My grandfather died on a December day so many years ago that I hardly remember him. But since then the whole family used to gather together the same day in December at the farm. We call that ‘Cabo de año”. It is a ceremony or religious service performed on the anniversary of a person’s death. Our family had a mass service at night but during the day it looked more like a family celebration.
Chicken in Green Salsa Tamales
I have memories of those gatherings been like a big party. There were so many relatives to count all of them. There was a prayer time in the evening that will be the culmination of the day of remembrance. But for me, the big attraction will be the cooking going on in the kitchen. The men will arrive very early in the morning to kill the pig. Yes, a large pig that has been fed the whole year for this purpose. Part of the animal will be cooked as Carnitas and Chicharrones and some of the different stew dishes that will be served during lunch. But after that, all the women and some men of the family will get into the main dish for dinner.
Making tamales. Everyone will be working together for the “Tamalada” ( a tamale-making party, well sort of….)You could hear stories being told from times long gone, funny ones and even scary ones, during those Tamales making time. That is the fun part of making tamales that the family get together to make them as a family affair and you have a nice time not only eating them but making them. But if you want to cook tamales and your relatives are far away, invite your neighbors or your friends. You will have a memorable time cooking together.
Tamales are traditionally made of a corn-based dough, it’s Nahuatl name is: tamale. Meaning wrapped corn. It is steamed in a leaf wrapper. The most common wrapping is a corn husk, a banana leave, avocado leaves, hoja santa, and other non-toxic leaves used in some regions of Mexico. The wrapping is discarded before eating. There are more than 500 varieties of tamales but like a sandwich, your imagination is the limit. Tamales can be filled with meats, cheese, vegetables, chilies or any preparation according to taste. One time while cooking tamales at my aunt’s house we run of the filling and start looking into the fridge to see what else can we use as a filling. There were some leftover beef tips in a Mexican style sauce and that is what we used to finish it up the rest of the dough. Those tamales were the best of that batch.
How to make Chicken in Green Salsa Tamales
Cooking the chicken:
- Place the chicken, onion, and garlic in a pot. Cover with water and over medium heat until meat is tender. Cool and shred the chicken. (Please check the ingredients list below)
- Mix with the chicken with the sauce in a bowl.
- Cook the tomatoes, peppers, and garlic in a pot with water.
- Place the tomatoes, peppers, and garlic in the blender and puree.
- Season with salt.
For the dough:
- In a large bowl beat the lard until it changes to lighter color. Add slowly the corn masa harina, baking powder, and chicken broth. Mix well and taste to season with salt. Beat until all ingredients are well combined.
The corn husk:
- Remove the husks from their package and place the husks to soak in a warm bath of water for 40 minutes.
- Remove the husks from their warm bath, dry with the cloth or paper towels.
- Place the corn husk on your work surface with the wide end facing towards you. Place about 2-3 tablespoons of dough in the center but closer to the bottom of the corn husk spreading evenly. Top with 2 tablespoons of the chicken-green sauce filling in the center of the husk. Fold one side of the husk to the center and fold the other side to the center, too. Fold the bottom towards the center.
- Line the tamales on a tray while you are finishing up with the rest of the assembly process. Getting your pot ready for steaming. Add 3 cups of hot water to the pot and place the steamer rack. Place a layer of corn husk on the steamer rack.
- Place the tamales in a standing position.
- Cover with a layer of the corn husks and a dish towel and the pot lid. Steam for about 60 minutes in a medium heat or after taking one tamal and checking if the husk easily separates from the dough. Serve while still hot.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN IN GREEN SALSA TAMALES
Ingredients
- 5 cups of dry masa harina for tamales
- 13 ounces of lard 1 and 3/4 cups
- You can use shortening and even vegetable oil
- About 6 cups of chicken broth of more in case dough is too dry
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Salt to taste
Filling:
- 1 ½ pound of chicken breast to make about 4 cups of shredded chicken
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 thick slices of onion
- water to cover
Sauce
- 1 ½ pound of tomatillos green tomatoes husk removed
- 6 serrano peppers or 4 jalapenos
- 2 cloves of garlic peeled
- Salt to taste
- About 45 Corn husk for wrapping
Cooking the chicken:
- Place the chicken onion, and garlic in a pot. Cover with water and over medium heat until meat is tender. Cool and shred the chicken.
