What makes pozole so good?

Hot broth feels soothing on a sore throat, and it also helps hydrate the body. But pozole can do all that and more. Take the restorative properties of chicken noodle soup and add the spice of chilies, and you get a throat-soothing, hydrating, sinus-clearing, detoxifying miracle food .

What's in the dish Posole?

Pozole is a super easy and amazingly tasty stew made with pork, dried chiles, and hominy . This recipe for the traditional Mexican stew is a pozole rojo and features red chile peppers. To some, this soup is at its best thanks to the garnishes, which provide balance and flavor in addition to decoration.

Should I rinse canned hominy?

Utilizing the appropriate cooking method for the type of hominy you have is key. Another common issue is not thoroughly rinsing canned hominy before use . Rinsing helps to remove any residual sodium or canning liquids, which can affect the final flavor of your dish.

Why does my pozole taste bland?

If you feel like your finished pozole rojo is missing something, it is likely salt and heat . Once you season to taste with salt and either reserved chili seeds or cayenne pepper, then all the flavors will come alive.

What are the 3 types of pozole?

The three main types of pozole are blanco (white), verde (green) and rojo (red) . Pozole blanco—"white pozole"—is the preparation without any additional green or red sauce.

What's the difference between pozole and posole?

There's really no big difference between pozole and posole, except a letter . In Mexico, where the brothy, chile-spiked soup originated, it's often spelled with a "z"; near the border and beyond, it's often spelled with an "s." It just depends where you are, and who taught you to cook it.

Is pozole healthy or unhealthy?

It is a nutritious and hearty dish that can be part of a healthy and balanced diet. Pozole is a good source of protein and fiber, thanks to the hominy and meat. It also contains essential vitamins and minerals, such as iron, vitamin B12, and zinc, which are important for overall health.

What is a interesting fact about pozole?

Pozole was mentioned in the 16th century Florentine Codex by Bernardino de Sahagún . Since maize was a sacred plant for the Aztecs and other inhabitants of Mesoamerica, pozole was made to be consumed on special occasions.

Why do Mexicans eat pozole?

Both soups are also deeply emblematic of their cultures. The roots of pozole pre-date Spanish colonization, and the dish is said to have had ritual significance for the indigenous people of Mexico . Its principal ingredient, corn, was a sacred crop to the Aztecs and Mayans.

Why does pozole taste better the next day?

It has a blend of chiles that I use in my recipe, and you can really taste them, especially the day after you make it. I think the longer it sits, the better it gets . The flavors take time to meld, get all cozy with each other, a lot of things are better the next day. This happens to be one of them.

Slow Cooker Chicken Posole - Isabel Eats {Easy Mexican Recipes} (2024)

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Author:

Isabel

Published:

December 10, 2016

This post contains affiliate links. See disclosure policy.

Made with shredded chicken and hominy in a comforting red chile broth, this Slow Cooker Chicken Posole is easy to make and full of authentic Mexican flavors to warm you up! (gluten free)

Slow Cooker Chicken Posole - Isabel Eats {Easy Mexican Recipes} (1)

It finally happened. I made a dish that I never thought I would make without the step-by-step instructions from my parents. I made posole!

If you’ve never heard of posole, you’re not alone. It’s not a dish that is normally found at Mexican restaurants, at least not in the United States. and definitely not in Pittsburgh.

What is posole?

Posole (which translates to hominy in English) is a Mexican chile soup or stew traditionally made with pork and hominy covered in a chile broth. There are countless variations of this dish, such as:

some made in a red chile broth
some with green chiles and tomatillos as the base (like this Chicken Pozole Verde)
some with no chiles at all (why, God, why?!)
some made with pork (like this traditional Red Posole)
some with chicken
some with no meat at all

And just so you know, I plan on making ALL those variations for you at some point. This is only the beginning. I’m getting excited just talking about it.

Slow Cooker Chicken Posole - Isabel Eats {Easy Mexican Recipes} (2)

Posole is kind of a big deal in my house. My parents don’t make it every day, every week or even every month. It’s usually made on special occasions when the whole family is together, like birthdays and holidays so my Mom or Dad can make a huge batch and feed everyone for days. And I mean dayyyysss.

And while I’ve seen my parents make this soup probably hundreds of times by now, I had never attempted to make it myself…until now.

Slow Cooker Chicken Posole - Isabel Eats {Easy Mexican Recipes} (3)

I must say that I’ve definitely taken some liberties with my parents’ recipe.

First of all, they’ve never made posole in the slow cooker. I, on the other hand, wanted to create this dish as easily as possible and so I knew the crock pot would be perfect for the job.

Second, my parents’ usually make the red chile base specifically for their posole. But not me. Again, because I’m lazy, I used a batch of my Red Enchilada Sauce that I had in the fridge. My sauce is still homemade, it’s insanely easy to make and most importantly, it’s still has all the same flavors of the red chile broth that are in my parents’ posole.

But a word of caution – while you could certainly use store-bought enchilada sauce instead of my enchilada sauce recipe, I don’t recommendit. It truly doesn’t have the same depth of flavor and just isn’t as tasty as the real stuff. If you’re hesitant to make enchilada sauce just for this recipe, I suggest making a double or even triple batch and storing it in the freezer so you can use it again for future recipes like these:

Red Chicken Enchiladas
Easy Red Chilaquiles
Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Chicken Enchilada Roll-Ups

The right sauce makes a huge difference.

Slow Cooker Chicken Posole - Isabel Eats {Easy Mexican Recipes} (4)

How to serve slow cooker posole

Once the crock pot posole is ready to go, it’s usually served with radishes, cilantro, finely shredded cabbage, limes, dried oregano, red chile flakes, white onions and even avocados.

