Instant Pot pozole is a hearty, comforting meal that’s easy to prepare and packed with flavor. This classic hominy and chicken stew is made right in your pressure cooker, bringing together bold ingredients like tomatillos, garlic, and tender shredded chicken in every spoonful. It’s a go-to recipe for busy nights when you want something warm and satisfying without a lot of fuss.
Instant Pot pozole verde is a variation of traditional Mexican stew made with green ingredients like tomatillos, poblano chiles, and lime. This version uses chicken in place of pork and cooks everything quickly under pressure, locking in rich flavors. If you’re wondering what makes pozole Instant Pot recipes so popular, it’s the way the Instant Pot softens the hominy and tenderizes the meat in a fraction of the time it takes on the stovetop—while still delivering authentic taste and texture in every bowl.
Content Covered Here
Why We Love This Instant Pot Pozole Verde
- Quicker prep
Our Instant Pot Chicken Pozole recipe is perfect for creating a rich and flavorful dish in a fraction of the time it takes to make a traditional stew. - Perfectly tender pork
This stewed pork should be fork-tender, with plenty of hominy (whole corn kernels that have been soaked in lime juice) and lots of zesty tomatillos. - Verde posole flavor
Posole can be red (rojo) or green (verde), similar to red and green enchilada sauces. This recipe for Instant Pot Chicken Posole Verde uses tomatillos and green chiles to give the soup a green color; it’s a great way to enjoy that same flavor in a different dish.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Tomatillos: or a jar of salsa verde
- Poblano chiles: or jalapenos
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs: can also use pork shoulder or pork butt
- Hominy: feel free to add extra to thicken the consistency
- Chicken broth or chicken stock: if you want more broth in your pozole, feel free to add an extra cup or two of chicken broth
Recipe Variations
- Add some chopped cilantro to the salsa for extra sauce flavor.
- For a bit of spice, add chili powder, diced jalapeno, or serrano pepper to the salsa.
- Use green chili peppers in place of the poblano chiles for more heat in chicken posole.
- Add a can of refried beans to the stew for extra protein and creaminess.
Equipment Used in this Recipe
- Instant Pot
- Spoon
- Bowl
How to Make Pozole Instant Pot Recipe
- Prep the salsa base using your blender.
Combine the tomatillos (or jarred salsa), poblano pepper, lime juice, and garlic in a blender; blend until smooth. - Use the sauté function on your instant pot to brown the chicken.
Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent.
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
When sautéing the chicken, resist the urge to stir the chicken right away. Instead, let it turn golden or brown lightly before stirring. This prevents sticking and adds more flavor when you deglaze the pot.
- Stir in the chicken broth, using the spoon to scrape up any bits of food on the bottom of the pot.
Add tomatillo mixture and hominy; stir to combine.
- Close and lock the lid. Select Manual, HIGH Pressure function and set timer for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, carefully perform a quick pressure release (according to the manufacturer’s instructions) by toggling or pressing the pressure lever or button. Unlock and carefully remove the lid. - Shred the chicken in the pot with two forks or shred it on your cutting board.
Then return the shredded chicken to the pot. Stir in cilantro and ladle the chicken posole into bowls and serve with your favotire toppings.
Serving Suggestions
We recommend serving this pozole Instant Pot recipe with sides of avocado, cilantro, sliced radishes, cheese, or tortilla chips so guests can put their favorite toppings. Serve it with lime wedges on the side.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can. For cooking in a slow cooker, see the recipe below.
You can use any type of green salsa (salsa verde). We like Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde and Frontera Tomatillo Salsa.
Yes, you can use pork instead. You can either slice a roast into 1/2-pound pieces or use pork chops that are whole or in bite-size pieces.
This dish is not spicy. If you want it to be spicier, leave the seeds and membranes of the chiles intact. Or, you can use medium salsa.
This dish will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
When you’re ready to reheat it, simply put it back into the Instant Pot (frozen or thawed) and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
Big fan of spice AND flavor? Check out this cream of jalapeno soup with plenty of veggies and creamy avocado to balance out the jalapenos. Or our carnitas recipe dutch oven for fork-tender Mexican pulled pork that’s perfect in dishes like tacos, burritos, and even casseroles. Plus, both recipes make delicious leftovers!
Get more Instant Pot recipes…
- Ranch Chicken Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Salsa
- Instant Pot Chicken and Potatoes Recipe
- Chicken Tenders Instant Pot
If you tried this Instant Pot pozole recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Instant Pot Pozole
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- large spoon
- bowl
Ingredients
- 1 pound tomatillos husks removed. Rinsed and coarsely chopped – *See Notes for substitutions
- 2 poblano chiles seeded and finely chopped – *See Notes for substitutions
- 2 tablespoons lime juice approx. 1 lime
- 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 onion chopped
- 25 ounces canned hominy drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Combine tomatillos (or jarred salsa), poblano pepper, lime juice, and garlic in a blender; blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Select SAUTE function on Instant Pot. Add olive oil and once it’s hot, add the chicken, salt, oregano, and cumin. brown the chicken for 1-2 minutes on each side.
- Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, until onions are soft and translucent.
- Stir in the chicken broth, using the spoon to scrape up any bits of food on the bottom of the pot. Add tomatillo mixture and hominy; stir to combine.
- Close and lock the lid. Select Manual, HIGH Pressure function and set timer for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, carefully perform a quick release of pressure (according to the manufacturer's instructions).
- Unlock and remove the lid. Using two forks, shred the chicken. *If it's easier, you can remove and shred the chicken on a cutting board, then return it to the Instant Pot.
- Stir in cilantro and ladle the chicken pozole into bowls. Serve with desired toppings.
Notes
- When sautéing the chicken, resist the urge to stir the chicken right away. Instead, let it turn golden or brown lightly before stirring. This prevents sticking and adds more flavor when you deglaze the pot.
- Add some chopped cilantro to the salsa for extra flavor.
- For a bit of spice, add chili powder, diced jalapeno, or serrano pepper to the salsa.
- Use green chili peppers in place of the poblano chiles for more heat in chicken posole.
- Add a can of refried beans to the stew for extra protein and creaminess
- Instant Pot Posole will be kept in the fridge for 4-5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- When you’re ready to reheat it, simply put it back into the Instant Pot (frozen or thawed) and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Tomatillos: If you are unable to find tomatillos, substitute with 2 cups of salsa verde (green salsa)
- Poblanos: Instead of 2 poblano chiles, you may substitute with 1 jalapeno or 1 Anaheim chile.
- Omit olive oil, and instead of boneless skinless thighs, use skinless bone-in thighs.
- Add all ingredients except cilantro to the slow cooker pot. Place lid on and set to slow cook for 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
- Transfer chicken to a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the meat, then return it to the pot. Stir in cilantro, and let the pozole sit for 30 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve.
Nutrition
Save This Recipe!
Enter your email below, and we'll send the recipe straight to your inbox.
Previous
Tatyana says
So good!
Kechi says
Never heard of this in my life but I want it! So hearty and tasty!