Hearty Chicken Posole Verde
A simple chicken posole verde that can be whipped up in 30 minute but has lots of BOLD flavor. This soup is hearty and loaded with mushrooms and shredded chicken!
Have you thawed out from this insane weather yet? A big bowl of warm, cozy, and hearty chicken posole verde is exactly what you need to take the chill right off.The weather in Houston has been insane, to say the least. From Monday to today we’ve experienced an extreme high of 75 degrees as well as a low of 40. Um.. what? Can the weather please make up it’s mind and stick to it. The endless gloominess makes me want to cuddle up under a arm blanket and sip on soup loaded with crushed up tortilla chips every single day of the week.
My mouth is in love. You already know that I live for bold flavors that can usually only be achieved by slow cooking a soup. all. day. long. EXCEPT that this soup doesn’t need anything more than 15 minutes of simmer time. Yes, my friends, you read that right. It’s a quick 30 minute meal that requires you to do minimum prep work and needs only 15 minutes of simmer time — and it will taste like you’ve been cooking it all day long.
Confessioning here that, only after I was done picturing the soup did I realize that this is one of, those soups. The kind that taste like a million and one bucks but the color of the soup is somewhat difficult to sell. But friends, I promise, one sip of this stuff and you’ll be obsessed. The heat, the warmth, the comfort that this soup provides just cannot be replicated.If you’re on the hunt for a comforting, yet light and flavorful meal that will please the entire clan, this in the meal for you. Not only is it loaded with traditional posole verde ingredients like tomatillos and diced green chilies, but they’re in the form of salsa verde so that the soup if quick to prepare and doesn’t require hours of simmering.
Just look at the combination of flavors that go into this soup. I’m using lots of cumin to give things a nice smokey flare along with a jar of salsa verde. The salsa verde usually contains all the flavors we need to spice this entire pot of soup. Tons of tomatillos, lime juice, charred green chilies, onions, and garlic are just some of the goodness inside. I spiced my soup up with a hint of chipotle chili powder, but this is totally optional. And if you’re wondering what the heck hominy is, it’s the stuff that they grind up to make grits! <– thank you Wiki for this very informative little tidbit.
A big dollop of sour cream or sprinkle of cotija cheese is exactly what this soup needs. The sour cream helps cool off the heat from the soup. And if you’ve got little ones at home, you can still make this chicken posole verde, just use milder salsa, and less chili powder, and make sure to remove the seeds and ribs from the poblano. The spice levels are easy to control, so please don’t shy away from this if you aren’t a fan of spicy food! For me, the spice was just enough to wake up my senses and give me a little heat.
This is the perfect meal for my lately way-too-busy weekdays. I love whipping up a batch of this hearty posole verde to keep in the fridge, because like with most soups, this once just tastes better with time. I welcome large bowls of leftover soup for lunchtime. But I’ve gotta be honest, a handful of crushed up tortilla chips tossed in makes this soup extra special. You’ve gotta try it.
This chicken posole verde is totally perfect for your i’m-feeling-under-the-weather-meal but still loaded with seasonings and flavor and toppings (cilantro, lime juice, and cheese, YES PLEASE) to make you feel somewhat normal and still part of the crowd that eats food with flavor. Also, the delicate lime-tomatillo-green chili chicken broth with lots of hominy, sliced mushrooms, and shredded chicken is perfect for when you need a break from the tacos on Taco Tuesdays but still want the same flavors!
Bring on the chilly winter nights, i’ve got posole verde to keep me nice and toasty.
Yield: 6-8 servings
Hearty Chicken Posole Verde
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Total Time
35 minutes
A simple chicken posole verde that can be whipped up in 30 minute but has lots of BOLD flavor. This soup is hearty and loaded with mushrooms and shredded chicken!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken*
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 poblano pepper, remove the seeds and ribs then diced
- 8 ounces baby bella mushroom, sliced*
- 1 tablespoon (3 cloves) minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder (optional)
- 24 ounces salsa verde*
- 5 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 (28 ounce) can hominy, drained and rinsed*
- salt and pepper to taste
Toppings:
- cotija cheese, cilantro, avocados, lime wedges, sliced radishes, crushed up tortilla chips, sour cream, and shredded cheese
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook them for about 3 minutes before adding the poblanos and mushrooms. Continue to sauté the poblanos, onion, and mushroom mixture for 10-12 minutes. You want the mushrooms to brown on both sides and shrink, but do not allow any of the ingredients to burn.
- Season the mushroom mixture with a pinch of salt and black pepper, add the minced garlic, cumin and the chipotle chili powder, if using. Stir to combine, do not allow the seasonings to burn.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add the shredded chicken, salsa verde, chicken broth, and hominy into the dutch oven, stir to combine. Kick the heat back up to medium-high, allow the stew to come to a boil, then reduce to heat to low, cover with a lid, and allow the stew to simmer for 12-15 minutes so all the ingredients heat through. Check for seasonings, add additional salt and pepper as desired. Serve stew with desired toppings.
Notes
- Shredded rotisserie chicken is a great substitute if you don't have any prepared cooked chicken.
- I keep the sliced on my mushrooms thicker because I like a more heartier chicken posole. Feel free to slice them thinner if you don't want them to be as apparent in the stew.
- I found this chicken stew to be just enough spice for us, if you'd like to make this stew a little more mild, leave out the seeds and ribs from the poblano, don't add the chili powder, and use a mild salsa verde. Using cheese and sour cream will also help tame the heat a bit more.
IS THIS A GOOD CHOICE FOR YOU?
*Please note: the nutritional facts calculated are an estimate based on the ingredients i’ve used. If you’d like a more accurate count, please calculate them using the ingredients/brands you’ve used to prepare the recipe. The nutritional facts for this soup are based on 8 servings without any of the toppings.*
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Made this tonight and it’s delicious! I used normal chilli powder in place of the chipotle chilli powder, and 1 green capsicum and 2 jalapenos in place of the poblano pepper as I couldn’t source either of the original items in the town I live in.
Ended up nice and tasty, with a bit of heat to it. I had mine with a squeeze of lime juice and fresh cilantro-I’ll try it with the rest of the toppings next time.