Description
Red Chicken Pozole Soup is a traditional Mexican stew featuring tender shredded chicken simmered in a rich, smoky red chile broth with hominy. This hearty and comforting soup is garnished with fresh cabbage, radishes, avocado, cilantro, lime wedges, and crunchy tortilla chips for a delightful blend of flavors and textures, perfect for warming up any day.
Ingredients
Scale
Soup Base
- 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
- 6 cups chicken stock (plus more for thinning if needed)
- 1 large can (25 oz) white hominy, drained and rinsed
Chile Sauce
- 6 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 3 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
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, whole garlic cloves, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Cover the ingredients with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let it simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked and tender. Remove chicken from the pot, cool slightly, and shred the meat. Strain and reserve the broth for later use.
- Prepare the Chiles: Toast the guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant, being careful not to burn them. Place the toasted chiles in a bowl and soak them in hot water for 15 minutes to soften.
- Make the Chile Sauce: Drain the softened chiles and blend them with 1 cup of chicken stock, cumin, oregano, and lime juice until smooth. Strain the blended sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove any solids, ensuring a smooth, flavorful sauce.
- Cook the Sauce: Heat olive oil in the same pot over medium heat. Add the strained chile sauce and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, stir in the reserved broth from the chicken, the remaining chicken stock, and the drained hominy. Let the soup simmer gently to combine the flavors.
- Combine Chicken and Simmer: Add the shredded chicken back into the pot and continue simmering for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding the remaining teaspoon of salt as needed.
- Serve and Garnish: Ladle the hot red chicken pozole into bowls and serve topped with shredded cabbage, diced radishes, avocado, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and crunchy tortilla chips for a fresh and vibrant finish.
Notes
- Removing the skin from chicken thighs keeps the soup lighter but still flavorful.
- To toast chiles, watch closely as they can burn quickly and become bitter.
- If you prefer a thinner soup, add additional chicken stock or water as needed during simmering.
- Garnishes are key to balancing the rich and smoky flavors; feel free to customize according to taste.
- Leftover pozole can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheated gently on the stovetop.
