EASY TAMALES (GREEN CHILE CHICKEN TAMALES)

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INGREDIENTS

For the chicken:

1.5 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken breast tenders cleaned

1 head of garlic cut in half lengthwise

1 large white onion peeled with the ends cut off

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon chicken broth powder

8 cups water or enough to cover the chicken with 1 inch to spare at the top

For the sauce:

6-7 large tomatillos peeled, washed, and cut into four pieces

1 large white onion peeled and cut in half

6 cloves garlic peeled

2 jalapeños with the stems cut off

1 serrano chile with the stem cut off

4 ½ cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

1 bunch of cilantro

1 teaspoon cumin powder

For the masa:

¾ cup vegetable shortening

4 cups instant yellow corn masa flour I prefer the Maseca brand

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste

5-7 cups chicken broth from the boiled chicken

Other ingredients:

30 corn husks

10 ounces Queso Fresco (I prefer the Cacique brand)


INSTRUCTIONS

 Corn Husk Prep

Separate the corn husks from each other and remove any threads of silk.

In a stockpot over high heat, bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the corn husks, making sure to keep the husks separate. Let them soak for at least 1 hour before using them.

Chicken

To a medium saucepan, add chicken breast, garlic, onion, chicken bouillon, and 6-8 cups of water. Water should be an inch above the ingredients.

Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through; about 10-12 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a plate and strain the vegetables and broth through a fine-mesh strainer, reserving and setting aside the broth to use again.

Sauce

Meanwhile, in another pot, cook the ingredients for the sauce.

Add the tomatillos, white onion, garlic, jalapeños, serranos, chicken broth, and salt to a large boiling pot and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the tomatillos start to turn yellow.

Strain the vegetables from the broth (no need to reserve) and add them to a blender. Sprinkle in cumin powder.

Let cool for 10-15 minutes, then blend until a smooth sauce forms. Pour into a large mixing bowl. Reserve about ¾ cup of the sauce and set it aside for use in the dough.

Filling

Pour the reserved broth into one of the saucepans simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Shred the chicken, add it to the large bowl of sauce and stir to combine. Stir in the queso fresco. If the chicken mixture seems dry, add the warmed chicken broth a little bit at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Add salt to taste.

Masa

To the large bowl of a stand mixer, add vegetable shortening and whip until fluffy and smooth (about 5 minutes).

In a separate bowl, mix together the instant corn flour, baking powder and salt then beat into the shortening until well incorporated.

Gradually add chicken stock, a little at a time, and beat on low speed until all broth has been added and a dough has formed. Increase speed to medium and beat for 10 minutes, until the dough is nice and fluffy. Pour in the reserve ¾ cup of green sauce and mix again on medium-low speed for several minutes. Taste and add more salt as needed. Cover with a damp paper towel so it doesn’t dry out.

Tamale Assembly (visual instructions are included in the post)

Lay a cornhusk, rough side down, on a flat surface or hold it in your hand. Spread about 2-3 tablespoons of masa onto the lower half of the corn husk, leaving a small border at the bottom. Spread the masa out evenly, not too thin or thick.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture to the center. Fold in the sides of the husks then fold down the top, like a burrito. Repeat until all of the fillings are used. Discard any leftover masa.

Optional: tie the husks with a small shred of husk or some cooking string. This isn’t always necessary but will help to hold the husk in place and could be helpful in identifying if you are making different varieties of fillings. A

Steam the tamales

Add water to the bottom of a large pot and add a steamer basket.

Add three or four small pieces of soaked corn husks to the bottom of the pot. Smash a large piece of aluminum foil into a ball and add it to the center of the pan.

Place filled and wrapped tamales, standing open side up, into the pot. Lean against the foil and work your way out. Slide three or four large corn husks down the sides of the pan around the tamales and cover the pot with the lid.

Turn heat to medium-high and cook for one hour, adding water down the side of the pot every 15-20 minutes or whenever the water has run out. Be careful not to pour the water over the tamales and don’t fill above the steamer basket.

To test for doneness, pull a tamale from the pot and try to remove the husk. If it separates easily, it’s done. If not, cook for an additional 15 minutes or more as needed.

Remove the pan from the heat and let the tamales cool for 15-30 minutes before serving.

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