Pozole Rojo de Pollo (Red Pozole with Chicken)
Home » COOK » Recipes » International Recipes » Mexican & Tex-Mex Recipes »Pozole Rojo de Pollo is a hearty Mexican soup that is a real crowd-pleaser. There is nothing better than a comforting bowl of soup and this recipe will not disappoint. This recipe uses chicken instead of the more traditional pork, but is equally delicious and flavorful and filled with chilies, garlic, and cinnamon.
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Pozole Rojo de Pollo
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions; to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required, and to understand the steps and timings involved.
Pozole is a hearty, classic Mexican soup or stew, that has been known in Mesoamerica since the pre-Columbian era. It is common across Mexico and neighboring countries and is served both as a day-to-day meal and as a festive dish.
Pozole is commonly served accompanied by a wide variety of condiments. Common condiments include chopped onion, shredded lettuce, sliced radish, cabbage, avocado, limes, oregano, tostadas, chicharrón (fried pork rinds), and chilies.
Although pozole is traditionally made with pork, this flavorful version features boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead.
The soup gets a big boost of flavor from two dried chili varieties: ancho chilies, the dried versions of the relatively mild poblano pepper, and guajillos chilies, the dried version of the hotter mirasol pepper.
Ancho chilies are more readily available, and you may find them in grocery stores, but guajillo chilies may be much harder to find. However, there are available to buy online, so this recipe is not out of your reach!
We have a collection of 70+ Mexican and Tex-Mex Recipes for you to try out! Right-click and open them in a new tab to read next.
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients (and equipment) needed for this recipe have been listed below and linked to Amazon or other stores if available online. The complete list of ingredients with measurements is found in the recipe card.
- Meat – Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts.
- Fresh Produce – Garlic, Onion, Radishes, Cilantro (Fresh Coriander), Limes.
- Dried Ancho Chilies
- Dried Guajillo Chilies
- Ground Cumin
- Dried Oregano – use Mexican Oregano if possible.
- Smoked Paprika
- Ground Cinnamon
- Bay Leaves
- Chicken Broth/Stock
- Canned Hominy
What is Hominy?
Hominy is a food produced from dried maize (corn) kernels that have been treated with an alkali, in a process called nixtamalization (nextamalli is the Nahuatl word for “hominy”). – Wikipedia
The difference between corn and hominy, is that hominy has to go through the processing to give it the puffy texture.
You can buy it online if you can’t find it in stores. And if you can’t find it at all, you could replace the hominy in this recipe with chickpeas.
Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog. I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. You can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never mix imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, litres, etc.,).

More Recipes Using Chicken
One of the hero ingredients in this dish is chicken, so here are some more recipes using the same:
- Garlic-Herb Roasted Whole Chicken
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Vegetable Stew
- Sheet Pan Balsamic Chicken Breasts with Sweet Potato & Broccoli
More Soup Recipes
Looking for more soups to make? Check these recipes out next:
- Spanish Chorizo & Red Lentil Soup Recipe
- Roasted Fennel & Tomato Soup with Coconut Milk
- Gluten-Free Minestrone Soup with Cannellini Beans

Recipe Tips
- This soup cooks in around 45 minutes, but you can cook it for up to 4 hours to give the flavors more time to develop.
How Do I Make Pozole Rojo de Pollo?
Just check out the printable recipe card below with full ingredients and instructions. Any demonstration photos do not print out to save your ink.

Pozole Rojo de Pollo (Red Pozole with Chicken)
Ingredients
- 3 large dried ancho chilies stems removed and deseeded
- 2-3 dried guajillo chilies stems removed and deseeded
- 2 garlic cloves smashed and peeled
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil divided
- ½ medium yellow onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1¼ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 lbs 900g boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 25oz can hominy, with liquid
- 3-4 small radishes thinly sliced
- 3 Tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 large lime cut into 8 wedges
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Instructions
- Place the dried chilies and smashed garlic in a small saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 5-6 minutes until the chilies soften. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- While the chilies are simmering, heat the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch Oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
- Add the ground cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, and cinnamon. Stir to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes, or just until the spices become fragrant.
- Add the chicken and reduce heat to medium. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side until lightly browned on all sides.
- Add the bay leaves, chicken stock, and hominy. Increase heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a rapid simmer.
- Once simmering, transfer the ancho and guajillo chilies mixture to a blender or a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour the chili mixture into the pot and reduce heat to just below medium. Partially cover with a lid and cook for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours to give the flavors more time to develop.
- After at least 30 minutes, remove from the heat and carefully shred the chicken using two forks while still in the pot. Remove the bay leaves and discard.
- Ladle the hot soup into individual serving bowls and top with sliced radishes, fresh cilantro, or other desired toppings. Serve immediately with fresh lime wedges for squeezing. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Meal!
You’ve made the main dish, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to make a full meal!
- Appetizer: Whispering Canyon Cafe Corn Bread Recipe
- Side Salad: Mexican Chopped Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing
- Beverage: Watermelon Kiwi Cocktail with White Wine
- Dessert: Decadent Chocolate Walnut Brownies with Chocolate Frosting
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too!