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Red Chicken Pozole (Pozole Rojo)

Belinda Gonzalez
Authentic Mexican pozole made with tender shredded chicken, hominy, and a rich red‑chile broth—perfect for family dinners or celebrations.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 8

Equipment

  • Pot and Pans

Ingredients
  

For the Broth

  • 5 lbs chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on
  • 1 whole head of garlic halved or with the tip cut off
  • 1 large white onion halved
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 12 cups Water enough to fully cover the chicken

For the Chile Sauce

  • 12 dried guajillo chiles
  • 2-3 dried ancho chiles
  • ½ white onion or 1 small onion
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin optional
  • 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder optional
  • ½ teaspoon salt added to the blender
  • Broth or soaking liquid as needed to blend

For the Pozole

  • 1 105-oz can hominy, rinsed

For Serving

  • Shredded cabbage
  • Sliced radishes
  • Diced onion
  • Lime wedges
  • Crushed oregano
  • Pepper flakes optional
  • Tostadas

Instructions
 

Prepare the Chicken Broth

  • Add the chicken to a large pot and pour in enough water to fully cover the chicken.
    Chicken and water going in to the large pot for Pozole.
  • Add onion, garlic head, bay leaves, and salt to pot with chicken.
    Raw chicken, onion, garlic, and bay leaves placed in a large pot before cooking.
  • Set the pot over medium heat and bring it to a gentle simmer and skim off any foam that rises to the surface to help keep the broth clear.
    Pot of chicken and aromatics heating on the stove as it begins to simmer.
  • Continue simmering until the chicken is fully cooked and tender then remove the chicken from the pot and let it cool slightly.
    Chicken simmering gently in broth until cooked and tender.
  • Shred the chicken into medium-sized pieces so it keeps its texture and don't forget to remove the onion, garlic, and bay leaves from the broth so it stays clean.
  • Add the rinsed 105-oz can of hominy to the broth and stir well. Let it gently simmer while you prepare the chile sauce.

Soften the Dried Chiles

  • Remove the stems and seeds from the guajillo and ancho chiles and place the cleaned chiles into a pot or bowl of hot water.
    Dried chiles soaking in hot water until soft and pliable.
  • Let them soak until they become soft and pliable.
    Softened dried chiles in hot water ready to be blended.

Blend the Chile Sauce

  • Drain the softened chiles and transfer them to a blender.
    Softened chiles placed inside a blender jar for the sauce.
  • Add the onion, garlic, oregano, and salt.
    Onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, cloves, and peppercorns added to blender.
  • Add ½–1 cup of the chile soaking water and ½ cup of water to the blender. Add just enough liquid to help the chiles blend smoothly.
    A ladle of broth being poured into the blender to help the sauce blend.
  • Blend on high until the sauce is completely smooth and then strain.
    Blender filled with chile mixture blending until completely smooth.
  • For an ultra-smooth broth, strain the blended sauce through a fine mesh sieve.
  • In a separate pot or deep pan, heat 1–2 tablespoons of neutral oil over medium heat.Carefully pour in the strained chile sauce (it may splatter slightly) and stir.
  • Let the sauce cook in the oil for 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it slightly thickens and the flavors deepen.

Combine the Pozole

  • Pour the blended chile sauce into the pot with the clean broth. Stir well and bring the mixture back to a gentle simmer.
  • Add the shredded chicken back into the pot after adding the cooked chile sauce. Stir well and continue simmering for 10–15 minutes so the flavors come together.
  • Simmer everything together until the soup is heated through and the flavors combine. Taste and adjust the salt to your liking.

Serve

  • Ladle the hot pozole into bowls.
  • Add toppings such as cabbage, radish, onion, dried oregano, and fresh lime right before serving.

Notes

  • Skim any foam during the first 10 minutes of simmering to keep the broth clean and smooth.
  • Keep the heat at a gentle simmer so the chicken stays tender and the broth does not turn cloudy.
  • Shred the chicken into medium pieces so it keeps its texture in the soup.
  • Rinse canned hominy before adding it to remove excess starch and keep the broth bright.
  • For the smoothest broth, strain the blended chile sauce through a fine mesh strainer before adding it.
  • Simmering the broth and chile sauce for about 10 minutes before adding the chicken and hominy helps the flavor and color deepen.
  • Add hominy earlier if you prefer it very soft; add it later if you want it to stay firmer.
  • Always adjust the salt at the end, once the chicken, hominy, and sauce have simmered together.
  • Let the pozole rest for about 10 minutes off the heat before serving so the flavors can settle.
  • Add toppings right before eating so they stay crisp and fresh.
  • Add lime at the table, not while simmering, to keep the broth bright and prevent bitterness.
Keyword posole, pozole rojo, pozole rojo de pollo, red posole
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