This Pozole Rojo de Pollo Recipe is the coziest bowl to warm up to on cold fall and winter nights. Made with tender chicken, hominy, guajillo chiles, and dried ancho chile peppers. This pozole is mildly spicy, rich, full of wonderful color, and so delicious. Top each bowl of soup with plenty of thinly sliced cabbage, fresh cilantro, lots of minced onions, and crispy radishes! Great on its own, but even better with a side of homemade tortillas. Yum!
Think of this red chicken pozole as the slightly healthier version of my pork pozole rojo. It’s every bit as flavorful, hearty, warming, and, festive but brimming with tender chicken and topped with classic pozole toppings. Pair with freshly made corn tortillas and tamales for a trio of authentic Christmas flavors.
Even though tamales reign supreme in the world of Mexican Christmas foods, pozole is right up there with required holiday recipes. At least at our house it is. During the month of December I make a big pot of pozole nearly every weekend and then we can have it during the week or if friends drop by.
This pozole rojo de pollo, or red chicken pozole is definitely part of my weekend ritual this year and I’m thrilled to share the new recipe with you. After 1 bite I immediately said “this is the best pozole I’ve ever made.” And I’ve made A LOT! Maybe it was my exhaustion talking… I had just spent the day making 200 tamales and washing every dish we own…but chicken + hominy + red chile sauce + all the toppings is certainly a recipe for something delicious.
I think you are going to love it too!
By the way, if you are looking for a green version of this traditional Mexican soup, check out my vegan pozole verde. Or my pozole blanco if you’d like to try a white pozole recipe.
Tell Me About Pozole Rojo de Pollo
- Flavor: If you love my red pork pozole, you are going to love this chicken pozole rojo recipe too. Generous amounts of garlic and chilies plus cumin, bay leaves, Mexican oregano, and clove supply each bowl with cozy, comforting flavors.
- Texture: Like the pork version, this is a feast for the senses with buttery soft chicken and slightly chewy hominy. The key to the texture is to not skimp on the garnishes. The result is an uneven mixture of fresh and cooked ingredients, a texture medley giving us a totally satisfying stew.
- Ease: The cook time is pretty quick compared to pork pozole. The chicken cooks in a little under an hour. Prepare the chile sauce while you wait and then combine everything together.
Ingredients
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- White onions
- Garlic cloves
- Guajillos chilies
- Dried ancho chiles. Dried versions of the relatively mild poblano pepper.
- Kosher salt
- Dried Mexican oregano
- Bay leaves
- Ground cumin
- Vegetable oil or olive oil
- Whole cloves
Optional Garnishes
- Minced white onion
- Lime wedges
- Cilantro
- Thinly sliced radishes
- Ripe avocado
How To Make This Recipe
step one
Cook the chicken. To make this flavorful soup, combine chicken, sliced onion, 6 garlic cloves, salt, bay leaves and oregano in a large soup pot. Add enough water to cover by 2-inches and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
step two
Simmer until tender. Skim off any foam, lower the heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook until chicken is very tender, about an hour.
step three
Blanch the hominy. Fill a 6-quart pot halfway with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Drain and rinse the hominy. Once the water is boiling add the hominy and let the water return to a boil. Drain and rinse once more with cold water. Set aside.
step four
Toast and soak chiles. Meanwhile, heat a dry cast iron frying pan or comal over medium heat and toast the guajillo and ancho chilies on all sides until darker in color and fragrant, about 4-5 minutes. Fill a small saucepan with water and bring it to a boil. Transfer dried chiles to the boiling water, remove from heat and let soak until soft, about 30 minutes.
step five
Make sauce. Drain the red chiles (saving the water) and place in a blender or food processor. Add chopped onion, garlic, cumin, cloves, and salt, and about 1/2 cup of the chile soaking liquid. Blend on high until smooth, about 1-2 minutes (you may need to add more soaking liquid to get the blender moving). Set aside while you shred the chicken.
step six
Shred the chicken. Once chicken is tender and easily pulls away with a fork, remove it from the broth to a large plate or baking sheet and set aside to cool. Once chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces, removing any skin or fat or bone.
step seven
Strain chicken broth. Set a strainer over a large bowl or pot big enough to hold the broth. Strain chicken stock into the bowl, discard the solids and wash out the pot you cooked the chicken in.
step eight
Fry the sauce. Frying the sauce will give the soup a big boost of flavor. Heat the oil for 2-3 minutes in the pot you used to cook the chicken in over medium-high heat. Carefully pour the guajillo chiles mixture into the hot oil (it will splatter) and stir until sauce is fragrant and fried, about 5-15 minutes.
step nine
Finish soup. Return shredded pork to the pot with the sauce. Add broth and hominy and bring to a rapid simmer. Taste and add more salt if needed.
step ten
Serve. Ladle into big bowls and serve with as many of the garnishes as you’d like.
