Description
This Red Chicken Pozole Soup is a flavorful and hearty Mexican stew made with tender shredded chicken thighs, fragrant dried guajillo and ancho chiles, and traditional white hominy. Simmered in a rich broth infused with cumin, oregano, and lime juice, this comforting soup is perfect for a family meal. Garnished with shredded cabbage, radishes, avocado, cilantro, lime wedges, and crunchy tortilla chips, it offers a vibrant balance of textures and flavors.
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)
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
Additional Ingredients and Garnishes
- 1 large can (25 oz) white hominy, drained and rinsed
- 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 everything with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and let it simmer for 25 to 30 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove the chicken from the pot, let it cool, and shred the meat. Strain and reserve the broth for later use.
- Prepare the Chiles: Toast the dried guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until they become fragrant. Then soak the toasted chiles in hot water for 15 minutes to soften.
- Make the Chile Sauce: Blend the softened chiles with 1 cup of the chicken stock, cumin, oregano, and lime juice until smooth. Strain this mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove any solids and obtain a smooth sauce.
- Cook the Sauce: Heat the olive oil in the pot over medium heat. Add the chile sauce and cook for about 5 minutes to deepen the flavors. Then stir in the reserved chicken broth along with the remaining chicken stock and the drained hominy. Bring it to a gentle simmer.
- Combine and Simmer: Add the shredded chicken back into the pot. Continue to simmer the soup for 15 to 20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Taste and adjust seasoning with the remaining salt as needed.
- Serve and Garnish: Ladle the hot pozole soup into bowls and serve with garnishes such as shredded cabbage, diced radishes, avocado, lime wedges, chopped cilantro, and crunchy tortilla chips for added texture and freshness.
Notes
- You can substitute bone-in chicken thighs with boneless thighs if preferred, but bones add extra flavor to the broth.
- For a spicier soup, add more dried chiles or a pinch of cayenne pepper to the chile sauce.
- Hominy can be found canned or dried; if using dried, ensure it is soaked and cooked beforehand.
- Leftover pozole tastes great the next day as the flavors continue to develop.
- To make it gluten-free, confirm that the chicken stock and tortilla chips are gluten-free products.
