Salsa Verde Chicken Tamales made with chicken cooked in salsa verde until fork tender spooned onto a tender masa steamed in a corn husk make for the ultimate holiday feast. Excited to share this Tamale de Pollo con salsa verde recipe with you today.
I cannot imagine Christmas without tamales – chicken, pork, beef, bean or cheese we love them all.
Every year we gather as a familia to make tamales. Our tamalada is my favorite event of the entire year. We make tamales, laugh, eat, sip cocktails and share stories.
Today I want to share with you one of our favorite tamales recipes – Salsa Verde Chicken Tamales
Salsa verde chicken tamales are a hit with the kiddos, pero I love them topped with pickled jalapenos and a scrambled egg the next day. The perfect breakfast to soak up all those cocktails I sipped during the tamalada, ha!
If you are nervous to make tamales at home, no need to worry. Today, I am sharing all my tips & tricks to set your mind at ease when attempting to make salsa verde chicken tamales at home.
Let’s begin with the corn husks.
WHAT ARE CORN HUSKS?
Corn husks are the outer covering of an ear of corn. They are dried and used in making tamales or to encase foods to be steamed. You can find corn husks located near the produce area.
Look for bags of corn husks: free from tears, free of moisture (which causes the husks to mold) and free of debris. Corn husks are used to make tamales, they hold the tamales together and help keep them from drying out. The corn husks allow the steam to penetrate while the tamales cook. You can also find dried corn husks online.
The evening before you are set to make tamales, remove your corn husks from the package. I like to give them a quick look over, to remove any debris, threads, molded corn husks, or torn husks.
Place your husk in a large bowl or container. You want plenty of room for when you add the hot water.
Before we add the corn husk to our container give them a quick rinse under cold water to remove any dirt, dust collected in shipping/storage and any threads.
Place corn husks in the appropriate container, then top with hot water. You will want to weigh down the husks, so they do not float to the top – you want the husks to be submerged in the water the entire time.
When you are ready to assemble your tamales, remove corn husks as needed leaving the remaining to soak. Place on a baking sheet, cover them with a damp paper towel to help retain their moisture. If the corn husks begin to dry out, return to water and allow to soak.
HOW TO MAKE SALSA VERDE SHREDDED CHICKEN IN THE SLOW COOKER
I make my salsa verde shredded chicken filling for my tamales in the slow cooker. Using the slow cooker saves me time. I can make the filling up to four days in advance. Place in the fridge covered until ready to assemble your tamales. Toss everything in the slow cooker and move on with my day.
You can use a homemade salsa verde for the filling or store-bought. Find a salsa verde recipe here.
Place you chicken in the slow cooker, season with salt and pepper. Add salsa verde, garlic powder and cumin. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours, until chicken is fork tender. Use to make tamales.
HOW TO PREPARE MASA FOR TAMALES
Masa is a dough made from finely dried corn kernels that have been soaked in an alkaline solution, which roughly translates to limewater which softens down the corn, which then is grounded down to make masa.
For this recipe we are using masa Harina, (masa flour) which is like flour, but water or broth is added to quickly form a masa ready to be used to make masa. Think of it as “instant” flour. Just add water or broth and you are ready to make tamales, tortillas, gorditas, sopes, huaraches, tylaudas and sopes. You can find it in the Latin aisle of your local grocery store.
I like to prepare my masa a day before assembling my tamales, so we are ready to spread the day of.
The key is you want to break up any clumps while preparing your masa fully incorporating in the spices, broth, or lard you are mixing it. You want your masa to be smooth and easy to spread.
You can prepare your masa in a stand mixer. This is how I prepare my masa. Place lard, vegetable shortening or seasoned oil in an electric mixer and beat until very light, about 1 minute. Add salt and 1 teaspoon of cold water and continue beating until it is white and spongy, a couple more minutes. Add the baking powder and then alternate adding the instant corn masa and the chicken broth a little at a time. Continue beating until dough is homogeneous and as fluffy as can get. You know the tamal masa is ready when you can drop 1/2 teaspoon of the masa in a cup of cold water and it floats.
Store your prepared masa, covered in the fridge until ready to use, for up to three days. When ready to spread, allow masa to come to room temperature for easier spreading.
HOW TO ASSEMBLE TAMALES BEFORE STEAMING
I find placing the damp corn husks on the palm of my hand makes for easier spreading. Using a spoon or knife spread your masa into about a 2 to 3-inch square, the layer should be about 1/4-inch thick, leaving a border of at least 1/2-inch on the sides. Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle of the masa square.
