
I feel like posole fever seems to be sweeping the restaurant world lately.
And I must admit, this makes me very happy.
Like, if I were writing this post over text, it would include all of the hand-clapping, heart-eyed, confetti-popping emojis possible. Because I’m a mega fan of this classic Mexican hominy stew. And while I have nothing against a good chicken tortilla soup, it’s about dang time that posole was given its time in the spotlight on too. Because if you’re looking for something to warm you up on a chilly winter day, it doesn’t get more comforting than this.
And if you’re looking for a quick 20-minute dinner recipe to make on the stove (or let it simmer away all day in the slow cooker), it also doesn’t get much easier than this.
Allow me to introduce you to my favorite recipe for Easy Chicken Posole Verde.

First, a fun fact. Do you know where posole (also sometimes spelled pozole) gets its name?!

Well from pozole, of course. The word “pozole” in Spanish actually means hominy, which is the rockstar ingredient of this soup. (And if you’re also new to hominy, it’s basically maize/corn that you can find in the canned goods section of your grocery store.)

While the hominy is a must in traditional posole, just about everything else can be varied. You can make posole rojo (red) or posole verde (green). You can make it with pork (traditional) or chicken (easiest) or turkey or vegetarian. You can make it super spicy or mild. Basically, you can make it however you’d like. :)
My favorite version is this 20-minute recipe. It’s goes the “verde” route, using lots of Old El Paso diced green chiles and a traditional poblano pepper. It’s made with shredded chicken (rotisserie for the win!), or I’ll occasionally use some of my leftover slow cooker shredded chicken or slow cooker crispy carnitas. And I like to garnish the heck out of it with avocado, radishes, cilantro and some lime wedges.
I made this version fairly mild, since I was serving it to friends with varied preferences on spice. But if you’d like to kick it up a notch, just add in some diced jalapeno or serrano peppers along with the mild poblano.

The best part?? It can be ready to go on the stove in about 20 minutes, more or less. Or, you can toss all of the ingredients in your slow cooker and let it do all of the cooking while you’re at work during the day.
Easy peasy.
And ridiculously good.
[Insert all of the happy smiling emojis.]

Easy Chicken Posole Verde
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 -8 servings 1x
Description
This Easy Chicken Posole Verde recipe is ready to go in just 20 minutes on the stove, or you can let it simmer in the slow cooker all day. It’s flavorful, naturally gluten-free, and SO comforting and delish!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 1 large poblano pepper, cored and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 (4-ounce) cans Old El Paso diced green chiles
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 (14-ounce) cans white hominy, drained and rinsed
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt, or more/less to taste
- garnishes: diced avocado, chopped fresh cilantro, crumbled cotija cheese, thinly-sliced or julienned radishes, lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion and poblano and saute for 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and saute for an additional minute, stirring occasionally. Add the diced green chiles, chicken stock, hominy, chicken, cumin and salt, and stir to combine. Continue heating until the soup reaches a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for at least 5 minutes. Taste, and season with extra salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve warm, topped with your desired garnishes.
Notes
This soup can also be made easily in the slow cooker. Just add all of your ingredients (minus the garnishes) to your slow cooker, and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours until the onions are cooked through and soft. Serve warm, topped with your desired garnishes.

This is a sponsored post in partnership with Old El Paso. I am partnering with them this year to bring you all sorts of fresh new Mexican recipes, and all opinions are my own as always. Thanks for supporting the brands that help make this site possible.





Loved it !!!! Made a few changes. Cooked in the slow cooker left out the large poblano pepper and one can of the Old El Paso diced green chiles. What was left was just enough spice for my husband and myself. We also omitted the garnishments. This will stay in our dinner rotation. So good.
Hello! If the slow cooker is used, do you still have to use pre cooked chicken or can you throw in uncooked chicken breasts?
I have had the soup and it had s absolutely delicious!
This is so good!! Super easy. Thank you! I will definitely make this again.
So… Am I the only one that doesn’t have cooked pulled chicken handy? Doesn’t that just about double the time to make this?
I’m newish at cooking, so I’m not trying to slam the recipe, just wondering how to get this going on a weeknight. The husbeast is opposed to the crock pot working white we’re not home since he’s trapped in the 1980s.
Hello Jenn! We love just picking up a roast chicken for this (if you don’t want to roast or poach one yourself). You can shred the chicken pretty quickly before making this, or you can shred it a day or two in advance. Either way, we hope you enjoy the recipe and we hope the crock pot still works well! :)
Good soup for me
Everything sounds good except for the fact that it’s called POZOLE not POSOLE
This was so good, I made it exactly as you suggested, I never really do that, actually I added more garlic, but it was so yummy!
Thanks, Sadie — we’re so happy you enjoyed it! :)
I did this recipe as is for Cinco De Mayo and LOVED it. This will be my version of chicken soup going forward! I did use the radishes, lime and cilantro and it really brightens it up.
Thanks Lynn — we’re so happy to hear that! :D
I had to read the revipe to see how this green pozole was made. Quite amused reading the ingredients, and although im sure its a tasty soup, by no means is this a green pozole. Aside from raddish garnish none of this is traditional or original. I would call this a soup with mexican ingredients.