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This easy chicken pozole has all the rich, comforting flavors of traditional pozole rojo – savory red chile broth, tender shredded chicken, and hearty hominy – but with the convenience of a slow cooker. It’s the perfect cozy meal for family dinners, hosting, or even a potluck since it can stay warm and ready to serve.
If you love this traditional Mexican dish, then you’ve got to try these other versions – pozole rojo, pozole verde, pozole blanco, and Instant Pot pozole!
A Note from Isabel
Pozole has always been one of those dishes that instantly takes me back to family gatherings and holidays. My mom’s pozole rojo, usually made with pork, was rich, comforting, and always the star of the table.
For me, the real magic of pozole is in the sauce – the deep, flavorful broth made from dried chiles. That combination of earthy, smoky, and slightly sweet flavors gives the soup its heart and soul. In this slow cooker version, I use my homemade red enchilada sauce (packed with dried chiles and a touch of Mexican chocolate) to recreate that same authentic depth of flavor.
This dish is pure comfort and nostalgia for me. And the best part? It all comes together with almost no hands-on time, so I can enjoy a bowl of pozole even on busy weeknights.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken breast: Traditional red pozole is made with beef or pork, but I used chicken here for a lighter twist. You could also use boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- Red enchilada sauce: The key ingredient in this pozole is my authentic red enchilada sauce. It’s made from dried chiles, garlic, tomato, and Mexican chocolate that pack the broth with authentic flavors.
- Spices: Chili powder, cumin, garlic, and salt for warmth and savoriness.
- Hominy: You’ll need two large cans of white hominy for this recipe. Yellow hominy also works in a pinch. Make sure to rinse and drain the hominy before stirring it into the pozole.
- Oregano: Adds that signature pozole aroma and flavor. It’s used both in the stew and as a garnish. I always recommend Mexican oregano here, but regular oregano also works in a pinch.
- Toppings: Pozole wouldn’t be complete without all the delicious toppings like shredded cabbage, lime wedges, radishes, diced onions, and chopped cilantro.
(This is an overview of the key ingredients I used and why. See the recipe card below for the full recipe.)
How to Make Easy Chicken Pozole
Load the slow cooker. Add chicken, broth, enchilada sauce, shallot, chili powder, garlic, cumin, and salt. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 5 ½ hours or high for 3 ½ hours.
Shred. Remove the chicken from the pot and shred it with two forks.
Add hominy. Stir the chicken back in along with the hominy and oregano. Cook for another 30 minutes.
Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with cabbage, radishes, cilantro, lime juice, and your favorite garnishes.
Recipe Tips
- Shortcut. If you absolutely don’t have time to make my homemade authentic sauce, you can use your favorite store-bought enchilada sauce. But a word of caution – I don’t recommend it. It truly doesn’t have the same depth of flavor and just isn’t as tasty as the real stuff. If you’re hesitant to make enchilada sauce just for this recipe, I suggest making a double or even triple batch and storing it in the freezer so you can use it again in future recipes like my chicken enchiladas, chicken enchilada soup, or enchilada meatballs.
- Swap the protein. You can use beef chuck roast or pork shoulder for a heartier and more traditional taste.
- Use different hominy. White is classic, but yellow hominy works fine if that’s what you can find.
- Spice it up. Add an extra dried chile de árbol or two to the sauce for more heat.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your slow cooker posole with warm corn tortillas, bolillo bread, or tortilla chips for the full authentic experience. You can also pair it with warm traditional beverages like atole or champurrado during the colder months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Red pozole features a rich red chile broth made from dried chiles like guajillo, ancho, pasilla, or árbol, and usually features proteins like beef or pork. Green pozole features a more tangy broth made from ingredients like tomatillos, cilantro, jalapeños, and usually features chicken. Both are traditional Mexican stews that include hominy and are topped with shredded cabbage, lime juice, onions, radishes, and oregano.
You can adjust the spice level by adjusting the amount of árbol chiles used in the red enchilada sauce. For a milder pozole, you can omit them completely, or for a spicier version, you can add an extra 1-2.
I recommend using canned hominy for extra convenience; plus, hominy from scratch can be hard to make and find at most grocery stores.
More Easy Mexican Recipes
Easy Chicken Pozole
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 batch authentic red enchilada sauce (about 2 cups)
- ½ small yellow onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 2 (25-ounce) cans white hominy, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
- For topping: thinly shredded cabbage, cilantro, diced onions, lime wedges, sliced radishes, Mexican oregano
Instructions
- Add the chicken, broth, enchilada sauce, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and salt to a large slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook for 5 ½ hours on LOW or 3 ½ hours on HIGH.