For these photos, I just used radishes, limes and cilantro, but I frequently also top it with shredded cabbage. It’s adds a nice crunch that is just delightful.

I truly hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

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4.69 from 106 votes

Slow Cooker Chicken Posole

servings: 8 servings

Print Pin Review Save

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 4 hours hours

Total: 4 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Made with shredded chicken and hominy in a comforting red chile broth, this Slow Cooker Posole is easy to make and full of authentic Mexican flavors. (gluten free)

Video

Ingredients

For the posole

▢ 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
▢ 4 cups chicken broth
▢ 1 batch Red Enchilada Sauce (or 2 1/2 cups store-bought red enchilada sauce)
▢ 1 shallot, finely diced
▢ 1 tablespoon chili powder
▢ 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
▢ 2 teaspoons ground cumin
▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
▢ 2 25-ounce cans white hominy, drained and rinsed
▢ 1 tablespoon dried oregano
▢ salt and black pepper, to taste

For the toppings and mix-ins (optional)

▢ finely shredded cabbage, lime juice, sliced radishes, cilantro

Instructions

Add the chicken, chicken broth, enchilada sauce, shallot, chili power, minced garlic, cumin powder, and salt to the slow cooker. Mix until well combined.
Cover and cook for 7 1/2 hours on low or 3 1/2 hours on high.
Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken from slow cooker and place onto a large plate or cutting board. Shred using two forks.
Add in the shredded chicken, hominy and oregano. Cover and cook for another 30 minutes.
Serve posole in bowls with lime juice, radishes, cilantro, finely shredded cabbage and other toppings.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 239kcal (12%), Carbohydrates: 25g (8%), Protein: 26g (52%), Fat: 5g (8%), Saturated Fat: 1g (5%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 55mg (18%), Sodium: 1547mg (64%), Potassium: 251mg (7%), Fiber: 5g (20%), Sugar: 4g (4%), Vitamin A: 750IU (15%), Vitamin C: 8.3mg (10%), Calcium: 60mg (6%), Iron: 2.5mg (14%)

Author: Isabel Orozco-Moore

Category: Mexican

Jean Busby
July 24, 2023

This is fantastic! What fun it was to make the red sauce from scratch. I will use the sauce in several of my recipes. The soup was tasty and the toppings really made it special. A new recipe added to my favorites.
Thank you. I am looking forward to trying so many more of your recipes. My next attempts will be Barbacoa and Horchata. Do you have a cookbook?
Reply
Tommy
February 5, 2023
Can you leave Posole in crockpot overnight if you unplug it?
Reply
1. Ana @ Isabel Eats
  February 14, 2023
  Hi Tommy! We recommend storing it in a container in the fridge so that it doesn’t go bad.
  Reply
Esther
February 5, 2023
This recipe is delicious.
Reply
Dennis Arriaga
July 9, 2022
So so good! Thank you!! Loved the enchilada sauce too!! Made with your corn tortilla recipe too!!
Reply
Terese Carrillo
November 28, 2021
hello !! can i cook this in my ditch oven & if so, what would be the heating instructions
cant wait to make it !!
See Also
The BEST Sirloin Tip Roast Recipe Ever!
Reply
1. Terese Carrillo
  November 28, 2021
  sorrrrry DUTCH**
  Reply
2. Ana @ Isabel Eats
  January 21, 2022
  Hi Terese! Yes you can use your dutch oven. There is a recipe on the site for red pork pozole, but you can substitute chicken! That recipe uses a dutch oven and goes into better detail on how to cook it. I hope this helps!
  Reply
Stephen Dodd
November 20, 2021

That was excellent!!!!!! Thank you!!!!
Reply
Ana
November 15, 2021
Would I have to convert the time to instant pot time since instant pots are pressurized and this calls for a slow cooker
Reply
1. Ana @ Isabel Eats
  January 31, 2022
  Hello! Yes, we suggest adjusting the time if you’re using an instant pot.
  Reply
Megan R Aguilar
October 11, 2021
Your instructions say cook for 3 1/2 hours my crock pot goes to 4 hors. on high.
Reply
Brenda Martinez
October 10, 2021
would the cook time be the same if I use chciken thighs?
Reply
1. Ana @ Isabel Eats
  January 20, 2022
  Hello Brenda, yes the cooking time should be the same.
  Reply
John thurston
September 24, 2021

Wow is this really really good. Thank you Isabel for sharing this recipe.
I followed your recipe instruction to the letter, with 2 exceptions.
One, I was fearful that the Chiles de abrol had too much heat for my family’s taste
so I substituted Chiles Mulato-very mellow. I was still concerned about the heat level,but this was perfect. Great flavor, canned enchilada sauce would not have rendered the deep flavor obtained by the authentic sauce.
What a perfect deep flavor the authentic enchilada sauce imparts to this dish! Two, I added med-large hunks of sweet potato.
Very nice addition.
Reply
John
February 25, 2021

Super easy to make and delicious. Definitely going to be added to our dinner rotation.
Reply
Penny Petrich
February 14, 2021
My question is, do you have a recipe to make the red enchilada sauce? I’d rather not buy the canned.
Reply
1. Morgan @ Isabel Eats
  March 3, 2021
  Hi Penny! That’s totally understandable. Here is Isabel’s Red Enchilada recipe: https://www.isabeleats.com/authentic-red-enchilada-sauce/
  Reply
2. Chelsea
  August 22, 2021
  I wish I would have seen this earlier. I bought the canned and it just was off 😥
  Reply

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Slow Cooker Chicken Posole - Isabel Eats {Easy Mexican Recipes} (10)

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