Chicken Tamales

These chicken tamales, moist and stuffed with flavorful chicken and tomatillo salsa, have everything you want in your tamales. Learn to make them with this step-by-step recipe.

If you would like green tamales with chicken that do not include lard, follow this recipe here, for chile verde tamales with pork check this recipe out.

This is the recipe I made with Tiffany from Tiff & Case. You can see the video of that day here. We had so much fun!

Chicken Tamales

Servings: approx 35 tamales (4 inches long)

Ingredients

40-50 corn husks

For the filling

• 2.5 pounds chicken breast
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 2 large bay leaves
• 10-15 black peppercorns
• 3 1/2 tsp salt (divided)
• 1 white onion (divided in half)
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/2 pounds tomatillos, peeled and washed
• 2 serrano peppers
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 large bunch of fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp olive oil

For the Masa

• 265 grams lard (1 1/4 cup)
• 500 grams corn flour for making tortillas (~4 cups)
• 3-4 cups chicken broth
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

Process

Cook the Chicken

Place chicken, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, half an onion in a pot, cover with approximately 4 cups of water, and place over high heat.

When the water starts to boil lower the temperature and simmer for 35-40 minutes until chicken is tender. Set aside.

Soak the Corn Husks

Place the corn husks in a large bowl or pot and cover with boiling water until soft, approximately 30-40 minutes. The husks tend to float in water, so place another pot filled with water on top of them to hold them underwater.

Make the Chicken Filling

Next, put tomatillos, 1/2 onion, 2 serrano peppers, 2 teaspoons salt, oregano, cilantro, 2 cooked garlic cloves from the chicken broth and 1/4 cup chicken broth in a blender, and mix until smooth.

Pour 1 tsp olive oil into a medium-size pot and add the salsa from the blender. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the salsa changes color from bright green to olive green.

Shred the cooked chicken, add to the pot with the salsa and mix with a spoon. Set aside.

Make the Masa

Place lard in a mixer bowl and beat until very soft and creamy, approximately 5-7 minutes.

In a separate bowl mix together corn flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt.

Add half of the dry ingredients to the softened lard and keep beating at low speed until well integrated. (If you don’t have a mixer, you can mix by hand). Add the remaining dry ingredients and continue beating until integrated. The mixture will look like coarse sand.

Start by adding 1 cup of the chicken broth until well integrated. Add a second cup until well integrated. At this point, turn off the mixer, remove the bowl, and add another 1/2 cup of chicken broth and mix with your hands or a spoon but the hands are better.

Continue adding more liquid until you get a soft and spreadable creamy peanut butter-like consistency masa. Cover with a kitchen towel.

Assembling the Tamales

Remove corn husks from the water and squeeze them to remove excess water, then dry them with a kitchen towel.

Next, take 2 or 3 of the husks, depending on their sizes, and separate them into strips 1/4 inch thick to use as ties for securing the tamales (See photos or video).

Now take a whole corn husk and spread 1-2 tablespoons of masa on half the corn husk, starting 1/2 inch from the top of the wider end and leaving 1 inch of the husk clear of masa to one side.

Add a teaspoon of the chicken filling in the middle of the masa. Fold both sides to cover the filling, the side with no masa will be on top. Then fold the tamal in half and tie. Continue until you’ve used all the masa.

Steaming the Tamales

Fill your tamalera or steamer with water, but make sure that the water does not touch the tamales when they are placed in it. Cover the bottom of the tamalera colander with a few corn husks and place your tamales inside vertically, with the open side up.

Place some corn husks on top of the tamales, then with a wet kitchen towel. Cover and, over high heat, steam for 1 hour. Always carefully open your tamalera or steamer to avoid steam injury.

Make sure to check on the water level of the steamer a couple of times so it doesn’t run dry. After 1 hour, turn off the heat and let them rest for 10 minutes. Remove tamales with tongs.

Enjoy!

