Post sponsored by Mirum Shopper. Opinions are 100% my own.

We spent our Christmas Day huddled inside our warm home surrounded by family, laughter and great food. This year, the hubster and I made pozole rojo with chicken (red pozole recipe with chicken) as the main dish. It was our first time making it (though we have made pozole blanco before) and it turned out fantastic.

We rounded out our menu with rice, beans, ponche navideño, pan dulce, chocolate abuelita and lots of bolillo. Of course, no one showed up to our brunch empty handed (¡gracias, familia!) and we were able to add tamales, buñuelos, and a few more treats to our spread. We had a beautiful Christmas Day that ended late and it couldn’t have been better.

Because our chicken pozole rojo was so easy to make, we thought it would be good to share the recipe here so everyone could give it a try! It has just a few extra steps from our pozole blanco recipe, and it is just as delicious.

First thing you have to do is pick up the right ingredients for this pozole rojo de pollo recipe. We always shop at Northgate Market because they carry the most authentic Mexican products.

Mexican Pozole Rojo with Chicken Recipe

makes about 30 servings

Ingredients

For the stew

• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 garlic bulbs
• 6 chicken flavor cubes
• 3 Bay leaves
• 2 105 oz Mexican Style Hominy
• One and a half chickens in pieces (you can ask for this at the meat counter)
• 2 tbsp oregano

For the red chile puree

• 8 cups of water
• 7 California chiles
• 7 guajillo chiles
• 15 chiles de árbol
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp granulated garlic
• 2 tbsp salt

Directions

How to make the stew

1. Fill a large stockpot halfway with water and add onion, garlic bulbs, chicken flavor bouillon cubes and bay leaves. Bring to a boil on medium heat.
2. Rinse hominy in large colander. Add to pot and bring back to a boil.
3. Rinse chicken and add to pot. Add oregano.
4. Cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes.
5. Remove any fat that has floated to the top of the pot.
6. Place red chile puree in sieve. Wired is best.
7. Gently dip chile paste into pot and press with spoon. Broth from the stew will absorb the chile. Continue to do this until the chile pieces are too thick to pass through the sieve.
8. Simmer for 20 minutes.
9. Serve hot.

How to make the chile puree

1. Clean chiles by wiping with a wet napkin. Remove stem.
2. Add water and chiles to a medium pot. Set to boil.
3. Remove chiles from pot and add to blender.
4. Blend on high for about two minutes. Chiles should resemble a thick puree.

Tips

This authentic chicken pozole rojo recipe can be enjoyed as is, or topped with shredded cabbage, cilantro, radish, and a lime wedges and tortilla or bolillo bread (or French bread if you don’t have bolillo at your market).

Before adding the red chile puree you can remove the chicken and shred it into smaller, more bite-sized pieces.

Pozole is traditionally served during the holidays or on the weekend for family dinners. You can also make a white version of pozole by removing the red chile puree.

Related Post: White pozole with chicken

To make a green version of pozole, add Serrano chiles and tomatillos. MamaLatinaTips.com has a good green pozole with chicken recipe if you’re looking to make that variation.

We hope you’ll give this recipe a try. It’s really easy to put together and makes a lot without spending too much money. It also goes great with a side of champurrado, Mexican hot chocolate or Ponche Navideño if you’re having it around Christamas time.

Yield: 30 servings

Traditional Pozole Rojo with Chicken

Print

Pozole is traditionally served during the holidays or on the weekend for family dinners. You can also make a white version of pozole by removing the red chile puree.

Ingredients

For the stew

• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 garlic bulbs
• 6 chicken flavor cubes
• 3 Bay leaves
• 2 105 oz Mexican Style Hominy
• One and a half chickens in pieces (you can ask for this at the meat counter)
• 2 tbsp oregano

For the red chile puree

• 8 cups of water
• 7 California chiles
• 7 guajillo chiles
• 15 chiles de árbol
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp granulated garlic
• 2 tbsp salt

Instructions

How to make the stew

1. Fill a large stockpot halfway with water and add onion, garlic bulbs, chicken flavor bouillon cubes and bay leaves. Bring to a boil on medium heat.
2. Rinse hominy in large colander. Add to pot and bring back to a boil.
3. Rinse chicken and add to pot. Add oregano.
4. Cover and simmer on low for 45 minutes.
5. Remove any fat that has floated to the top of the pot.
6. Place red chile puree in sieve. Wired is best.
7. Gently dip chile paste into pot and press with spoon. Broth from the stew will absorb the chile. Continue to do this until the chile pieces are too thick to pass through the sieve.
8. Simmer for 20 minutes.
9. Serve hot.

How to make the chile puree

1. Clean chiles by wiping with a wet napkin. Remove stem.
2. Add water and chiles to a medium pot. Set to boil.
3. Remove chiles from pot and add to blender.
4. Blend on high for about two minutes. Chiles should resemble a thick puree.

Notes

The pozole can be enjoyed as is, or topped with shredded cabbage, cilantro, radish, and a lime wedges and tortilla or bolillo bread (or French bread if you don’t have bolillo at your market).

Before adding the red chile puree you can remove the chicken and shred it into smaller, more bite-sized pieces.

Originally published on December 26, 2016. Last Updated on January 11, 2022 by Pattie Cordova