Description

This comforting Red Chicken Pozole Soup is a traditional Mexican stew featuring tender shredded chicken simmered in a rich, smoky red chile broth with hominy. Garnished with fresh cabbage, radishes, avocado, lime, cilantro, and crunchy tortilla chips, this vibrant soup offers a perfect balance of smoky, tangy, and fresh flavors ideal for a hearty meal.

Ingredients

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)

Chile Sauce

6 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
3 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 lime, juiced

Main Ingredients and Garnishes

1 large can (25 oz) white hominy, drained and rinsed
Shredded cabbage (for garnish)
Diced radishes (for garnish)
Diced avocado (for garnish)
Lime wedges (for garnish)
Chopped cilantro (for garnish)
Tortilla chips (for serving)

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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. Remove the chicken, let cool, then shred. Strain and reserve the cooking broth.
Prepare the Chiles: Toast guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Transfer to a bowl and soak them in hot water for 15 minutes until softened.
Make the Chile Sauce: Blend the softened chiles with 1 cup of chicken stock, cumin, oregano, and lime juice until smooth. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove solids.
Cook the Sauce: Heat olive oil in the large pot over medium heat. Add the chile sauce and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to enhance the flavors and thicken slightly.
Combine and Simmer: Stir in the reserved chicken broth, the remaining chicken stock, and the rinsed hominy. Bring to a gentle simmer.
Add Chicken and Season: Add the shredded chicken back into the pot. Simmer for 15–20 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Taste and adjust seasoning with the remaining salt as needed.
Serve and Garnish: Serve the pozole hot with your choice of garnishes such as shredded cabbage, diced radishes, diced avocado, lime wedges, chopped cilantro, and crunchy tortilla chips on the side.

Notes

Removing skin from chicken thighs reduces fat but keeps the meat tender and flavorful.
Keep chile seeds out to prevent excessive heat; adjust chile quantity to your spice preference.
The broth from cooking the chicken is important for depth of flavor; don’t discard.
Hominy can be found canned in most Latin markets or large grocery stores.
Garnishes are traditional and add texture and freshness to each bite.
Leftover pozole tastes even better the next day as flavors meld.
You can substitute chicken thighs with chicken breast if preferred, but thighs provide more moistness.