The beauty of these chicken tamales is that the filling is versatile and easy to prepare. All you need is time for assembling the tamales and a little patience while the tamales steam.
The Best Tip for the Most Flavorful Tamales
The chile verde gives the tamales their delicious flavor. It’s made by blending tomatillos, serrano and jalapeño peppers, cilantro, and onions until finely chopped. Here’s a trick: strain the salsa through a fine mesh sieve to remove some liquid. Only the remaining pulp is used in the filling. This keeps the tamales from getting too wet. They’ll be perfectly flavored and evenly cooked.
How to Buy and Store Dried Corn Husks for Tamales
Dried corn husks typically come in a bag of about 50 husks. That’s enough for 20 to 24 tamales. The remaining husks are used to line the steamer and tamales as they cook, and for pulling strips for tying the tamales. Look for husks that appear clean and free of debris, and that don’t have holes all over. Unused husks can be stored in a dry place for up to 1 year, so make sure to only wash the husks you will be using—no need to dump the entire bag into water. Once it gets wet, you have to use it.
How to Make Tamales with Chicken or Pork
This is a chicken tamale recipe, but you can also make it with pork. I would recommend using pork shoulder cut into large cubes. Boil the pork for about 1 hour 45 minutes with the onion and salt, as the recipe calls for, but add a bay leaf, a few cloves of garlic, and 6 black peppercorns. The pork should be tender enough to easily shred. The rest of the instructions are the same!
The Best Way to Reheat Tamales
I recommend microwaving leftovers until heated through with or without the husk on. It’s truly the easiest way to reheat tamales. My favorite way to reheat tamales? On a comal or skillet until the husk gets lightly charred. The tamale will get crispy edges. Then, top it with a fried egg. It’s THE best!
How To Plan Ahead for a Large Gathering
Need to plan ahead or are you making a large amount of tamales for a gathering? Assemble the tamales up to 3 months ahead, wrap them individually with parchment paper, and freeze them in zip top freezer bags, uncooked. Steam the tamales one day before you plan to serve them, cooked directly from the freezer with the parchment paper wrap still on. Simply add an extra hour of cooking time. For less spicy tamales, reduce the amount of serrano or jalapeño peppers or remove their membrane and seeds before using. I recommend making the masa for tamales after you make the chile verde in step 3. Use the reserved chicken stock from cooking the chicken.
Crema or sour cream Cotija cheese, crumbled Cilantro, roughly chopped
Use tongs to transfer the chicken onto a large plate and shred them using your hands once they are cool enough to handle. Cover and set it aside. Strain the chicken stock through a colander into a bow or jar, and keep it refrigerated until ready to use. You can discard the onion. The chicken stock can be used to make the masa. Strain the salsa through a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl and discard the liquid. You can use a spoon to push the liquid through the sieve. Reserve only the pulp—this is your chile verde. Lay a husk on a flat surface, smooth-side up and the pointy side away from you. Scoop about 1/3 cup masa and use a spoon to spread it onto the wider bottom half of the husk, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the bottom and side edges. Place about 1/3 cup shredded chicken and 2 tablespoons chile verde on the center of the masa. If you have a small husk, you may need to use less masa, chicken, and chile verde. There are two options for folding the tamale: The first option is to fold the husk in half lengthwise. Then, fold it half again lengthwise. Fold the pointy end up towards the wider end, and fasten with a strip of corn husk by tying it around the tamale so that it stays folded. The second option is to fold one of the long sides over the filling, but not all the way to the other side. Then fold the other long side over it and fold the pointy end up towards the wider end. Fasten with a strip of corn husk tied around the tamale. I prefer the first option because I find it easier. Plus, the cooked tamale unwraps with more ease. Both methods are acceptable—it’s a matter of preference. Repeat until all the masa and filling are used. You will get about 24 tamales. Line the steamer basket with a layer of husks. If your steamer is large like mine, place a heat-proof bowl upside down in the center. This will help keep tamales from tipping over. Place the tamales in the steamer basket upright, leaning against each other, the bowl (if using), and the pot. Cover the tamales with any remaining corn husks and then a clean kitchen towel. Cover the pot tightly with the lid. After 90 minutes, turn off the heat and let the tamales rest for 20 minutes in the steamer. To check for doneness, carefully remove a tamale from the pot with tongs and unwrap it. The husk should easily detach from masa. Serve the tamales with a dollop of crema and a sprinkle of cotija cheese and chopped cilantro. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days. The microwave is the best way to reheat tamales. Cooked tamales can be frozen for about 6 months. After cooking the tamales, let them cool completely. Then, pack them in zip top freezer bags for storage. Did you love the recipe? Leave us stars below!
