A simple easy recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Pozole that can also be made on the stove top. A healthy, delicious, Mexican-inspired weeknight dinner that can be made in 30 minutes! Gluten-free!
This hearty Mexican soup called Pozole is simple to make and full of delicious flavor! It will leave you feeling satisfied and full without being loaded up with fat or calories. In this recipe I’ve substituted chicken instead of traditional pork. And the best part? It can be made in an instant pot or on the stove top in a short amount of time. The soup actually tastes better and better over time, so make a batch ahead for midweek meals. You will feel comforted in knowing you have something nutritious and delicious waiting for you at home, when time feels short.
In this version of pozole, you can use canned hominy or dried hominy that has been pre-cooked. You don’t want to use the cooking liquid of dried hominy in the soup itself – so if using dried hominy, be sure to read the recipe notes. I will say, I’m partial to dried hominy because I love the toothsome texture. But the canned hominy is just fine too. We do it both ways at home! Using canned is obviously faster and more easily accessible.
Have I ever told you that September is my favorite month of the year? I love how cool and delicious the night air feels. And I especially love the transition into cooking warmer things like soups and stews. There is something so cozy about it, so soothing in a way. Not just the eating… but the cooking itself.
Cooking can be so comforting. So grounding, especially this time of year.
It’s a lovely thing to feel, simply being present with the task at hand, just being with the onions, when you are chopping them. Just being with cooking itself. Like a meditation, relaxing, mind-clearing. A gift.
Take the moments when you can…
The Chicken Pozole is easy.
Serve it up with avocado, jalapeño, cilantro and a big dollop of sour cream.
The Chicken Pozole keeps for 5 days in the fridge ( if properly cooled).
How to properly cool soup:
To properly cool soup, place it uncovered in the fridge after it cools on the counter to roughly room temp (about an hour). Store it something where soup is not more than 4 inches deep. So a wide, shallow container is best. Leave it uncovered in the fridge until throughly chilled overnight, then cover.
To save time, sometimes, I actually store leftover soup in an 8 inch wide stainless pot. That way I can just move it directly from fridge to the stove, and save washing an extra dish. Get it? 😉
Ok enjoy!
xoxo
Instant Pot Chicken Pozole
A simple easy recipe for Chicken Pozole that can be made in an Instant Pot or on the stove top. A healthy, delicious, Mexican-inspired weeknight dinner that can be made in 30 minutes! Gluten-free! #instapot #instantpot #pozole #chickenpozole #rojo #weeknightdinner #mexican #healthy
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: soup, stew, main
- Method: instant pot, stove-top
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 4–6 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 4 ounce can diced green chilies
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons salt, more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder, more to taste
- 2 lbs chicken whole thighs ( skinless, boneless)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3–4 cups cooked hominy -2 to 3 cans drained, or use pre-cooked dried hominy, see notes
- 1 dried Mexican Guajillo Peppers (optional)
- juice from one lime ( 2–3 tablespoons)
Optional Toppings : Sour cream, avocado, lime wedges, jalapeño, shredded cabbage, radish, grated cheese.
Instructions
- Set instant pot to “Saute” function ( If cooking on the stovetop see notes)
- Heat oil and add onion and garlic, stirring. Once tender and fragrant, add green chilies and tomato paste. Add chili powder, cumin, salt, oregano and ground chipotle.
- Add chicken, broth and cooked hominy.
- If adding the the dried chilies, break them in half and shake out the seeds. Either crumble/tear into small pieces or cut into small strips with kitchen scissors.
- Give a good stir and set instant pot to “high”, for 16 minutes.
- Naturally release the pressure, and using two forks, shred the chicken.
- Add the lime juice. Adjust spice level and salt. If your hominy was not salted, you will most likely need more. As this sits on “warm”, flavors will meld and get better. Leftovers, even better!
- Serve with sour cream, avocado, lime, jalapeño or shredded cabbage. (I like sour cream)
Notes
Originally I tried making this with dried hominy and it didn’t cook all the way through. Then I read that you should discard water that dried hominy cooks in or soaks in. So I ended up using dried hominy that I cooked earlier (draining the cooking liquid). I loved the texture of the dried hominy best – little heartier and toothsome.
For a thicker soup, you could blend half or a third of the hominy with some broth. I prefer brothy soups, but I know, not everyone does. 😉
To cook on the stove top, Just follow the same instructions, using a heavy bottom pot or dutch oven. Then simmer the soup ( covered) for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken thighs pull apart easily with a fork. After shredding the chicken, simmer for a few more minutes.
Keywords: chicken pozole, chicken pozole recipe, instant pot pozole, instant pot chicken pozole recipe, instant pot chicken soup, mexican chicken soup, hominy recipes
Dona Bumgarner says
September 15, 2018 at 8:04 amWhat is the difference is cooling the soup the way you describe? I normally store soup in a half-gallon mason jar in the fridge.
