Description
Red Chicken Pozole Soup is a warming Mexican stew featuring tender shredded chicken simmered in a rich and flavorful broth with dried guajillo and ancho chiles, hominy, and a blend of spices. Garnished with fresh cabbage, radishes, avocado, cilantro, and lime wedges, this hearty soup offers layers of flavor and a comforting, satisfying meal.
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
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 cups chicken stock (plus more for thinning if needed)
- 1 large can (25 oz) white hominy, drained and rinsed
Chiles and Seasoning
- 6 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 3 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 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 the chicken thighs, quartered onion, peeled garlic cloves, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon of salt, and black pepper. Cover the ingredients with water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove the chicken from the pot, allow it to cool enough to handle, then shred the meat. Strain the broth to remove solids and reserve it for later use.
- Toast and Soak Chiles: Heat a dry skillet over medium heat and toast the guajillo and ancho chiles for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant, taking care not to burn them. Once toasted, place the chiles in hot water and let them soak for 15 minutes until they soften.
- Prepare Chile Sauce: Drain the softened chiles and transfer them to a blender. Add 1 cup of chicken stock, cumin, oregano, and lime juice. Blend the mixture until smooth, then strain it through a fine mesh sieve to remove any remaining solids, yielding a smooth chile sauce.
- Cook the Chile Sauce: In the same pot used earlier, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the strained chile sauce and cook for about 5 minutes to deepen the flavors.
- Combine Soup Ingredients: Stir in the reserved chicken broth, remaining chicken stock, and the drained hominy into the pot with the chile sauce. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
- Add Shredded Chicken: Return the shredded chicken to the pot and continue to simmer the soup for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with the remaining salt as needed.
- Serve and Garnish: Ladle the hot pozole into bowls and serve with garnishes such as shredded cabbage, diced radishes, diced avocado, lime wedges, chopped cilantro, and tortilla chips for added crunch and freshness.
Notes
- Adjust the heat level by reducing or increasing the number of dried chiles used or by including chile seeds if you prefer more spice.
- Hominy can be found canned or dried; if using dried, soak and cook according to package instructions before adding.
- Use bone-in chicken thighs for more flavorful broth but skinless to reduce fat content.
- The broth can be thinned with water or additional chicken stock if the soup is too thick.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
