Red pozole in a blue and white patterned bowl topped with shredded cabbage and cilantro, with tostadas, cabbage and lime nearby. — Photo: Martha Silva · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mexican · Lunch · Dinner

Chicken Pozole Rojo

Name: Chicken Pozole Rojo
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 80 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 700 g (about 3 medium breasts) boneless skinless chicken breast; 2 cans (15 oz each), drained canned white hominy, drained and rinsed; 3 cups low-sodium gluten-free chicken broth; 3 cups water for the soup; 4 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded; 2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded; 1 cup hot water for soaking chiles; 1 medium white onion; 4 cloves garlic; 2 bay leaves; 1 tsp dried oregano (Mexican if possible); 1/2 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp olive oil; 1/4 tsp salt; 2 cups green cabbage, finely shredded; 6 radishes, thinly sliced; 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped; 2 limes, cut into wedges; 1 medium avocado, diced

Pozole Rojo de Pollo

By BerryFit Kitchen · Nutrition checked with USDA data · Updated Oct 11, 2026 · How we make recipes

A deep red chile broth full of tender shredded chicken and chewy hominy, finished at the table with crisp cabbage, peppery radish and a squeeze of lime. It's comforting and hearty, and lighter than the classic pork version.

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 55 min
Total: 80 min
Serves: 6

Medium
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
High protein

14%

Per serving273kcal14% of a 2,000 kcal day

31gProtein

26gCarbs

5gFat

6gFiber

Calories come from: Carbs 37% · Fat 17% · Protein 46%

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Ingredients

For 6 servings

700 g (about 3 medium breasts)boneless skinless chicken breast
2 cans (15 oz each), drained560 gcanned white hominy, drained and rinsed
3 cups720 glow-sodium gluten-free chicken broth
3 cups720 gwater for the soup
424 gdried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
220 gdried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 cup240 ghot water for soaking chiles
1 medium150 gwhite onion
4 cloves12 ggarlic
2bay leaves
1 tspdried oregano (Mexican if possible)
1/2 tspground cumin
1 tsp5 golive oil
1/4 tspsalt
2 cups140 ggreen cabbage, finely shredded
670 gradishes, thinly sliced
1/4 cupfresh cilantro, chopped
2130 glimes, cut into wedges
1 medium150 gavocado, diced (optional)

Steps

1
Cut the onion in half; quarter one half and finely dice the other half for topping.
2
Toast the guajillo and ancho chiles in a dry pan over medium heat for about 30 seconds per side until fragrant, without letting them burn.
3
Cover the toasted chiles with the hot soaking water and soak for 15 minutes until soft.
4
Put the chicken, broth, the 3 cups of water, quartered onion, 2 garlic cloves and bay leaves in a large pot and bring to a boil.
5
Lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 20–25 minutes until the chicken reaches 74 °C / 165 °F in the thickest part.
6
Lift out the chicken, let it cool slightly and shred it with two forks; discard the onion pieces and bay leaves.
7
Blend the soaked chiles and their soaking water with the remaining 2 garlic cloves, oregano and cumin until very smooth.
8
Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat, pour in the chile sauce through a sieve and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until it darkens slightly.
9
Stir the chile sauce and hominy into the broth and simmer for 15 minutes.
10
Return the shredded chicken to the pot, add the salt, and simmer 5 more minutes; taste and brighten with lime rather than more salt.
11
Ladle into bowls and top with cabbage, radish, diced onion, cilantro, avocado if using, and a squeeze of lime.

Swaps, storage and make-ahead

Swaps

Use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breast for juicier, more forgiving shredded meat.
For a vegetarian version, replace the chicken with 2 cans of drained pinto beans or sliced mushrooms and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, choosing a gluten-free labelled broth if you need it gluten-free.
If you can't find guajillo or ancho chiles, use 6 dried New Mexico or California chiles instead.
Skip the avocado for a lighter bowl and add extra cabbage and radish for crunch.

Storage

Refrigerate the soup within 2 hours in a covered container for up to 3 to 4 days, keeping the cabbage, radish, cilantro, avocado and lime separate, and reheat until steaming hot. The soup without toppings can be frozen for up to 3 months, but the fresh toppings should not be frozen.

Make ahead

Make the strained chile sauce up to 3 days ahead and keep it in the fridge, or cook the whole soup a day in advance, since the flavour deepens overnight. Slice the cabbage, radish and onion the morning you serve, and cut the avocado just before eating.

Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.

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Allergens and nutrition

Contains: Celery

Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.

Full nutrition

	Per serving (583 g)	Per 100 g
Calories	273 kcal	47 kcal
Protein	31.1 g	5.3 g
Carbohydrates	25.6 g	4.4 g
of which sugars	5.7 g	1 g
Fiber	6.2 g	1.1 g
Fat	5.3 g	0.9 g
of which saturated	1 g	0.2 g
Sodium	699 mg	120 mg

Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.