- Mix with the chicken with the sauce in a bowl and set aside.
Instructions
The sauce:
- Cook the tomatoes, peppers, and garlic in a pot with water. Until they are cooked and tender.
- Place the tomatoes, peppers,
- and garlic in the blender and puree until smooth.
- Season with salt.
For the dough:
- In a large bowl beat the lard until it changes to lighter color. This can be done with the help of your mixer or by hand. Add slowly the corn masa harina, baking powder, and chicken broth. Mix well and taste to season with salt. Beat until all ingredients are well combined and the dough is light and spongy.
The corn husk:
- Remove the husks from their package and place the husks to soak in a warm bath of water for 40 minutes. This could be done in a large pot or in your kitchen sink. This step will help to soften the husks and easily be pliable while wrapping the corn dough.
Assembling the tamales:
- Remove the husks from their warm bath, dry with the cloth or paper towels.
- Place the corn husk on your work surface with the wide end facing towards you. Place about 2-3 tablespoons of dough in the center but closer to the bottom of the corn husk spreading evenly. Top with 2 tablespoons of the chicken-green sauce filling in the center of the husk. Fold one side of the husk to the center and fold the other side to the center, too. Fold the bottom towards the center. Repeat process with remaining husks and filling.
- Line the tamales on a tray while you are finishing up with the rest of the assembly process. Getting your pot ready for steaming. Add 3 cups of hot water to the pot and place the steamer rack. Place a layer of corn husk on the steamer rack. (Note: you do not need to buy a tamal steamer pot if you don’t have it already. Just improvise with what you already have).
- Place the tamales in a standing position.
- Cover with a layer of the corn husks and a dish towel and the pot lid. Steam for about 60 minutes in a medium heat or after taking one tamal and checking if the husk easily separates from the dough. Check during the steaming time in case the steamer need more water. Be careful while removing the lid. Serve while still hot. When done wait for 10 minutes the dough will firm up after that.
- To reheat a tamal I use the convenience of the microwave. It just needs 1 minute in high per tamal. You can also steam it again to warm it up and the other option is to place it on a hot griddle turning 2 or 3 times until warm.
Tamales keep well in your freezer for a couple of months.
Nutrition
¡Buen provecho!
Mely,
Mely chula, qué ricura de tamales, como para echarnos una platicada larga y tendida y mientras picar cada uno de estos.
Te mando muchos abrazos y bendiciones para este año nuevo.
se feliz
Esos tamales se ven delicious!!! tengo que tratar de hacelos pronto….Feliz Año nuevo!
Mely, esta es la receta perfecta para las que vivimos en USA y para principiantes, hice los tamales la semana pasada y quedaron deliciosos, no les sobro ni les falto nada, definitivamente el relleno es al gusto de cada quien! Quede tan feliz con el resultado que quiero hacerlos otra vez con diferentes rellenos!!
Muchas Gracias por compartir tus recetas !!
Marytere (recuerda que entro con la cuenta de mi esposo)
Un beso
Yo ya hice estos tamales porque les tengo respetillo a los otros, así que puedo asegurar que ésta receta está buenísima…
Gracias Mely !!
Oh goodness tomorrow well actualy today bc its already 1:08 am jeje me and my friend Ana will be trying to make our first batch of tamales how nerve wracking! i will be following your recipe but Im sure she will want to tewak a few things since she has her moms recipe lol well wish us luck! we will be feeding lots of people of they better come out right!
Merry Christmas! -Maria O.
Tomorrow well actually today its already 1:13 am me and my friend Ana will be making our first batch of tamales lol I will be following your recipe but I'm sure she will want to tweak a few things since she has her moms recipe but reading this will help me a bit. Well hope our tamales come out good we will be feeding lots of people so they better come out awesome! Thanks for the info Merry Christmas!