Sylvia Fountaine says
September 16, 2018 at 8:39 amSo basically to prevent any harmful bacteria from growing in things that are cooled, and prolonging it’s life, the health department has a set of “rules” that help with this ( I used this in my restaurant and in my catering business). You basically want things to cool down as quickly as possible. So for example -if you place soup in a mason jar that is 8 inches tall, this will cool down much slower than placing it in a shallow container, 4 inches tall. It really is not a big deal for small batches like this, in home use ( what you are doing is fine) but I find, when I cool things “properly” things really do last longer. I would just recommend, not putting the lid on your jar until its cold. 🙂
dona says
September 17, 2018 at 10:55 pmThanks, that makes sense! So it sounds like i could also cool it in a shallow pan, but then store it in a jar or something, too.
Greentea says
September 16, 2018 at 1:28 pmHi. Can I replace the hominy by something else ?
I can’t find it where I live.
Sylvia Fountaine says
September 17, 2018 at 7:30 amYes, you could used canned or cooked beans!
The Modern Proper says
September 19, 2018 at 4:47 pmSO DELICIOUS! And I too, love Fall and the transition of the cooking. Grilling is so exciting back in June but once September hits, I’m happy to say goodbye!
Liz says
September 24, 2018 at 5:25 pmThis was so delicious! My whole family loved it-even my toddler:). I might add some black beans next time or more hominy,but otherwise it was perfect. I added some jalapeño with the onions to sauté & it was the perfect spice level for us. Thanks for a great recipe!
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
September 25, 2018 at 9:17 amAwesome Liz, so happy you enjoyed it!
Michelle A Krause says
November 18, 2018 at 4:25 pmThis soup is so good and easy to make, I added fresh greens to my bowl before dishing out the soup, easy way to add your veggies, so tasty.
!Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
November 19, 2018 at 7:49 pmAwesome Michelle- love that you add greens, I like to do that too!
ML says
December 13, 2018 at 8:00 amCould you use chicken breasts in place of thighs? Any changes needed to the recipe to do so? It’s what I have available.
Sylvia Fountaine says
December 13, 2018 at 8:54 amYes, and reduce cooking time to 9 minutes. Shred with fork. You will be able to tell if breasts are done while shredding, if not, cook on saute function, for a bit longer. If breast are very thin, 7 minutes should do it.
Erica says
December 22, 2018 at 3:44 pmI wanted an easy instant pot pozole recipe and luckily my friend found this one for me. I had borrowed a friend’s instant pot and hasn’t tried it yet. You should know I’m pretty lazy when it comes to cooking (or perhaps life in general), so I first check the length/complexity of ingredients…perfect, I had most of the items. For the instant pot, have all your ingredients opened and measured before you start! Also, I used the “meat/stew” setting since there’s not a “high” button. I’m slightly obsessed with this recipe! I’ll make another batch when I finishing the prior one. My husband also loves it! The only things I changed was that I used bone broth instead of chicken broth and didn’t put as much salt. Otherwise I’ll double the recipe and eat it over several days. It’s friggin delicious!! THANK YOU FOR THIS RECIPE!! Now I have to get my own instant pot so I can finally return my friend’s. Hehe.
★★★★★
Helene says
January 5, 2019 at 8:03 pmCame out perfectly!
Thank you!
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
January 6, 2019 at 4:59 amOh good to hear! yay!
Lindsey says
March 9, 2019 at 10:19 pmI love everything I have made so far from feastingathome.com! This stew is no exception! Quick and easy, and so tasty!
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
March 10, 2019 at 9:53 amThanks Lindsey! So glad you liked it!
Nancy Horton says
March 12, 2019 at 6:26 amThis was excellent and easy. Great for a quick dinner.
★★★★★
Crystal says
March 13, 2019 at 8:54 amI want to make this today, but I only have bone in split chicken breast. How would you adjust the time? Thanks!!
Sylvia Fountaine says
March 16, 2019 at 5:14 pmAdd 3 minutes?
Theresa says
April 9, 2019 at 4:00 pmAlready a family favorite! Substituted white beans for hominy.
★★★★★
Sylvia Fountaine says
April 9, 2019 at 7:15 pmGreat idea, thanks Teresa!
Ashled says
April 20, 2019 at 1:17 pmIf you use canned hominy, are you supposed to drain it, or add the liquid?
Sylvia Fountaine says
April 20, 2019 at 10:03 pmDrain it!
Gina says
May 11, 2019 at 6:57 pmCan I leave out the chipotle powder. I can’t seem to find any
Sylvia Fountaine says
May 12, 2019 at 8:01 pmYes, of course! If you like smoky flavor, you could a tiny bit of smoked paprika.
Janice White says
May 14, 2019 at 4:16 pmSo gooood! Flavors were excellent! I used semi frozen chicken so I increased the cooking time to 45min. I also added hot sauce to my bowl, but my husband liked it as is.
I will make it again!
★★★★★