Crock Pot Chicken Posole Stew

Hi! I’m Amy Green, author of Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free, a blog dedicated to fabulous food made a little healthier.

I struggled with my weight my entire life, and after eliminating refined sugars and gluten from my diet I’ve been able to maintain a 60+ pound weight loss for the past six years. I believe that there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to food and that everyone has to figure out what works best for them. Much of what I cook, including this Posole, is naturally sugar-free and gluten-free, so my blog contains so many recipes that will work for anyone.

There are few things my husband loves more than coming home from a long day at work to a house that smells delicious. And, there are few things that I love more than a delicious, simple, inexpensive meal with little clean-up.

This Chicken Posole Stew makes both of us very happy. In fact, the first time I made it I put everything together in 15 minutes, needing only a few prep dishes. That night, Joe got home from work, changed his clothes, and then went right for the CrockPot to get a taste of what smelled so good. He even called me the next day from work requesting that we eat leftover Posole for dinner.

Posole is a Mexican stew, originally made with pork.

You can make Posole a million different ways but the one constant ingredient is hominy, which is just dried corn that has been soaked until the hull can be removed. Hominy gives the stew a rich corn tortilla flavor and makes it satisfying. Hominy is either white or yellow and can usually be found in the canned vegetable section of your grocery store. I paid $0.75 a can.

Chicken Posole Stew
serves 4 – 6

For the stew:

2 bone-in chicken breasts, skin removed
2 (15 oz.) cans white hominy, rinsed and drained
3 cups good quality chicken stock
2 (14.5 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
3 scallions, both green and white parts, sliced thinly
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons light ancho chili powder
1 ½ teaspoons Mexican oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Optional toppings:
Chopped cilantro
Queso Fresco or other good quality Mexican cheese (Monterrey jack would work)
Shredded radishes (Use the large holes on your box grater)
Avocado
Sour cream
Tortilla chips

Place chicken breasts in the bottom of the CrockPot. Put remaining ingredients in and stir the top to mix in spices. Cover and cook on low for 5 – 6 hours, or until chicken and carrots are cooked through and tender. Remove chicken from CrockPot and shred with two forks. Return chicken to CrockPot, stir to combine. Serve with toppings if desired.

Enjoy!
You can top this stew with anything you’d put on a tortilla soup. Some of my favorites include:

• Chopped cilantro
• Queso Fresco (a crumbly Mexican cheese that isn’t greasy)
• Shredded radishes for a crispy, spicy crunch
• Avocado
• Sour cream
• Tortilla chips

Sometimes breast meat cooked in the CrockPot can get a little dry. A favorite trick of mine whenever I cook any meat is to salt it with about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt several hours before cooking – or even overnight. This helps the meat stay really nice and moist. Don’t worry about the meat being too salty. That won’t happen.

What are your favorite meals to make in the CrockPot? Let’s talk about it.