Samantha Aramburu
Part-time salsa taste tester, full-time Don Aramburu content manger.
Chicken Pozole
Pozole just might be the most comforting dish we make at the Aramburu household, and we are all about comfort food. There’s something about a good Pozole Rojo that makes you feel at peace, which is something we’ve lacked past few weeks.
In between working full-time jobs and running a salsa company, we’ve also been busy trying to get ready for our baby girl to make her way into the world. It’s been exciting and stressful, and our mealtime has gone downhill as a result (hello, take and bake.) Last night, we finally had a few hours to ourselves, and we decided to use it to make this delicious shredded chicken pozole.
History
Pozole is a traditional Mexican stew that has been around since the pre-Columbian era. Despite a rather dark history, it has remained popular for hundreds of years.
Pozole is both a celebratory dish and something that is eaten more casually. It traditionally combines pork, hominy and a mix of vegetable toppings. Pozole has three types – blano or white, which doesn’t include a specific sauce, verde or green, which is usually prepared with tomatillos, cilantro and jalapenos, or rojo or red, which is usually prepared with one or more red chiles.
Pozole can take hours to make, and honestly, the longer the better. The flavors need to get to know each other in the pot, much like Kevin Malone’s chili. Pozole can be an all-day activity if you’re committed to getting the best experience possible.
The Don Aramburu Take
We didn’t have all day to prep our dish, so we only spent about three hours on it. Additionally, although Pozole traditionally calls for pork, we usually make ours with chicken. This is less traditional but still a common take on the dish, and it’s the way we’ve always done it.
Our Pozole Rojo is best with a fresh jar of Don Aramburu Guajillo Salsa! Just dump the jar in the with the rest of the ingredients, let the flavors simmer, and you’ll have an incredible meal – whether celebratory or casual.
The Recipe
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- Don Aramburu Guajillo Salsa
- Salt
- 3 15oz cans white hominy, drained and rinsed
- 1.5 lbs shredded chicken
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoons dry oregano (Mexican oregano if available)
Garnishes (can prep while pozole is cooking):
- 1/2 small cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
- white onion, diced
- avocados, chopped
- 4 limes, quartered
- 1 bunch red radishes, sliced thin
- Bag of tostadas
Instructions:
Chicken
- Add chicken with salt, pepper and garlic to instant pot
- Add water:
- 6-quart Instant Pot: add 1 cup water
- 3-quart Instant Pot: add 3/4 cup water
- 8-quart Instant Pot: add 1 1/2 cups water
3. Pressure cook chicken for 8 minutes on high
4. Shred chicken
Pozole
- Boil 2.5 quarts water
- Reduce heat once water is boiling
- Rinse and drain hominy, add to pot
- Add shredded chicken
- Add bay leaf, garlic, salt, cumin, oregano
- Stir and simmer 15 mins
- Add Guajillo salsa
- Stir and let simmer for at least an hour
- Prepare garnish
- Serve warm