A Traditional Mexican Soup But Made With Chicken
Posole is a Mexican diss traditionally prepared with a less expensive cut of pork like the shoulder but can also be made with chicken or turkey. It is made the same way, except you substitute chicken or pork.
I prefer thigh meat because I think dark meat has more flavor and won’t dry out like breast meat can but don’t let that stop you from using the meat from a whole chicken.
What Is Hominy?
Hominy is one of the key ingredients to any posole, making it unique. Hominy is made from kernels of corn whose hull and germ are removed with the help of an alkali solution of either lime or lye. As a result, you end up with grain kernels that puff up to twice their average size.
Did you know that grits, also called hominy grits, is
dried hominy that’s been ground and simmered?
The corn used to make hominy is not the sweet corn we eat off the cob. Instead, it comes from maize, corn used to produce corn meal. You can purchase hominy either dried or in a can.
The dried hominy needs to be soaked and then simmered for hours before it can be used for posole, but the canned hominy has already been cooked and is ready to go. Which is better? I don’t know; I’ve only used canned hominy in my recipes.
If you are looking for a traditional posole made with pork, look no further.
📖 Recipe
Chicken Posole Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 pounds chicken meat I prefer legs and thighs but any chicken meat will do
- 46½ ounces hominy 3 15½ ounce cans, drained
- 5 cups chicken stock you can use water but the chicken stock will add a lot of additional flavor
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- salt & pepper to taste
For the Pepper Puree
- 4 dried Anaheim chiles you can substitute ancho chile peppers which are dried poblano peppers.
For the Garnish
- 10 radishes sliced thin
- 2 limes cut into wedges
- ½ head iceberg lettuce shredded
- handful cilantro leaves
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat, and when hot, add the onion and cook for approximately 3 minutes until it becomes translucent.
- Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
- Add the chicken to the pot and stir to coat with oil.
- Add 2 cups of water or enough to cover the chicken and simmer until the chicken is cooked through. This will take about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile - Get the peppers ready.While the chicken is cooking, prep the peppers and work on the garnish. Under running water, tear the dried peppers in half and rinse out the seeds. You may need a knife to help open them up.
- Put the peppers into a small saucepan, add some water and let them simmer for 20 minutes.
- After simmering, drain the peppers, puree them in a blender or food processor, and reserve.
Finishing the Posole
- When the chicken is done cooking, remove it from the pot and onto a cutting board. It’s hot, so be careful. After it cools down, remove any bones and/or skin from the chicken. Next, shred the chicken with your hands or a fork and put it back into the soup pot along with the hominy and chicken stock.
- Add the reserved pureed peppers and oregano and simmer for 8 minutes until all the flavors have a chance to combine.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Serve the posole in deep soup bowls and garnish with radishes, limes, lettuce, and cilantro leaves.
Notes
Some of My Favorite Chicken Recipes
- Chicken Baked in Cornbread Recipe
- Sheet Pan Chicken with Roasted Plums Potatoes and Onions
- Quick and Easy Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe
- Chicken Mushroom and Spinach Comfort Food Recipe
- Southern California Style Chicken with Rice and Beans Recipe
- Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms and Artichoke Hearts Recipe
- Simple Chicken - Tomato - Pasta Recipe
- Chicken Korma Recipe
JB
What to do with the 5 cups of chicken broth? The recipe call for 2 cups of water to cook the chicken and a little more to cook the peppers. I assume that could be part of the 5 cups of chicken broth, but what about the other 3 cups?
The Reluctant Gourmet
JB, you cook the chicken in the 2 cups of water and you add the 5 cups of chicken stock along with the hominy after you "shred the chicken with your hands or with a fork and put it back into the soup pot"...