My favorite kind of chicken soup (aside from my delicious Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe) that graces my kitchen is a majorly flavorful Chicken Posole! It’s beyond easy. Chicken cooked in a spiced broth with hominy and then topped with all my favorite toppings... avocado + cheese, duh! It takes your ordinary chicken noodle soup up a few notches! 🙂
Chicken Posole is something I can absolutely get behind when it comes to your cold weather, make me feel better, soup. It’s exactly what I want when I’m looking for something simple, light, healthy and DELICIOUS! So when someone (namely my husband) asks me for a chicken noodle soup to fight a cold, this is what he is going to get.
For those of you who have yet to experience Posole (also sometimes spelled Pozole) here's the deal... it is a traditional Mexican soup that's made with hominy, meat (in this case, chicken), and is seasoned with various spices and garnished with radishes, avocado, crema or limes and I love to add some tortilla chips for a crunch!
A few tips and tricks for making the perfect Chicken Posole:
- Don't skimp on the hominy:
Hominy is a type of corn that has been treated with an alkali solution, and it's what gives Chicken Posole its characteristic texture and flavor. Be sure to use a good quality hominy for the best results. - Use fresh ingredients:
For the best flavor, be sure to use fresh ingredients in your Chicken Posole. This includes things like fresh herbs, fresh chiles, and fresh lime juice. - Let it simmer:
Once all of the ingredients are in the pot, let the Chicken Posole simmer for at least an hour so that all of the flavors have a chance to meld together. The longer it simmers, the better it will taste! - Serve with toppings:
When it's time to serve, Chicken Posole is usually garnished with things like shredded cabbage, diced onion, sour cream, and lime wedges. Feel free to get creative with your toppings and add whatever sounds good to you!
Did you love this chicken recipe? If so check out these other amazing dishes:
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today!
Chicken Posole
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
- 2 clove garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup canned hominy drained and rinsed
Optional Toppings
- Diced avocado
- Lime wedges
- Chopped cilantro
- Crumbled cotija cheese
- Slivered Scallions
- Crema
- Tortilla Chips to serve on the side and scoop up anything in the bowl
Instructions
- Transfer the chicken breasts onto a large cutting board and carefully slice them in half so you have thinly sliced pieces. Sprinkle them on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breast in a single layer and sear for 1 minute on both sides until golden brown. Turn the heat to low, cover the pan, and cook for 12 minutes more, flipping the chicken halfway to fully cook. Once cooked, set the chicken aside.
- Add the chicken broth to a medium Dutch oven and bring it to a rapid simmer. Once simmering, add the bay leaf, thyme, oregano, garlic, cumin, ½ teaspoon of the salt, chili powder, coriander, and red pepper flakes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Using 2 forks, shred the chicken into small pieces. Add the chicken and drained hominy to the Dutch oven. Raise the heat to medium to warm everything through. Taste and add more salt or other seasonings if needed. Discard the bay leaf.
- Serve the soup in individual bowls with any of the desired toppings.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe by What’s Gaby Cooking
Super Good. Except for using chikkin thighs and cayenne (in lieu of crushed red pepper) , I followed the recipe exactly.
Great recipe. Loved the blend of spices used. . I used dark meat vs white. Used the instapot, 30 minutes. It also needed some acid to lighten the flavor and bring out the spices. I added 1 1/2 lime (juice) and some cilantro sprigs to the both at the end.
Was excellent!!
First, So Delicious! Second, So Easy! Will be making again and again!
This was a huge hit in my house! I had not used hominy before. It was hard to find in the store but totally worth it! (I just had to search a little) One question/comment - Above you recommended letting the soup simmer for an hour but then in the recipe, you only have the soup simmer for 15 minutes. I sort of cut the time in half and simmered for about 40 minutes. It tasted great and I imagine it would either way. It's all about the herbs, lime, and yummy toppings anyways. Thanks!
I have ground chicken, could I use that instead of chicken breast?
sure! saute it first and then add to the soup
Excellent flavors! Added sautéd carrots onion celery corn for more veggies. Added chickpeas and less chicken because I could. Delicious!
I made this tonight with leftover smoked turkey and it was delicious. Even my kids like it because there aren’t any beans in it (like most chili!). The only thing I would have done differently was to double it! Thanks for the recipe Gaby!
Would a rotisserie chicken work for this?
sure would!
This soup is so amazing!! It is the best posole I’ve ever tasted. I wish I would’ve doubled it!
OMG!!! Tastes like home (what I grew up with) and the flavors are so spot on!
Yummmmmmm!
So tasty, easy, and quick. Kids loved it. Need to double for lunches. I will be adding this to the rotation, for sure! Don’t scrimp on the cilantro!