Chicken soup gets a flavorful twist with classic Mexican ingredients like smoky chipotle peppers, chewy hominy and fresh lime juice.
If you’ve been reading this blog awhile or have visited my About Page, you probably know that I was exposed to authentic Mexican food at a very early age. Although I only lived in Tucson the first six months of my life, we traveled back almost every spring break of my childhood. While the rest of Michigan was at Disney World, we were relaxing in the desert avoiding the long lines and over priced junk food. I will forever be grateful.
During our week in Arizona, my parents would take us on a day trip to Nogales, Mexico located an hour and a half south of Tucson. From the minute we crossed the border, the smell of homemade corn tortillas, fresh cilantro and warm spices would fill the air. It was completely intoxicating and was the start of my lifelong love affair with authentic Mexican food.
This Mexican Chicken Posole Soup is a weeknight version of the classic dish. To save time, I use rotisserie chicken but any leftover shredded meat would work including pork or even beef. My husband loves carrots so I tend to add them to every soup but you could swap out for zucchini or skip if you don’t have on hand.
Whatever you do, take 15 minutes and whip up a batch of Smoky Corn Tortilla Chips to serve along side. We also enjoyed a green cabbage version of my Mexican Slaw with Honey Lime Vinaigrette.
Your spoon is waiting.
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 1 red pepper seeded and diced
- 3 cloves garlic grated
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 in chipotle peppers adobo seeded and minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 8 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 12 ounces shredded cooked chicken breast rotisserie works well
- 14 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 14 ounce can hominy - drained
- 4.25 ounce can diced green chilis drained
- 1 juice of lime
- sliced radishes diced scallions and minced cilantro - optional garnish to serve
- Smoky Baked Corn Tortilla Chips - to serve
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Heat a large soup pot over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Add onion, carrots, red pepper, garlic and salt. Cook until veggies begin to soften, 3-4 minutes.
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Stir in chipotle peppers, smoked paprika and pepper.
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Pour in chicken broth, shredded chicken, diced tomatoes, hominy, green chilis and lime juice. Bring to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes.
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Garnish with sliced radishes, diced scallions and minced cilantro. Serve with Smoky Baked Corn Tortilla Chips.
If you like foods on the mild side, reduce the chipotle peppers to one.
i love this sort of chicken , today i try to make it
How did it turn out?
I’ve made this several times and each time I wonder why in the world I don’t make it more. Thanks so much for this super yummy and easy recipe Liz!
Oh my gosh thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoy it!!
I’m extremely inspired with your writing skills and also with the format in your weblog.
Is that this a paid theme or did you customize
Thank you so much! It’s a custom theme through Shay Bocks!
Your soup looks beautiful and it certainly must be delicious and nutritious but it has nothing to do with poZole. In my personal opinion, even when it is an interpretation, it should have some resemblance to the original dish. If you ever want the real deal, let me know and I can give you the recipe and some advice. It’s not my intention to offend, but poZole is one of the national dishes of my country and I don’t like the world thinking it is something that it’s not.
I’m so sorry I offended you Maria! I would love to have your recipe if you don’t mind sharing it!
My neighbor, who is from Mexico, makes pasole all the time, usually with beef or pork. So when I saw this I decided to try it, and it’s delicious! The only difference I made was we topped it with shredded cabbage, along with the other toppings and it added a whole new dimension to it. I wish I could post a picture, it was beautiful, too!
That sounds out of this world Kate!!
BTW Kate if you’re on instagram take a photo and tag me! @TheLemonBowl
All the recipes I’ve seen for posole use pork, but I really like the sound of this soup. I rarely make or eat soup, but may have to try this.
You could certainly add pork too!
This is more of a caldo(soup, chicken soup) than posole. Posole doesn’t have all those vegatables, it’s just the chicken with harminy (corn) and you eat it with toritillas, lettuce/cabbage, and raddish. Then there is menudo, which is almost the same (different meat) and some don’t put the hominy in.
Yes this is my interpretation of it.. I like to add vegetables to almost everything to bulk up the nutrition. :)
My gosh, this looks like a fantastic recipe! I love all the tex-mex I get down here, but I’m always looking for authentic Mexican takes on great dishes. Can’t wait to try this one!
Thank you so much!! Let me know what you think!
I lived in Zihuatanejo for 7 years and every Thursday night was posole night. Some restaurants only opened on Thursday and only served posole. I always went with the pork and green chile then added all the fixings including avocado. I really appreciate your nutritional information as I’m on a sodium restricted diet. Great post, love your blog.
Thank you so much for your nice words!
What a beautiful and delicious sounding soup! I love a good soup for dinner and this one looks totally filling!!
You and me both – I love filling soups!!
I love how you can customize this soup to whatever you like. This looks delicious!
I am all about customization :)
Nice soup recipe. Thank you, Liz. Have a Great Day!
Thanks Liz – you too!!
This is a bowl of gorgeous goodness!
You eat with your eyes right?? :)
My best friend is from AZ so I have had my fair share of exposure to really good Mexican food! It is shockingly hard to find here in NYC so if I want it, I really have to make it myself. This soup looks so good. You can almost feel the rich flavor combing out of it!
I hear you on having to make it yourself!! For me, it’s hard to take kids to restaurants these days so I always end up just cooking at home instead. :)
I love, love, love posole! Can’t wait to try this. Thanks, Liz!
I hope you like it Bri!!
I had posole soup at a restaurant in Chicago recently and fell in love. It really is one of the best soups out there! I am keeping this recipe and will be making it soon!
Isn’t it the best?? Let me know if you try it!
Love all the fun toppings in this soup! I think my kids would have fun with this, assembling their own soup bowls.
Yes!!! It’s so fun to customize!!
I love Posole! Those spring trips sound awesome.
If you left out the hominy is it paleo? I was trying to decide!
Yes, without the hominy and corn chips, it would be Paleo but the hominy is what makes it! ;)
Loving all the flavors here!!! Perfect for Cinco De Mayo!!!!!
It’s funny I realized it was good timing for cinco!!
LOVE posole and all of the colorful veggie goodness in here.
Thank you my dear!!
Greetings from Buffalo!
Great recipe.
Here in Buffalo, you can only get chain restaurant Mexican food. Nothing too authentic here. Not so fresh either.
Nice color too. Going to give this a try.
I hope you try it Tom! So good and easy!
We do too love Mexican food, however, I don’t cook it enough. I love adobo anything so I need to start cooking more with it. Great soup, and I love that you used already prepared chicken to speed up the process :-)
Oh I love adobo too! So much flavor!
Total comfort food, I love it!
It could have used a little guac on the side. ;)
This soup has my name written all over it! ***SLURP***
Yes it does my dear!
Authentic mexican food is way different than Tex-Mex but if you put the flavors down in front of me I will LOVE it. I’m a sucker for anything mexican food.
Oh man you and me both!!
I have never tried hominy – but I ALWAYS see it on “Chopped” and I have always wondered what on earth it is, but have had no idea what to use it in…and now I have an idea! I love any kind of Mexican soup and yours look deeelish Liz! As always :) Pinned!
ahaha chopped!!! I could see it there!!