Make your friends and family feel special this holiday season when you take the time to make Authentic Chicken Tamales. Unique and definitely different than your typical holiday fare, these tamales will be devoured in no time!
Tamales are anything but quick and simple, but there’s nothing quite like a fresh tamale (or five) to satisfy your cravings for Mexican cuisine. Tamales are pretty versatile because you can use pork, beef, chicken, or really any other meat that you desire. For this authentic recipe, we decided to use chicken since we like to keep things a little lighter if at all possible. You might find tamale making a little intimidating, but although quite time consuming, these Homemade Authentic Chicken Tamales aren’t that difficult to make and the payoff is worth it. Start a new family tradition this holiday season by making fresh tamales. Your family and friends will thank you!
- 30 dried corn husks
- For the Chicken Filling:
- 2 lb chicken breast, boiled and shredded
- 1 lb small tomatoes, diced
- 1 ancho chile pepper, stem and seeds removed
- 2 large garlic cloves, peeled
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- For the Batter:
- 10 oz vegetable shortening
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 4 cups masa harina
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- Submerge the husks in hot water, weight with a plate to keep them from floating up, and let them soak for 1-2 hours until they are pliable.
- For the Filling:
- In a food processor or blender, blend the diced tomatoes, ancho chile pepper, and garlic to a smooth purée.
- In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the oil, add the purée and heat and stir until noticeably darker, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add 2 cups of chicken broth to the purée and stir and heat until thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the shredded chicken and cilantro just to mix, remove from heat, and set aside.
- For the Batter:
- With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, mix the vegetable shortening with the baking powder until light in texture, about 1 minute. (You can do this by hand, but it will take much longer.)
- Slowly mix in the masa harina and beat on medium-low until blended.
- Add in 1 cup of low sodium chicken broth and beat to dough consistency. Tip: Test the dough by placing ½ teaspoon in cold water. If it floats, your tamales will be nice and tender.
- Prepare the Tamales:
- Lay out 24 of the largest, most pliable husks, and pat them dry with a towel.
- Spread ¼ cup of batter onto husk into a 4" square. You'll have about a ¾" to 1" border on the sides.
- Spoon 2 tablespoons of the chicken filling along the center of the batter.
- Pick up the 2 long sides of the corn husk and bring them together, causing the batter to surround the filling.
- Roll up the narrow end of the husk to form the tamale, leaving the top open, and tie with a loose piece of husk to keep closed if necessary.
- Repeat with remaining husks, dough, and filling.
- Cook the Tamales:
- Set a steamer basket in a large pot filled with 1 to 2 inches of water.
- Arrange the tamales standing up in the steamer, folded-side down.
- Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover and steam until the tamales pull away from the husks, about 1 hour.
- Remove from the steamer and let cool slightly before unwrapping.
We hope you enjoy this recipe for Authentic Chicken Tamales as much as we do. This is a time-consuming recipe, but the results are amazing! If you love this delicious recipe, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter so that you never miss another one like it. For daily recipe inspiration, like us on Facebook, follow us on Pinterest, and stop by our Google+ Community to see all of the amazing recipes our community members are sharing. Enjoy!
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