Chicken Pozole
This chicken pozole recipe is everything you want in a bowl of Mexican comfort food: deeply smoky, rich red chile broth, plump chewy hominy, and fall-apart tender shredded chicken all coming together in one pot.
Equipment
- Large stockpot or Dutch oven - 6 quart or larger
- High-powered blender - or food processor
- Fine-mesh strainer
- Large wooden spoon - or ladle
- Two Forks - for shredding the chicken
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Small bowl - for soaking the chiles
Ingredients
- 3 dried guajillo chiles - stems and seeds removed
- 2 dried ancho chiles - stems and seeds removed
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs - 900g, or a mix of thighs and breasts
- 2 cans white hominy - 29 oz / 820g each, drained and rinsed
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth - 1.4L
- 1 medium white onion - halved, one half for cooking, one half diced for topping
- 6 cloves garlic - 4 for broth, 2 for chile sauce, peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano - or regular oregano in a pinch, plus more for serving
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt - to taste
- Black pepper - to taste
- 2 cups hot water - 475ml, for rehydrating chiles
For Serving (toppings)
- Shredded green cabbage
- Thinly sliced radishes
- Diced white onion
- Fresh cilantro - chopped
- Lime wedges
- Dried Mexican oregano - for sprinkling
- Corn tortillas - or tortilla chips, warmed
- Hot sauce - or salsa (optional)
Instructions
- Toast guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry skillet until fragrant, then soak in hot water for 20-25 minutes until soft.
- In a large stockpot, heat oil with onion half and garlic. Season chicken, add broth, bay leaves, oregano, cumin, and chili powder. Simmer for 30-35 minutes until chicken is tender.
- Drain soaked chiles and blend with garlic and 1/2 cup of soaking liquid until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh strainer for a silky sauce.
- Remove chicken from pot, discard bay leaves and onion half. Shred the chicken with two forks and set aside.
- Stir the strained chile sauce into the broth, then add drained hominy and shredded chicken. Simmer for 20-30 minutes to develop flavors.
- Prepare toppings: shred cabbage, slice radishes, dice onion, chop cilantro, and cut limes. Ladle pozole into bowls and serve with toppings on the side.
Notes
- Toast chiles carefully for 30-60 seconds per side. Burnt chiles will make the sauce bitter.
- Don't skip straining the chile sauce - it removes tough skin and seeds for a smooth broth.
- Simmer the chicken gently, never boil, for tender meat and a clear broth.
- Skim off any grey foam from the surface during the first few minutes of simmering for a cleaner broth.
- Chicken thighs are recommended over breasts as they stay juicier and shred better.
- Taste and season with salt at the end of cooking for the best flavor development.
- This pozole tastes even better the next day as the flavors deepen overnight.
- Store toppings separately from the soup to keep them crisp and fresh.
- Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months in airtight containers.
- For a thinner broth, add up to 1 cup (240ml) more chicken broth or water.