My Quick and Easy Chicken Pozole Rojo Soup is full of traditional flavors with a few shortcuts to save on cooking time. Full of tender chicken, hominy and a red chile sauce and topped with crunch cabbage, radishes and a squeeze of lime, this is a traditional Mexican recipe you’ll want be adding into your weeknight dinner rotation.
Pozole Soup is a staple dish in many Mexican families. It’s often made with pork, although there are a lot of chicken variations out there. This is the kind of soup that Mexican households will have simmering on the stove all day long, cooking the hominy and meat until it’s nice and tender. There are three main types of pozole; white, red and green. White Pozole is basically hominy cooked in broth and topped with various garnishes like cabbage and radishes. Green Pozole (Verde) is the white pozole soup with green elements added, like tomatillos, jalapenos or cilantro. Pozole Rojo, which is the variation that my family makes, includes some type of red sauce, often from steeping chiles all day long.
Traditional Pozole is served at celebrations such as Christmas, New Year’s and Mexican Independence Day.
MY LATEST VIDEOS
Let’s Make My Quick and Easy Pozole Rojo Chicken Soup!
This is another of my cousin’s Mexican recipes that my entire family begs for. The only thing I do different is start with some onion cooking in a little olive oil.
For our shortcut version or pozole, we use a canned enchilada sauce along with lots onion and garlic and other seasonings. I’ll also use a whole rotisserie chicken from the grocery store deli. Again, we’re going for quick and easy. If you want to cook the chicken on your own, try my slow cooker method.
Once the onion and garlic are softened and that amazing smell is floating through your kitchen, add the chicken, hominy and other seasonings. Stir it all around and let the flavors blend together. Finally add the chicken broth and enchilada sauce. Once everything is stirred and blended together bring that whole pot of deliciousness to a boil, then cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer on the stove for about half an hour. The longer you can leave this soup to simmer, the better it’s going to be, but 20-30 minutes will suffice.
While the soup is simmering, chop the garnishes. We like sliced radishes, green cabbage, lots of lime juice, and tortilla chips on the side. Some people love cilantro but I’m not one of those people. Feel free to add it as a garnish if you are.
And that’s it! Yes, it does take some time, but while your soup is simmering on the stove you’ve got plenty of time to do some laundry, catch up on your favorite show or even take a nap. And when you’re ready, my Quick and Easy Chicken Pozole Rojo Soup will be waiting for you.
Chicken Pozole Soup
My Quick and Easy Chicken Pozole Soup is full of traditional flavors with a few shortcuts to save you time. Full of tender chicken, hominy and a red chile sauce and topped with crunchy cabbage, radishes and a squeeze of lime, this is a traditional Mexican recipe you'll want be adding into your weeknight dinner rotation.
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 5-6 cloves)
- 4 cups shredded cooked chicken (like from a rotisserie)
- 2 25-ounce cans hominy, drained
- 64 ounces chicken stock
- 1 15 ounce can enchilada sauce
- 2 teaspoons Calde de Tomat (tomato bouillon)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- Sliced radishes, green cabbage, cilantro, limes
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook until beginning to soften. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then stir in oregeno, cumin and Calde de tomat. Cook, stirring often, for one minute.
- Add the hominy and the chicken to the pot. Stir to coat and cook for a couple of minutes to flavor the chicken and hominy.
- Pour in enchilada sauce and chicken stock. Stir to combine, then turn heat up to medium-high bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for at least 20 minutes or up to 2 hours.
- Serve hot with garnishes like sliced radishes, chopped green cabbage, cilantro, lime wedges and tortilla chips.
- Store in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for 3-4 months.
Notes
- This recipe make A LOT of soup. If you're feeding a lot of people, this is perfect. If not, you can cut the recipe in half, or freeze the leftovers.
- To freeze, cool the soup to room temperature and portion into freezer safe containers or bags. Freeze for up to 3-4 months.
Here’s another favorite Mexican recipe we love:
Here are a few more Mexican recipes we love:
- Mexican Sopes Recipe
- Slow Cooker Mexican Beans
- Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Soup
Looks so hearty and comforting. YUM!