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4.88 from 16 votes

Chicken Tamales

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time2 hrs 30 mins

Total Time2 hrs 45 mins

Servings: 35

Calories: 168kcal

Ingredients

• 40-50 corn husks

For the filling

• 2.5 pounds chicken breast
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 2 large bay leaves
• 10-15 black peppercorns
• 3 1/2 tsp salt divided
• 1 white onion divided in half
• 4 cups water
• 1 1/2 pounds tomatillos peeled and washed
• 2 serrano peppers
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 large bunch of fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp olive oil

For the Masa

• 265 grams lard 1 1/4 cup
• 500 grams corn flour for making tortillas ~4 cups
• 3-4 cups chicken broth
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

Cook the Chicken

• Place chicken, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, half an onion in a pot, cover with approximately 4 cups of water, and place over high heat.
• When the water starts to boil lower the temperature and simmer for 35-40 minutes until chicken is tender. Set aside.

Soak the Corn Husks

• Place the corn husks in a large bowl or pot and cover with boiling water until soft, approximately 30-40 minutes. The husks tend to float in water, so place another pot filled with water on top of them to hold them underwater.

Make the Chicken Filling

• Next, put tomatillos, 1/2 onion, 2 serrano peppers, 2 teaspoons salt, oregano, cilantro, 2 cooked garlic cloves from the chicken broth and 1/4 cup chicken broth in a blender, and mix until smooth.
• Pour 1 tsp olive oil into a medium-size pot and add the salsa from the blender. Cook for 10-15 minutes until the salsa changes color from bright green to olive green.
• Shred the cooked chicken, add to the pot with the salsa and mix with a spoon. Set aside.

Make the Masa

• Place lard in a mixer bowl and beat until very soft and creamy, approximately 5-7 minutes.
• In a separate bowl mix together corn flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt.
• Add half of the dry ingredients to the softened lard and keep beating at low speed until well integrated. (If you don’t have a mixer, you can mix by hand). Add the remaining dry ingredients and continue beating until integrated. The mixture will look like coarse sand.
• Start by adding 1 cup of the chicken broth until well integrated. Add a second cup until well integrated. At this point, turn off the mixer, remove the bowl, and add another 1/2 cup of chicken broth and mix with your hands or a spoon but the hands are better.
• Continue adding more liquid until you get a soft and spreadable creamy peanut butter-like consistency masa. Cover with a kitchen towel.

Assembling the Tamales

• Remove corn husks from the water and squeeze them to remove excess water, then dry them with a kitchen towel.
• Next, take 2 or 3 of the husks, depending on their sizes, and separate them into strips 1/4 inch thick to use as ties for securing the tamales (See photos or video).
• Now take a whole corn husk and spread 1-2 tablespoons of masa on half the corn husk, starting 1/2 inch from the top of the wider end and leaving 1 inch of the husk clear of masa to one side.
• Add a teaspoon of the chicken filling in the middle of the masa. Fold both sides to cover the filling, the side with no masa will be on top. Then fold the tamal in half and tie. Continue until you’ve used all the masa.

Steaming the Tamales

• Fill your tamalera or steamer with water, but make sure that the water does not touch the tamales when they are placed in it. Cover the bottom of the tamalera colander with a few corn husks and place your tamales inside vertically, with the open side up.
• Place some corn husks on top of the tamales, then with a wet kitchen towel. Cover and, over high heat, steam for 1 hour. Always carefully open your tamalera or steamer to avoid steam injury.
• Make sure to check on the water level of the steamer a couple of times so it doesn’t run dry. After 1 hour, turn off the heat and let them rest for 10 minutes. Remove tamales with tongs.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Chicken Tamales

Amount per Serving

Calories

168

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

9

g

14

%

Saturated Fat

 

3

g

19

%

Trans Fat

 

1

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Cholesterol

 

26

mg

9

%

Sodium

 

425

mg

18

%

Potassium

 

234

mg

7

%

Carbohydrates

 

13

g

4

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

1

g

1

%

Protein

 

9

g

18

%

Vitamin A

 

38

IU

1

%

Vitamin C

 

5

mg

6

%

Calcium

 

34

mg

3

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Mexican Classics

Cuisine: Mexican

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: chicken tamales, how to make green tamales, how to make mexican tamales

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• Author
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Silvia Martinez

Silvia started bilingual website Mama Latina Tips in 2009 to connect and share her stories, recipes and culture with readers. Silvia loves dancing, cooking, watching movies, reading, throwing Mexican parties and spending time with family and friends. Silvia is the winner of The Great American Recipe.

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