Mexican Pozole with Chicken and Hominy
Pozole is a festive Mexican soup built on large hominy corn kernels in a dried red chilli broth. What sets it apart is that half the dish is fresh toppings added on top — cabbage, radishes, onion and lime — and that contrast is the whole idea of the dish.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 90 min
- Total
- 120 min
- Calories
- 380
Photo: Martha Silva — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Pozole is a very old Mexican dish, made for holidays and big occasions. The corn in it isn’t ordinary corn — it is treated with an ancient method that makes each kernel burst open and turn chewy.
Method
-
1
The chicken broth
Put the chicken thighs in a pot with the water, half the onion, 3 garlic cloves, the bay leaves and salt. Bring to the boil and skim off the foam, then simmer over low heat for 45 minutes. Lift out the chicken and shred it, and strain and keep the broth.
-
2
Preparing the dried chillies
Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chillies, and toast them in a dry pan for 30 seconds on each side until fragrant. Don’t toast them any longer — burnt chillies turn bitter, and that bitterness never goes away.
-
3
Soaking the chillies
Soak the toasted chillies in hot water for 20 minutes until soft. Blend them with the rest of the onion and garlic, the oregano, the cumin and a cup of the soaking water until completely smooth.
-
4
Straining the sauce
Strain the sauce through a fine sieve, pressing it with the back of a ladle, and discard what is left in the sieve. This step removes the skins, so the broth turns out silky — it is the difference between a homemade pozole and a restaurant one.
-
5
Cooking the sauce
Heat two tablespoons of oil in the pot and pour in the strained sauce — it will bubble violently. Cook it for 10 minutes, stirring, until it darkens and thickens. This step removes the raw taste of the chillies.
-
6
Combining
Add the strained broth, the rinsed hominy and the shredded chicken. Bring to the boil, then simmer over low heat for 30 minutes until all the flavours come together. Taste for salt and adjust — pozole needs more salt than you would expect.
-
7
Serving
Ladle the pozole into deep bowls, and put the toppings on the table in separate dishes: sliced cabbage, radishes, chopped onion, oregano and lime. Everyone adds their own — that ritual is part of the dish, not a detail.
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Tips that actually matter
- Don’t burn the dried chillies — exactly 30 seconds on each side.
- Strain the sauce through a fine sieve so the broth is silky.
- Cook the sauce for 10 minutes before adding the broth to remove the raw taste.
- The fresh toppings aren’t garnish — they are half the dish.
- It is better the next day, like all rich soups.
People also ask
What can I use instead of hominy?
Large tinned white corn is the closest substitute. Hominy is corn treated with slaked lime (nixtamalisation), so its kernels burst open and turn chewy, with a distinctive flavour. If it isn’t available, large white corn gives an acceptable result.
What can I use instead of Mexican dried chillies?
Ordinary dried red chillies with a spoonful of smoked paprika and a teaspoon of sweet paprika. Guajillo is sweet and mildly hot, and ancho is deeper, with a raisin-like sweetness — the mix brings the flavour close.
Can I make it with meat?
Yes — bone-in meat gives a richer broth, but increase the simmering time to an hour and a half. A vegetarian version with mushrooms and beans works too, because the main flavour comes from the chillies, not the meat.
Why did the broth turn out bitter?
The dried chillies were over-toasted. Just 30 seconds on each side in a dry pan over medium heat — take them off as soon as you can smell them. If they have turned black, throw them away and start that step again.
Cook mode
Mexican Pozole with Chicken and Hominy
-
1
The chicken broth
Put the chicken thighs in a pot with the water, half the onion, 3 garlic cloves, the bay leaves and salt. Bring to the boil and skim off the foam, then simmer over low heat for 45 minutes. Lift out the chicken and shred it, and strain and keep the broth.
-
2
Preparing the dried chillies
Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chillies, and toast them in a dry pan for 30 seconds on each side until fragrant. Don’t toast them any longer — burnt chillies turn bitter, and that bitterness never goes away.
-
3
Soaking the chillies
Soak the toasted chillies in hot water for 20 minutes until soft. Blend them with the rest of the onion and garlic, the oregano, the cumin and a cup of the soaking water until completely smooth.
-
4
Straining the sauce
Strain the sauce through a fine sieve, pressing it with the back of a ladle, and discard what is left in the sieve. This step removes the skins, so the broth turns out silky — it is the difference between a homemade pozole and a restaurant one.
-
5
Cooking the sauce
Heat two tablespoons of oil in the pot and pour in the strained sauce — it will bubble violently. Cook it for 10 minutes, stirring, until it darkens and thickens. This step removes the raw taste of the chillies.
-
6
Combining
Add the strained broth, the rinsed hominy and the shredded chicken. Bring to the boil, then simmer over low heat for 30 minutes until all the flavours come together. Taste for salt and adjust — pozole needs more salt than you would expect.
-
7
Serving
Ladle the pozole into deep bowls, and put the toppings on the table in separate dishes: sliced cabbage, radishes, chopped onion, oregano and lime. Everyone adds their own — that ritual is part of the dish, not a detail.
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