Description
This Red Chicken Pozole Soup is a hearty and flavorful Mexican stew featuring tender shredded chicken, hominy, and a rich red chile broth made from guajillo and ancho chiles. It is topped with fresh garnishes like cabbage, radishes, avocado, and lime, offering a perfect balance of smoky, tangy, and savory tastes in every comforting bowl.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken thighs (bone-in, skin removed)
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons salt (divided)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 3 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 6 cups chicken stock (plus more for thinning if needed)
- 1 large can (25 oz) white hominy, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 lime, juiced
Garnishes
- Shredded cabbage
- Diced radishes
- Diced avocado
- Lime wedges
- Chopped cilantro
- Tortilla chips
Instructions
- Cook the chicken: In a large pot, combine chicken thighs, quartered onion, peeled garlic cloves, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25–30 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked through. Remove chicken from pot, let cool, and shred the meat. Strain the cooking liquid and reserve as broth.
- Prepare the chiles: Toast the dried guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1–2 minutes until aromatic, being careful not to burn them. Place toasted chiles in a bowl and soak in hot water for 15 minutes to soften.
- Make the chile sauce: Blend the softened chiles along with 1 cup of the chicken stock, cumin, oregano, and lime juice until smooth. Strain this mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove skins and seeds for a smooth sauce.
- Cook the sauce: Heat olive oil in the large pot over medium heat. Add the strained chile sauce and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to develop flavor and remove raw taste.
- Simmer the soup: Stir in the reserved broth, the remaining chicken stock, and the drained hominy. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook to marry the flavors together.
- Add shredded chicken: Return shredded chicken to the pot and simmer for an additional 15–20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding the remaining salt as needed.
- Serve: Ladle the hot pozole into bowls and garnish with shredded cabbage, diced radishes, avocado, lime wedges, chopped cilantro, and tortilla chips for added texture and freshness.
Notes
- You can use boneless chicken thighs for easier shredding, but bone-in adds more flavor.
- Adjust the amount of chiles for desired spice level; remove seeds to reduce heat.
- If the soup is too thick, add more chicken stock or water to thin it out.
- For a smokier flavor, lightly toast the chiles before soaking.
- Leftover pozole tastes great and reheats well, making it perfect for meal prep.
