Pozole Rojo with Chicken

 

Feeds: 4-6
Time to cook: 90 minutes with prep 

Traditionally, pozole rojo is made with pork. However, we don't eat pork, so one night I decided I was going to try it with chicken to see how it came out. There are so many different variations for pozole, but this is how I learned to cook it, and it's been adjusted for what I like. I know it's not traditional, but it's worth trying! 

Ingredients

2lbs chicken thighs 

2-4 tablespoons oil 

1 large white or yellow onion sliced into 1/8ths

5 Ancho chiles 

7 Guajillo chiles 

5-6 Chile de arbol (this is where the spice comes from, so adjust accordingly!) 

8 cloves of garlic (don't chop) 

6 cups of chicken stock (homemade is best but any STOCK, not broth, will work fine)

2 28 oz cans hominy, drained 

1 heaping tablespoon Mexican oregano 

Juice of 1 lime 

3 bay leaves 

Salt and pepper to taste 

For serving

2 limes cut into wedges 

Sliced cabbage 

Thinly sliced radish 

Cilantro

Directions

Start by removing the stems on the chiles and dump out the seeds. If you like it spicy, keep some of the arbols seeded. 

Salt and pepper the chicken thighs. Over medium high heat, add oil to a large Dutch oven and and then sear the chicken thighs, about 3 minutes on each side. Work in batches if you need to, but don't crowd the chicken. When properly seared, the chicken should easily lift out the pan. Set aside. 

Add onions and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, scraping up any of the chicken bits as you go along. Then, add your chicken stock, bay leaves, chiles, oregano. Put the chicken back in the pan along with any juices that seeped out. Bring to a boil, cover, and then simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. 

Remove chicken from the pan and shred it. Remove the bay leaves, and then pour all of the vegetables and chiles, along with 1 cup of broth, into a blender. Blend until smooth and transfer back to the pan. You can use an immersion blender, but I find that it takes longer and yields a less smooth broth. 

Taste broth for salt. Add the drained, rinsed hominy, lime juice and shredded chicken back into the pot. Cook for 10 minutes so the hominy warms through and the flavors meld together. 

Garnish with cabbage, cilantro, more lime, and radish. Perfection!