Why You’ll Love This this Mexican Chicken Pozole
This pozole brings all the warm, soul-warming atmosphere of a traditional Mexican kitchen right to your dinner table, with tender chicken that practically melts in your mouth and hominy that adds this perfect chewy texture.
You’ll love how the chili powder and cumin create this rich, earthy flavor that makes your whole house smell like a fiesta, while the fresh cabbage and radish toppings add that satisfying crunch that makes every spoonful feel complete.
The best part is how forgiving this recipe is – you can prep the chicken ahead, let everything simmer while you catch up on your favorite show, and still end up with a restaurant-quality soup that’ll have everyone asking for seconds.
Ingredients List
Getting this pozole on your table starts with gathering just a handful of pantry staples and fresh ingredients that work together like a perfectly choreographed dance.
- 2 lbs chicken breasts
- 2 (16 ounce) cans hominy
- 4 (8 ounce) cans chicken broth
- 1/2 cup chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 head cabbage
- 1/2 dozen radish
A Few Things Worth Mentioning About These Ingredients:
- This recipe packs a serious protein punch with those 2 pounds of chicken breast, giving you lean muscle-building goodness without the extra fat
- The hominy brings fiber and complex carbs to keep you satisfied longer than your average soup
- Fresh cabbage and radishes add vitamin C and antioxidants, plus they’re basically calorie-free crunch machines
- Watch the sodium since you’ve got broth, bouillon cubes, and added salt working together – taste as you go if you’re keeping an eye on that
- The olive oil keeps things heart-healthy, though there’s just a tablespoon so it won’t weigh you down
Step by Step Directions
Making this authentic Mexican pozole is surprisingly straightforward and delivers restaurant-quality results right from your home kitchen.
- Cube the chicken breast into medium-sized pieces.
- Mix chili powder, cumin, and salt in a zip-lock bag.
- Add cubed chicken to the dry ingredients, ensuring all pieces are well-coated.
- Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan until hot.
- Add seasoned chicken to the pan and cook thoroughly.
- Transfer cooked chicken, broth, and hominy to a large pot.
- Let the hominy cook for about 10 minutes.
- Add chicken bouillon cubes to the pot.
- Continue cooking for another 30 minutes.
- While the pozole simmers, chop the cabbage and dice the radishes.
- Serve hot with chopped cabbage and diced radishes on top.
For an even more authentic experience, consider serving your pozole on traditional Mexican clay cookware that enhances the earthy flavors of this beloved dish.
Substitutions and Variations
• Different toppings – Lime wedges, diced avocado, chopped cilantro, or even crushed tortilla chips can replace or join those radishes and cabbage.
Really, your fridge leftovers might be the best garnish you never planned for.
• Make it green – Traditional pozole verde uses tomatillos and green chiles instead of all that red chili powder, which completely changes the flavor profile but keeps the soul of the dish intact.
Additional Things to Serve With This Dish
Pozole is basically a warm hug in a bowl, but sometimes you need more than just hugs to make a proper meal.
- Warm corn tortillas – Because nobody should face pozole without something to scoop and dip, and honestly, store-bought tortillas heated in a dry skillet for 30 seconds each side work perfectly fine.
- Mexican rice – The kind with tomatoes and onions that soaks up all those wonderful pozole drippings, turning your bowl into a complete comfort food encounter.
- Simple quesadillas – Cheese melted between tortillas gives you that crispy texture contrast, plus kids will actually eat something on their plate without negotiating.
- Fresh salsa verde – The tangy brightness cuts through all that rich, chili-kissed broth, and you probably have the ingredients sitting in your produce drawer right now.
- Refried beans – They might seem like overkill, but trust the process, because sometimes more beans is exactly what your soul needs.
- Cold Mexican beer – Not exactly food, but pozole and beer have been best friends longer than most marriages, and the bubbles help reset your palate between spoonfuls.
Cooking Tips & Tricks (Chef’s Notes)
Every pozole recipe has its secrets, and I’m about to share the ones that make this dish actually work instead of just exist in your pot.
- Don’t skip the chicken coating step – That chili powder mixture isn’t just seasoning, it’s creating a flavor crust that keeps the chicken from turning into those sad, flavorless chunks we’ve all encountered in disappointing soups.
- Get your pan properly hot before adding chicken – We’re talking about that moment when a drop of water sizzles and dances, because lukewarm oil just steams your chicken instead of giving it that golden edge.
- Let the hominy have its moment – Those 10 minutes of cooking time aren’t optional, they’re when the hominy releases its corn essence into the broth and stops tasting like canned disappointment.
- Taste before adding that second bouillon cube – Some brands are saltier than others, and nobody wants to rescue an oversalted pot of pozole at 6 PM on a Tuesday.
- Keep your toppings cool and crisp – Dice the radishes right before serving and keep that cabbage chilled, because warm, wilted vegetables on hot soup is like wearing socks with sandals.
- Don’t overthink the chicken size – Medium cubes means roughly bite-sized, not perfect little geometric shapes that take you an hour to cut.
Nutritional Facts
This hearty Mexican comfort food delivers substantial nutrition along with authentic flavors, making it a well-balanced meal option.
- Calories: Approximately 320-350 per serving (serves 6-8)
- Protein: 28-32 grams per serving from chicken breast, providing essential amino acids for muscle maintenance
- Carbohydrates: 25-30 grams primarily from hominy, supplying sustained energy and fiber
- Fat: 8-12 grams, mostly from olive oil and minimal natural chicken fat
- Fiber: 6-8 grams from hominy, cabbage, and radishes supporting digestive health
- Sodium: 1,200-1,400mg per serving (mainly from broth and bouillon cubes)
- Vitamin C: Significant amounts from cabbage and radishes, boosting immune function
- Iron: Good source from chicken and fortified hominy
- Potassium: High levels from chicken broth and vegetables, supporting heart health
- B Vitamins: Substantial B6 and niacin from chicken, plus folate from hominy
- Antioxidants: Capsaicin from chili powder and various compounds from radishes provide anti-inflammatory benefits
- Low saturated fat: Under 3 grams per serving when using lean chicken breast
Fun “Did You Know?”
When ancient Aztecs first created pozole, they used human flesh instead of chicken or pork as the protein source, making it a ritualistic dish served during religious ceremonies.
I find it fascinating that Spanish colonizers banned this practice, leading to today’s chicken and pork versions.
The word “pozole” comes from the Nahuatl word “pozolli,” meaning “foamy,” referring to how hominy kernels bloom when cooked.
Here’s something cool: hominy isn’t just corn—it’s corn treated with lime or lye, which removes the hull and makes nutrients more bioavailable.
This ancient superfood technique still nourishes families today.