Pick up the two long sides of the corn husk and bring them together (you will see how the masa starts to swaddle the filling) and fold the folded sides to one side, rolling them in same direction around tamal. Fold up the empty section of the husk, with the tapering end, from the bottom up. This will form a closed bottom and the top will be left open.
Place assembled tamales on a baking sheet or baking pan, cover with a damp towel until you are ready to place in a steamer.
HOW TO PREPARE THE TAMALE STEAMER
Place water in the bottom pan of a steamer (so that water is under the steamer) and bring it to a simmer. Line the steamer with one or two layers of soaked corn husks.
HOW TO STEAM TAMALES
When you have all tamales ready, place them, again as vertically as you can, into the prepared steamer with the open end on top. If there is space left in the steamer, tuck in some corn husks, so the tamales won’t dance around. Cover with more corn husks, and steam covered with a lid for 50 minutes to an hour. You know the tamales are ready when they come easily free from the husks. They will still be moist, and as they are released from the husks, you will see the moisture, like when you remove good moist muffins from their paper baking cups.
Finished tamales will stay warm for about 2 hours in the steamer. They can be made ahead several days before and stored in refrigerator, well wrapped. They can also be frozen for months. In either case, reheat in a steamer. For refrigerated tamales, it will take about 20 minutes and about 45 minutes for frozen tamales.
I hope this helps ease your mind of making tamales at home. Prepping in advance and having a few extra hands on-hand will make assembling tamales at home a breeze. Plus, nothing beats a steamy homemade tamale straight from the steamer.
Salsa Verde Chicken Tamales, made with chicken cooked in salsa verde until fork tender spooned onto a tender masa steamed in a corn husk make for the ultimate holiday feast.
- For the masa:
- 3/4 cup lard or vegetable shortening
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon cold water
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pound about 3 1/4 cups instant corn masa flour (masa harina) for tortillas or tamales
- 3 1/2 cups chicken broth add more if needed
- For the Chicken in Salsa Verde
- 4 pounds chicken breast or chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper
- 4 cups salsa verde homemade or store-bought
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- To assemble the tamales:
- 25 dried corn husks soaking in hot water
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To make the masa: Place lard, vegetable shortening or seasoned oil in an electric mixer and beat until very light, about 1 minute. Add salt and 1 teaspoon of cold water and continue beating until it is white and spongy, a couple more minutes. Add the baking powder and then alternate adding the instant corn masa and the chicken broth a little at a time. Continue beating until dough is homogeneous and as fluffy as can get. You know the tamal masa is ready when you can drop 1/2 teaspoon of the masa in a cup of cold water and it floats.
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To make the chicken in salsa verde: Place chicken in slow cooker, season with salt and pepper. Add salsa verde, garlic powder and cumin. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours, until chicken is fork tender. Remove chicken to baking sheet or cutting board, with two forks shred chicken. Use to make tamales.
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To assemble the tamales: Soak the dried corn husks in hot water for at least 30 minutes or overnight. They should be pliable, and drain. Lay out a corn husk with the tapering end towards you. Spread about 3 tablespoons of masa into about a 2 to 3-inch square, the layer should be about 1/4-inch thick, leaving a border of at least 1/2-inch on the sides. Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle of the masa square.
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Pick up the two long sides of the corn husk and bring them together (you will see how the masa starts to swaddle the filling) and fold the folded sides to one side, rolling them in same direction around tamal. Fold up the empty section of the husk, with the tapering end, from the bottom up. This will form a closed bottom and the top will be left open.
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Assemble all the tamales and place them as vertically as you can in a container.
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To prepare the tamalera or steamer: Place water in the bottom pan of a steamer (so that water is under the steamer) and bring it to a simmer. Line the steamer with one or two layers of soaked corn husks.
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To cook the tamales: When you have all tamales ready, place them, again as vertically as you can, into the prepared steamer with the open end on top. If there is space left in the steamer, tuck in some corn husks, so the tamales won’t dance around. Cover with more corn husks, and steam covered with a lid for 50 minutes to an hour. You know the tamales are ready when they come easily free from the husks. They will still be moist, and as they are released from the husks, you will see the moisture, like when you remove good moist muffins from their paper baking cups.
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Finished tamales will stay warm for about 2 hours in the steamer. They can be made ahead several days before and stored in refrigerator, well wrapped. They can also be frozen for months. In either case, reheat in a steamer. For refrigerated tamales, it will take about 20 minutes and about 45 minutes for frozen tamales.
MAKES 18 tamales
COOKING TIME 1 hour 20 minutes
recipe adapted from Pati Jinich
Lots of good tips thank you