- Transfer the chicken onto a large plate or cutting board using a slotted spoon, and shred with two forks.
- Add the shredded chicken back to the slow cooker along with the hominy and oregano. Cover and cook for another 30 minutes.
- Serve the posole in bowls with lime juice, radishes, cilantro, finely shredded cabbage and other toppings.
Notes
- Storing and reheating: Store any leftover pozole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. To reheat, warm it on the stove over medium heat until hot, or microwave individual portions until warmed through. Pozole also freezes well. Just transfer it to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken thighs also work.
- Enchilada sauce: If you absolutely don’t have time to make my homemade authentic sauce, you can use your favorite store-bought enchilada sauce. But a word of caution – I don’t recommend it. It truly doesn’t have the same depth of flavor and just isn’t as tasty as the real stuff.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
This post was originally published in December 2016 and has been updated with new photos and more helpful tips.
My very first time making pozole and it was a huge success, love the enchilada sauce recipe! I did however use chicken thighs instead of breast…
Best part was that all ingredients were simple to find st my local grocery store, and the recipe was simple yet had a lot of flavor !!
Thanks, Maria! The enchilada sauce is definitely the key 🙂
When you say to put in the hominy and shredded chicken for another 30 minutes, is that on low or high?
Just curious Isabel do you think it would work if I leave all the ingredients in at the same time including the hominy and just increase the cooking time on low? Or will it overcook hominy?
Hi Michael, I think if you’re using cooked hominy, it will overcook it and may get a little mushy. I’d recommend adding it in later.
I’m from South Africa, where hominy is called samp and traditionally cooked with beans (omnonmon – a childhood favourite). I only know that it’s the same thing because a friend ordered Pasole when I was visiting her in Tennessee. It’s difficult to find in England, but I managed to buy a bag of the dried stuff. My question is, would you have to cook this first if you’re not using canned hominy? I’ve just been given a slow cooker & I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Yes, this recipe calls for cooked hominy.
This was my first time making posole and I’m really happy I found your recipe. I recently moved away from my family and it wasn’t until moving away that I realized I had taken for granted the availability of authentic food. I grew up with my dad’s family making it during the holidays and just assumed I would always have it!
This was amazing! I made this chicken posole with your red enchilada sauce recipe and I don’t think I’m ever buying enchilada sauce again! It was so easy to make! I don’t believe the standard grocery chain will have the ingredients for making the sauce, but I did find them all at a small latin market in my city.
My husband and I love this recipe! This is a keeper! Thank you!
Hi! If we opt to use pork instead of chicken, do you recommend that we use the same amount of time in the slow cooker as outlined in your recipe? Going to make this next weekend 🙂 Thank you!
Hi Valerie, yes, I would use the same amount of chicken instead of pork.
How much enchilada sauce do I use if I use the canned sauce? Thank you
Hi Liz! About 2 1/2 cups of enchilada sauce.
So one batch as listed on your recipe is how much? Thanks can’t wait to make it!
Hi Cathy! This recipe makes 8 servings!
I made this last night. My first posole. It was delicious! My family loved it! I, too, used canned enchilada sauce. I added some chipotle chili powder for a little kick! Needless to say this recipe will be a regular for us! Thank you! (This is my first comment ever-so you know it was good!)
Aw, thank you so much, Barbara! Posole is one of my favorite things, especially when it’s in the slow cooker. Super easy! And I’m so happy I was your first ever comment 🙂 That makes me so happy.
This is the first time ever that i write a review for a recipe. This was just that good. I’ve made this 2 times now. I tweaked the recipe a bit. I added some onion to the sauce, and i strained the sauce before adding it to the pot. other than that i followed your recipe completely. I’m in love with this pozole. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much, Lupita! I’m so glad you liked it!
I made it last night my family loved it.Im going to try it with pork this weekend my husband wants to compare. Thank you.
I’m so happy to hear that, Yvonne! 🙂
When you say you are going to use pork, what exactly to I buy! If I were to use beef what piece of meat do Inuse? How do you cook the pork and meat for the Pozole this sounds so good!
Haha, so many options! I know what you mean, it can be confusing. So for pork, I suggest using pork shoulder. For beef, I suggest using beef shank or short rib if you can. And I would cook it just like the chicken in the slow cooker – cut it into chunks and throw it in with the other stuff.