green beans, turning once to ensure even cooking on both sides. Finish with flaky sea salt and slice into strips to eat with your meat or your quesadillas. 

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Tomatillos: Fresh tomatillos look like green tomatoes but are slightly more acidic and less watery than their (distant) red cousins. When shopping for tomatillos, look for tomatillos that are snug against the husk. The husk should still be slightly green in color (not brown), and if you pull it back to reveal a slightly sticky tomatillo, the fruit should be firm and nice bright green. 
• Poblano Peppers: I use a poblano pepper here to make this a more family-friendly dish in terms of spice. Poblanos have a slight kick to them, so if black pepper sets your mouth ablaze, you could also swap for a green pepper. I won’t judge. 
• Serrano Pepper(s): This is the pepper you’ll see most commonly used in salsa verde recipes. When I’m looking to add heat to a recipe, I prefer reaching for serrano peppers vs jalapeno peppers, simply because their spice level is more predictable. Alternatively, you can use jalapeño pepper, habanero pepper, or green chilies.

You can use anywhere from 1 to 3 of them in this recipe, depending on the spice level you like. In this particular recipe, I only used one deseeded, deveined serrano. My toddler ate it. My husband added a little hot sauce to it.

• Onion: White, sweet vidalia or red onion… I say use whatever’s on hand. It’ll be delicious all the same. 
• Garlic Cloves: Take note in the recipe, when we roast the garlic for the salsa, we’re using whole, unpeeled cloves of garlic to give the garlic a little protection from the char. Imparting flavor, avoiding bitterness.
• Cilantro
• Chicken broth: used to thin the salsa verde a bit.
• Nopales (Cactus Paddles): I talked about this extensively above, but you’ll need approximately 4 paddles, preferably dethorned and ready to go. However, if needed, this is a helpful YouTube video that teaches you how to prep the cactus all by yourself. If you’re firmly against the idea of using nopales for whatever reason, you can replace with par-boiled potatoes or chunks of zucchini. (For this recipe, I would use at least 2 of them.)
• Chicken: I used boneless skinless chicken thighs in this recipe because I wanted the chicken to be tender. You could opt for boneless skinless chicken breast and still be able to follow the recipe.

How to Make Pollo Verde Con Nopales

1. Prep the chicken thighs. Cut meat into cubes, and season chicken with salt. Let rest on the counter for 15-20 minutes while you make the salsa verde.
2. Roast salsa verde veggies. Heat a griddle, comal or skillet on medium heat and roast whole tomatillos, onion, garlic, serrano and poblano, turning frequently to avoid burning things. Note, a little char is okay and will add flavor to your final sauce. The onion and the garlic will cook faster than everything else, so remove from heat when they are ready. If peppers and tomatillos have a nice char on them but are still not done cooking, lower heat and cover, checking and turning until you are satisfied with doneness. (My tomatillos changed color even in the center and one exploded on me when I picked it up with a pair of cooking tongs.)
3. Make nopales. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Slice and cut nopales. Add a glug of olive oil (1-2 tablespoons depending on whether or not the pan is non-stick or not). Once hot, add nopales pieces, salt, garlic, and onion. Saute until nopales fade from bright green and most of the baba, or juices, have been released and evaporated, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and cover if nopales start to brown, still stirring occasionally. The whole process will take 10-15 minutes. Turn off burner once nopales are cooked through and set aside.
4. Make salsa verde. Peel garlic. Rip tops off of peppers. Deseed/devein serrano pepper(s). Add all of the salsa verde ingredients except the serrano peppers to a blender or a food processor and puree until you have a smooth sauce. Taste. Add serrano peppers in increments, pureeing and tasting until you achieve your desired heat level.
5. Assemble dish. In a large pot, add another glug of olive oil (approximately 2 tbsp) and use medium heat to saute onions for 1-2 minutes or until they start to turn translucent. Add garlic and chicken. Saute for 5 minutes or until the chicken starts to brown. Add salsa verde and nopales. Simmer for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
6. Buen provecho! Serve over a bed of white rice, garnished with fresh cilantro, with warm tortillas and freshly sliced avocado. (I think the avocado gives this dish a creamy component that helps cut through some of the acidy and I highly recommend it. Alternatively, you could serve with a bit of queso fresco, cotija cheese, crema, or sour cream.) Store leftovers for up to a week in an airtight container.

How to Serve Pollo Verde Con Nopales

Although this pollo verde is delicious with white rice, corn tortillas and avocado, if you’re looking to really up the ante, here are a few other dishes you could serve with it:

• Refried beans, pinto beans, or black beans
• Mexican rice (Although, when I asked my husband what I could do differently, he said his first thought was Mexican rice, but he really liked the way the white rice soaked up the green sauce, giving it flavor.)
• Air fryer potatoes
• Simple mixed salad
• Corn on the cob
• Esquites
• Pico de gallo

Craving more great Mexican recipes? Try my family’s recipe for entomatadas!

📖 Recipe