Serves a Crowd

Green Chile & Chicken Posole Soup

by:
July 27, 2011
4
15 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Prep time 3 hours 30 minutes
  • Cook time 4 hours 30 minutes
  • Serves 8
Author Notes

I use mild green Poblano chili peppers for this soup. Eventually on the vine they turn red and when they do, they become very HOT. The green ones are relatively mild. All the ingredients are very fresh. But...you can use canned posole and canned peppers. But why? The soup is very simple to make and all the steps are easy. Shortcuts will greatly sacrifice the taste. The extra time to make freshly cooked posole and freshly roasted peppers is well worth the effort. - dymnyno —dymnyno

Test Kitchen Notes

WHO: Dymnyno is a winery cook and vintner in the Napa Valley.
WHAT: A nourishing roasted poblano soup with minimal distraction.
HOW: Soak dried hominy, char and peel chiles, simmer, puree, and -- most importantly -- garnish.
WHY WE LOVE IT: Dymnyno stays focused here, and each ingredient shines. Chewy hominy and crunchy cabbage shore up the spicy broth while lime and oregano do a tango. —Food52

Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds green Poblano chili peppers
  • 1 pound chicken breast, roasted or bbq'd
  • 2 cups posole (Rancho Gordo is my favorite)
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 large bunch of fresh oregano
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1/2 head of Napa cabbage, shredded
  • 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges
  • salt to taste
Directions
  1. Soak the posole for at least 3 hours or overnight. Add 10 cups of water and about 3 or 4 cloves of peeled garlic and cook over medium heat for about 3 hours or until tender to the taste. Watch carefully as it is cooking and add more water as needed.
  2. Roast the Poblano peppers over a gas flame, under a broiler or easiest of all , on the BBQ. After all sides are blackened, cover them in a bowl or place in a plastic bag or paper bag. Cool and the skins will slip off effortlessly. Remove the stem and the seeds.
  3. Saute the onions in a little bit of olive oil. Roast the chicken breasts. (or BBQ them) Shred the chicken.
  4. In a blender, put the sauteed onions, the garlic cloves, about a third to half of the cooked posole, 3 tablespoons of fresh oregano, the peppers and 4 cups of the chicken stock and blend until smooth. (you may have to do a couple batches)
  5. Pour the blended mixture into the pot with the remaining posole and add the shredded chicken and the remaining 2 cups of chicken stock and simmer for at least an hour. If the soup seems too thick, add some more chicken stock or water.
  6. Shred the Napa cabbage and strip the leaves off the oregano. To serve the soup, ladle into soup bowls, put a small mound of cabbage on top and garnish with oregano. Serve with a wedge of fresh lime.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

