Pozole de Pollo (Chicken Pozole)
Not everyone is a fan of pork, so here is the chicken version of pozole! The chicken with the bone in and skin on yields a more flavorful pozole. But, I have been known to prepare this with boneless, skinless chicken breast.
Servings 6 Servings
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 4 chicken quarters or 3 1/2-4 pounds chicken pieces
- 1 large white onion cut in half
- 1 head of garlic divided in half
- 2 bay leaves
- water to cover 8-10 cups
- salt to taste
- 8 chile guajillo
- 4 chile morita optional
- 4 cups maiz pozolero canned hominy or previously cooked maiz mote pelado
- 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin optional
Garnishes
- cabbage or lettuce shredded
- radishes sliced thin
- onion diced
- cilantro is not a traditional garnish, but we like it!
- oregano crushed
- crushed chile piquin crushed
- lemon or lime wedges
Instructions
Directions
- Place the chicken, 1/2 the onion, 1/2 head of garlic and bay leaves in a large pot. Cover with water. Add 1-2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, skimming off the top as needed. Cook chicken at a steady simmer for 45 minutes.
- Remove the stems and seeds form the guajillos and chile morita. Place in a pot covered with water. Add the remaining onion and peeled garlic cloves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Let cool slightly.
- After 45 minutes, remove the onion, garlic and bay leaves from the broth that the chicken cooked in. Remove the chicken and tranfer to a plate for now. Turn heat on broth to the lowest setting.
- Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the dried chiles, onion and garlic to the blender. Add 2 cups of the warm chicken broth to the blender. Season with 1/3 teaspoon of salt. Cover and carefully hold the lid down using a kitchen towel. Blend on high until smooth and strain the sauce into a bowl.
- In a separate skillet, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Preheat at medium for a minute. Add the strained chile sauce and cook for a few minutes. Pour the chile sauce into the warm chicken broth. Stir well to combine. Add maiz, oregano, cumin and salt to taste. Remove the chicken from the bones, and add meat to pozole. Cook for another 20-25 minutes. Taste for seasonings. Serve with fresh garnishes! Buen Provecho!!
Notes
If you cannot find dried chile pods, you can still prepare pozole! find yourself a good quality red chile powder(mild or medium heat). In the blender, you will add about 1/3 cup chile powder with 3/4 cups boiling water. Let sit for 2 minutes then carefully blend on high. If you like you can flavor and season the sauce with roasted garlic, sauteed onion, cumin, oregano and salt.