Make-Ahead and Freezing Instructions
Red pozole can be made up 5 days in advance. Let cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It actually improves as it sits so if you are making for a party, make it a day in advance then reheat to serve.
To freeze, let cool completely then transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 6 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator then reheat in the microwave or stove until hot.
Top 5 Most Popular Soup Recipes
- Green Tomato Chili
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Ready To Try This Classic Mexican Soup?
I think you will really love this flavorful version. I hope you try it out and if you do, let me know how it went. Share a photo and tag me on Instagram using @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so that I can see your stuff. Leave a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating)! Also, sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!
Pozole Rojo de Pollo
This Pozole Rojo de Pollo Recipe is the coziest bowl to warm up to on cold fall and winter nights. Made with tender chicken, hominy, guajillo chiles, and dried ancho chile peppers. This pozole is mildly spicy, rich, full of wonderful color, and so delicious. Top each bowl of soup with plenty of thinly sliced cabbage, fresh cilantro, lots of minced onions, and crispy radishes! Great on its own, but even better with a side of homemade tortillas. Yum!
Ingredients
For the Chicken and Broth
- 4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 large white onion, sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano (or Mediterranean oregano)
For the Soup
- 2 (25-ounce) cans white hominy, drained and rinsed
- 2 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 2 dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
- 1 large white onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
To Garnish
Instructions
- Cook the chicken. Combine chicken, sliced onion, 6 garlic cloves, salt, bay leaves and oregano in a large soup pot. Cover with water by 2-inches and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Simmer until tender. Skim off any foam, lower the heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook until chicken is very tender, about an hour.
- Blanch the hominy. Fill a 6-quart pot halfway with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling add the hominy and let the water return to a boil. Drain and rinse once more with cold water. Set aside.
- Toast and soak chiles. Meanwhile, place chiles in a dry cast iron frying pan or comal and toast on all sides over medium heat until darker in color and fragrant. Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Transfer toasted chiles to the boiling water. Remove from heat and let soak until soft, about 30 minutes.
- Make sauce. Drain chiles (saving the water) and place in a blender. Add chopped onion, garlic, cumin, cloves, and salt, and about 1/2 cup of the chile soaking liquid. Blend on high until smooth (you may need to add more soaking liquid to get the blender moving). Set aside while you shred the chicken.
- Shred the chicken. Once chicken is tender and easily pulls away with a fork, remove it from the broth to a large plate or baking sheet and set aside to cool. Once chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces, removing any skin or fat or bone.
- Strain broth. Set a strainer over a large bowl or pot big enough to hold the broth. Strain broth into the bowl, discard the solids and wash out the pot you cooked the chicken in.
- Fry the sauce. Heat the oil in the pot you used to cook the chicken in over medium-high heat. Carefully pour the chile sauce into the hot oil (it will splatter) and lower heat to medium-low. Stir until sauce is fragrant and fried, about 5-15 minutes.
- Finish soup. Return shredded chicken to the pot with the sauce. Add broth and hominy and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 30-45 minutes to meld the flavors. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Serve. Ladle into big bowls and serve with as many of the garnishes as you'd like and warm corn tortillas for dipping.
Notes
- Make-ahed and Freezing: Pozole can be made up to 5 days in advace. Let cool completley then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. It can also be frozen for up to 6 months. Let thaw overnight in the fridge then warm on the stove or in the microwave.
- Hominy: Blanching the hominy is an optional step but I think it gets rid of that funky flavor that it sometimes has from the can.
- Crock-Pot Pozole Instructions: To make slow cooker pozole, follow step 4 and 5 to make the chili mixture in a blender or food processor. Add the chili paste, chicken, hominy and 8 cups store bought chicken broth to a large slow cooker. Cover and cook for either 6-8 hours on low, or 4-5 hours on high, until the chicken shreds easily with a fork. Remove the chicken and shred. Return to the slow cooker and serve with the garnishes.
- Instant Pot Pozole Instructions: To make pressure cooker pozole, follow step 4 and 5 to make the chili mixture in a blender or food processor. Add the chili paste, chicken, hominy and 8 cups store bought chicken broth to an Instant Pot. Cover and pressure cook on high for 30 minutes, followed by a quick release. Then remove the chicken and shred. Return to the slow cooker and serve with the garnishes.
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