68 Reviews

Deborah March 7, 2024
Delicious and freezes well.
eatchimac March 30, 2021
Oh, I didn’t try Green Chile & Chicken Posole Soup Recipe. Now I can make it at home. So glad for sharing this recipe Now I can make it at home. It looks delicious. Now I can share your blog with my friend circle. I am so glad after seeing your recipe, Thanks for sharing this recipe. Food is one of the biggest topics of conversation online and offline. Keep it up, I am waiting for your next recipe!
https://eatchimac.com/
cosmiccook October 1, 2020
Perfect timing!!!! I have 1/2 bag of Rancho Gordo Pozole left, Mexican oregano, already roasted, peeled hatch chilies & homemade chicken stock! That Pozole takes a LONG time to cook!
judy July 20, 2020
I have been making this basic recipe for decades. I poach chicken thighs, no skin but bone in in chicken stock. Then I have a wonderful base for the soup. Let teh chicken cool, then tear it up and addd with the rest of the ingredients. I have used both dried pose and canned hominy. I generally go with the canned hominy now. I like the versions that are canned with lime. Not the citrus, but the lime used to gt the skins of the kernels of hominy. Adds more authentic flavor, iMHO. But this is an amazing dish. don't get too stressed about the ingredients. It is an easy dish to pull together. I also note that there are two types of oregano floating around here in the US: A Turkish or European version, and Mexican Oregano. Certainly go with the Mexican one if you can. (Just like basil and Thai basil have to very different flavor profiles). Can be found in Mexican food sections in those till bags of spices--and Penzy's sells a nice version. Smell them side-by-side, and you will notice the difference. But enjoy this soup either way. It is delicious. According to my MIL it is not supposed to be spicy, but she likes to add a kick of habanero to the pot!
Iamfullyb December 15, 2018
I just made this and it was amazingly delicious! I followed the recipe exactly except that my local Mexican grocery store either didn’t understand what I wanted or I didn’t really know how to say what I wanted, so I ended up with canned hominem. I really wanted to try to cook the hominey from dried, but it was not to be. Could someone give me an estimate of how much two cups of dried pozole equals in canned hominey? I’ll definitely make this again!
katemcgill November 20, 2018
I have made this soup so many times and just LOVE it! It is the perfect winter soup packed with flavor. I always have used canned hominy and it tastes great. I throw in diced avo and cilantro and I am one happy camper.
Amanda November 25, 2017
We love this recipe. I've used canned hominy both times and one day I'll try the posole from scratch...one day. This is such a good, comforting meal with fresh flour tortillas to dip in the soup. I finish off with a dolop of sour cream (or greek yogurt) and chopped cilantro...delish.
Megan November 22, 2016
Do I still need to soak it overnight? Should I make us a day ahead, or is it better cooked and eaten same day?
starvingfoodist March 18, 2016
UPDATE: Made this for the second time after a first attempt a year ago and it was *so* lovely. A rich chicken stock as the base I think was a huge factor, and I used that to poach the chicken breast, rather than roasting or grilling. Combined with the roasted peppers, lightly caramelized onions and fresh oregano and lime, it was packed with flavor. The only minor tweaks I made were punching up the heat with a bit of cayenne and letting the shredded cabbage simmer in the broth. Wonderfully comforting dish!
Darlene R. November 23, 2015
Tried this recipe using all the hominy in the blender and added cilantro, it was delicious. Guests, guessed it to be creamed soup it was so hearty. The chicken breasts make this a very calorie careful meal so long as one is careful with the condiments. I preferred, a pinch of cojita cheese, two small cuts of avocado, lime and cabbage. Yum!!!
Suzanna September 29, 2015
People really! Pozole, posole, it doesn't matter, we're just cooking here! Trying to enjoy experimenting with other cooks recipes. If you want to make it, fine, if not, then don't! This should be fun, educational and enjoyable for everyone! I'm finished...(-:
Carol September 28, 2015
I didn't try it yet but it sounds like the BOMB!!!!!!!!!!! Ya gatta love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jan June 8, 2015
I loved this soup! The store only had two Poblano chiles so I ended up with Anaheim instead. My parents LOVED this soup. It's a keeper ;)
Heather February 27, 2015
Lovely dish; thank you. I admit to using canned hominy/posole, but I so loved this, the next time I will go for un-canned. This will be a repeated way to enjoy our roast chicken. These fresh, simple ingredients come together deliciously.
LadyVigilant February 6, 2015
I made this last night for a friend of mine from Mexico. She raved on and on about it and called me this morning telling me that every time she thinks of my soup that her mouth waters and wants me to make it for her sister when she visits from Mexico. I did add 2 serrano peppers and simmered the chicken breasts in water and used that as part of the broth. So very grateful for this award winning recipe!
Rodrigo January 9, 2015
This is by no means pozole (which is spelled with a z), and no Mexican would ever spoil Poblano chillies like that!
aargersi January 9, 2015
Rodrigo while you are certainly entitled to your opinion, here at Food52 we maintain a positive and supportive community where constructive criticism and suggestions are welcome but we try to steer away from blanket judgment or assuming that our personal tastes should be reflected in every recipe. I would be willing to bet that there has been a roasted and blended poblano served in Mexico, and that it was as delicious as this soup is!!! I see that you are a new user here and I hope that you get years of enjoyment, education, and friendship from Food52!!!
dymnyno January 9, 2015
Rodrigo, The dish made with hominy is called pozole in Mexico, but it is usually spelled posole in the US. I have spent very little time in Mexico and have spent a lot of time in New Mexico so that is one of the reasons I call it posole. Please don't be offended!
Jacob November 20, 2014
The recipe calls for 3-4 garlic cloves and the instructions tell you to cook the posole with the 3-4 garlic cloves. Do you take the garlic out of the posole and put it in the blender or do you put 3-4 more cloves in the blender?
dymnyno November 20, 2014
Put the same garlic cloves that have been cooking in the soup into the blender. They are pretty easy to pick out of the soup. If not, I would suggest a breath mint after dinner.
slcox@cox.net March 30, 2014
I've made this twice. I wouldn't change a thing. Absolutely delish. AND, had enough leftover of first batch to freeze in foodsaver bag and it was even better. Anything pozole is wonderful to me!
ksschapp March 29, 2014
I made this soup a couple of months ago and had enough to freeze. After thawing out a quart, I have to say it was even better. My next batch will be doubled, so I can freeze more :)
SopeGal January 16, 2014
Pozole is not hominy - pozole is the final product.
dymnyno January 16, 2014
Please read further down the comments and see explanation by Rancho Gordo.