Easy Instantpot Chicken Posole Verde

Easy chicken posole verde soup is made in the instantpot and saves a ton of time. It's also a healthy and delicious Mexican soup everyone will love!

The weather in Vancouver has been cool and rainy. While Julian and I wanted to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, we also were feeling a comforting soup. Enter this awesome Mexican soup! A family friend of ours used to make this for me often, and it is one of my favorites. The chicken broth is soothing with shredded chicken, and the heat from the green chiles in the broth make it a perfect soup for this time of year!

What is Chicken Posole Verde?

Also referred to as chicken pozole verde, it is a traditional Mexican stew made with hominy and meat. The meat used is usually chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or pork. It is commonly garnished with tortilla chips, shredded cabbage, chile peppers, radishes, avocado, fresh cilantro, or lime wedges. The soup gets its green color from the various chiles and spices used to make the broth. You can also make pozole rojo, which uses different chiles and spices to create a red broth. While this Mexican stew is traditionally made on the stove top, I have used my instant pot for this recipe to help save some time in preparing this meal.

How to Make Easy Chicken Posole Verde in the Instantpot

While the full recipe instructions are available below, here are some tips to consider when making this delicious Mexican soup!

• First, we will make our salsa verde to add to the broth of our soup. In a large blender or food processor, we will blend together fresh tomatillos, poblano peppers, jalapeno peppers, a large handful of fresh cilantro, lime juice, garlic cloves, white onion, and fresh oregano. An alternative to fresh oregano that you could use is Mexican oregano, which has more citrus undertones to it than Mediterranean oregano. This will pair better with our chilis and spices.
• Next, we will put our soup together in the instant pot! Place your skinless, boneless chicken breast in the instant pot. Sprinkle your ground cumin over the chicken. Next, add your white hominy, unsalted chicken stock, and green sauce that you prepared earlier. Give it a little stir and close the instant pot. Set your instant pot to twenty minutes on high pressure. Once the cooking time is complete, use the quick-release method to release the pressure. Open the pressure cooker and give the soup a stir. Shred your chicken apart and give your soup a taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Now you are ready to enjoy your soup!

How to Garnish my Soup

One thing I love about this easy chicken posole verde recipe in the instantpot is how you can customize your meal with fresh garnishes! Here are some tips to create the best bowl of green pozole.

Scoop the soup into your soup bowl, and now start adding your garnishes. A few of my favorites include:

• Light sour cream
• Red onion
• Shredded iceberg lettuce or cabbage
• Sliced avocado

If you are serving this soup for a crowd, I recommend preparing your garnishes and placing them on a cutting board. Then, you can let everyone pick their own garnishes for this comforting Mexican stew!

Frequently Asked Questions About Mexican Posole

What is hominy? Hominy is produced from dried maize kernels that have been treated with an alkali solution. Hearty hominy looks like puffed whole corn kernels. It is a staple in Mexican cuisine and can even be used to make tortillas!

Can I make posole with something other than chicken? Of course! There are many variations of pozole. However, in authentic Mexican food the main ingredients remain consistent - either chicken or pork is used for posole.

Do I have to have an Instant Pot to make this recipe? No! You could prepare this in a large Dutch oven. It will take a little longer and will require you to be more involved while the soup cooks. You will still prepare your salsa verde as in the previous recipe. Then you will place your chicken, cumin, hominy, chicken broth, and green sauce into the pot. Bring to a boil and stir. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for approximately 45 minutes, until the chicken pulls apart easily and hominy is cooked through. I love this easy dish for all the different ways you can prepare it!

Can I make posole in my slow cooker? While I have not tried this method myself, I think this would definitely work! I recommend cooking the chicken, cumin, broth, and green sauce in the slow cooker on low heat for approximately six hours. Then stir in the hominy and cook for one to two more hours. Then shred your chicken, scoop into bowls, garnish and enjoy!

Looking for More Great Recipes?

This chicken posole verde recipe is a Mexican classic. If you enjoyed this recipe and are looking for more Mexican inspired dishes, check out my recipe roundup of my Best Cinco de Mayo Recipes!

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