Slow-Cooked Red Chili Chicken Posole Rojo

1.Prepare the Dried Chilies: Heat a large, dry skillet over medium heat. Toast the Guajillo and Ancho chilies for 30-60 seconds per side until fragrant (do not burn). Place the toasted chilies in a bowl and cover with 4 cups of hot water. Let them soak for 30 minutes until soft and pliable.

2.Make the Chili Paste: Transfer the soaked chilies (reserving the soaking liquid) to a blender. Add the 4 peeled garlic cloves, the 1/2 small chopped onion, Mexican oregano, cumin, black pepper, and 1/2 tsp salt. Add 1 cup of the reserved chili soaking liquid. Blend until completely smooth, adding more liquid if necessary to achieve a thick, pourable sauce. Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing down on the solids to extract all the liquid. Discard the solids.

3.Sauté Aromatics and Chicken: Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the large diced white onion and sauté for 5-7 minutes until softened. Add the chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.

4.Simmer the Posole: Pour the strained red chili sauce and the 2 litres of chicken stock over the chicken and onions. Add the bay leaves and 1 tbsp of salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer slowly for 2 to 2.5 hours, or until the chicken is fork-tender and the flavors have melded deeply.

5.Shred the Chicken: Remove the chicken pieces from the pot and place them on a cutting board. Using two forks, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Return the shredded chicken to the pot.

6.Add Hominy: Stir in the drained and rinsed hominy. Continue to simmer the posole, uncovered, for another 30 minutes to allow the hominy to absorb the rich broth and the flavors to concentrate. Taste the broth and adjust salt if necessary.

7.Serve: Ladle the hot posole into deep bowls. Serve immediately with bowls of garnishes on the side, allowing each person to customize their bowl with shredded cabbage, radishes, cilantro, diced avocado, a squeeze of lime, and a sprinkle of dried oregano.