Maria G Ornelas
Have a happy cooking an Merry Christmas!
Mely
gr8 story mely I remember the tamaladas way back they were so much fun the ladies would gather around the cocina laughing and telling stories about days gone by and about family members no longer with wello Roman was always part of that conversation rest his soul mi suegra tambien may she rip they were such fun times and memories actually that wen I first learned to make tamales at a tamalada wen I was 14 today I'm making a batch for me and my hubby we always make them together
I enjoy your stories
Hi, LOOOOOVE your recipes. Made several of them, including this recipe for chicken in green salsa tamales, and they are all DELISH!! Question- would you happen by chance have a good recipe for a sweet tamale??
Hola!
Quisiera saber si ahi una diferencia en la harina de maíz para las tortillas y la harina de maíz para los tamales? Pienso que no…. Voy hacer mi primer intento para hacer tamales esté fin de semana 🙂 aver que tal me va jajaja. Pero si se lo agradecería si me podrías decir si ahi una diferencia.
Hola,
I would like to know if there's a difference between the regular maseca corn flour for corn tortillas and corn flour for tamales?
I plan on making these tamales for the first time (I've never make tamales before) . But I'm curious if there's a difference between the corn flour, because I've heard ppl use either or… Wish me luck jajaja 🙂
Hello Bella,
Yes, there is a difference in the dough texture. If you use the flour for tamales, the texture will resemble the tamale dough from those tamales in Central Mexico, the ones made using "Masa quebrada" coarse corn dough. The flour for tortillas gives you a smoother dough, but you need to beat the dough very well. If you do not beat it enough, the dough using tortilla flour could come out a little bit in the hard side. Just make sure the dough is creamy and airy.
Please let me know your end results.
Mely
Hola Mely!!
Well I went on ahead and used the harina for corn tortillas.
They turned out D-lish!…..Of course, thanks to your awesome step by step recipe ^_^
Thank you very much!
Saludos desde Austin, tx
Thanks for posting this comprehensive recipe! It is hard to find recipes for chicken tamales on the net. And your photos are very helpful as well. Merry Christmas — Feliz Navidad!
Nice. I've been looking around to find a simple recipe and this looks right up in my alley! Yay!
What is a different way to make a vaporadora if you don't have one ? Help please…
Hello,
If you don’t have a Tamal Steamer, you can improvise, by placing large pieces of crinkled aluminum foil at the bottom of the pot, and then adding some of the leftover corn husks, to form a barrier to avoid contact with the bottom of the pot.
I hope you can check this post where I added a picture. black beans tamales
Mely, thank you for the great instructions, this will be a first time effort for me. I am using my pork meat from yesterday's tacos, fire roasted corn and a little cheese inside. I bought my corn husks yesterday at the local Mexican store. They were impressed I was preparing to make tamales!
So we are having these for tonight, along with lime drink, and with Tres Leches for dessert. Which by the way, hubby and I had some last night as soon as I got the whipping cream on. He declared it much better cake than the last recipe I had tried. I told him I got all the latest foods off of your blog and we agreed you must be a wonderful cook! Thank you for sharing.
Hello Teresa,
Thank you for trying the recipes. So glad to know you are enjoying them. You must a great cook too!
Could you tell me how much ingredients I would need to use 5 lb. bag of Maseca? I’m making for the 3 of us and friends out of state that have requested them. I live in a small town and it’s the first time not using masa preparada. Thank you and I love your authentic recipes. My late mother was from Veracruz.
Hello Corina,
A friend of mine that sells tamales, gave the quantities she uses for one (5 lbs) bag of maseca. She uses the maseca bag, one (32 oz) container of lard, and one (10 lbs) bag of chicken quarters. I hope this helps.
Thank you for your wonderful recipes and tutorials! Yesterday I made tamales for the first time ever and they were a huge hit! I used your pork tamale recipe and the family absolutely loved it.
We didn’t have any lard so I whipped coconut oil and used that. It worked great.
When the day was done we had 7 dozen tamales! I have such a happy family right now!
Hello Melanie,
Wow! great job! Remember that you can freeze some of those tamales!