30 Minute Chicken Tamales Recipes

CHICKEN TAMALES

Steps:

• Cover corn husks with cold water; soak until softened, at least 2 hours., Place chicken, onion, salt and garlic in a 6-qt. stockpot. Pour in 3 qt. water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until chicken is tender, 45-60 minutes. Remove chicken from broth. When cool enough to handle, remove bones and skin; discard. Shred chicken. Strain cooking juices; skim fat. Reserve 6 cups stock., For dough, beat shortening until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in small amounts of masa harina alternately with small amounts of reserved stock, using no more than 2 cups stock. Drop a small amount of dough into a cup of cold water; dough should float. If not, continue beating, rechecking every 1-2 minutes., For filling, heat oil in a Dutch oven; stir in flour until blended. Cook and stir over medium heat until lightly browned, 7-9 minutes. Stir in seasonings, chicken and remaining stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 45 minutes., Drain corn husks and pat dry; tear 4 husks to make 20 strips for tying tamales. (To prevent husks from drying out, cover with a damp towel until ready to use.) On wide end of each remaining husk, spread 3 tablespoons dough to within 1/2 in. of side edges; top each with 2 tablespoons chicken filling and 2 teaspoons olives. Fold long sides of husk over filling, overlapping slightly. Fold over narrow end of husk; tie with a strip of husk to secure., Place a large steamer basket in the stockpot over water; place tamales upright in steamer. Bring to a boil; steam, covered, adding hot water as needed, until dough peels away from husk, about 45 minutes.

CHICKEN TAMALES

Steps:

• Place the corn husks in warm water; soak for 30 minutes, or until they're soft and pliable.
• While the husks soak, stir together the chicken, cheese, cilantro, peas, olives and salsa in a bowl. Add the cornmeal mix and stir until combined.
• Remove 2 corn husks from the water. Tear into 12 thin strips for tying up the tamales; set aside.
• Unfold a soaked husk, wide-end up, on a work surface. Starting at the top edge, spoon 2/3 cup filling down the center and mold into a 4-by-2-inch rectangle, leaving room at the bottom for folding.
• Roll up the tamale jelly roll-style to enclose the filling. Fold up the bottom end of the husk and tie with one of the strips of husk. Repeat with the remaining husks, filling and ties.
• Add 1 inch of water to a deep pot with a tight-fitting lid; place a steamer basket in the pot. Arrange the tamales upright (closed-end down) in the basket. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat; cover and steam the tamales for 25 minutes, adding more water as needed.
• Carefully remove the tamales from the steamer and let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a platter; untie and open the husks, then garnish the tamales with chopped fresh cilantro.
• Photography by Jim Franco

RED CHICKEN TAMALES (TAMALES ROJOS DE POLLO)

Steps:

• Place corn husks in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for a few hours. Drain, place on a work surface, and cover with a clean, damp towel.
• Place chicken in a pot, season with salt, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain chicken and shred with 2 forks.
• Heat a griddle over medium heat and toast ancho and mulato chiles until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Place in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak until soft, about 25 minutes. Combine ancho and mulato chiles, garlic, cumin seeds, and about 1/2 cup of the soaking water in a blender; blend until a thick, smooth, mole-like sauce forms, adding more water if necessary.
• Heat 1 tablespoon lard in a saucepan over medium heat and add the sauce; cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Add shredded chicken and cook until flavors are combined and chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes.
• Place remaining lard in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Add masa harina, chicken broth, baking powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, and beat until all ingredients are well combined. Test if the masa is ready by dropping a small ball of masa into a glass of cold water; if it floats, it's ready, if not, keep working the dough a little longer.
• Select 1 wide corn husk. Spread about 2 tablespoons masa mixture onto the the corn husk, filling it up to 2 inches from the bottom and 1/4 inch from the top. Add 1 tablespoon of the chicken filling in the center of the masa mixture. Fold sides of husk together, one over the other. Fold the bottom of the husk over the seam of the 2 folded sides. Repeat with remaining husks.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add tamales with the open side up and cook until filling is heated through and separates from the husk, about 1 hour. Let tamales rest for 15 minutes before serving.

30 MINUTE CHICKEN TAMALES

Steps:

• Soak the corn husks in warm water until soft.
• Using an electric mixer, blend the masa flour (Maseca for Tamales), corn oil, salt, baking powder and the chicken broth to obtain a consistent mixture.
• Shred the chicken and marinate in the green salsa or tomatillo sauce.
• Spread masa evenly over corn husks, and spread a spoonful of marinated chicken on top of the masa.
• Fold the sides of the corn husk to center over the masa so that they overlap to make a long package.
• Fold the empty part of the husk under so that it rests against the side of the tamale with a seam.
• Place the tamales in a steamer and cook tamales for 35-40 minutes.
• Check every 20 minutes.
• The tamale is cooked when it separates easily from the corn husk.

HOMEMADE CHICKEN TAMALES

Steps:

• To make the tamales: Place the corn husks in a large bowl and add enough boiling water to cover. Submerge in the water by weighting down with another bowl. Let stand until the husks soften, about 1 hour. Drain well and pat dry.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Add the onion to the fat in the skillet and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the cilantro, chili powder, cumin, salt, and cayenne. Return the chicken to the skillet and add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes.
• Transfer the chicken to a plate. Cool until easy to handle. Discard the skin and bones and coarsely chop the meat. Transfer to a medium bowl.
• Meanwhile, let the cooking liquid stand off the heat for 5 minutes. Skim off and discard the fat on the surface. Return the skillet to the stove and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the liquid is reduced to a thick glaze, about 20 minutes. Scrape the glaze onto the chicken, then add the cheese.
• To make the tamales, place a corn husk on the work surface. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the Classic Cornbread batter in a 2 to 3-inch square area in the center of the husk. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of the chicken in the center of the batter and top with about 1 tablespoon of the batter. Fold the sides of the husk to enclose the batter (the tamale is now about 2 1/2 inches wide). Fold over the ends of the husk so the tamale is about 3 inches long. Place the tamale, smooth side up, on the work surface. Using kitchen twine, tie up the tamale with kitchen string, gift-box fashion. Repeat with the remaining husks, batter and chicken. (You may have some husks left over since you soaked more than you needed, in case some got torn.) Stand the tamales up, side by side, in a steamer inserted in a large pot. Add enough water to the pot to barely reach the bottom of the steamer. Cover tightly and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low. Steam the tamales until the batter is firm (open a tamale to check), about 1 hour. (The tamales can be made up to 8 hours ahead, cooled, and refrigerated. Steam over boiling water for 15 minutes to reheat.)
• Serve hot, with the Salsa Roja passed on the side.
• Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Add the tomatillos and cook just until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain.
• Heat a heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) over high heat until very hot. Cook the chiles, turning frequently, until they turn a darker shade, about 3 minutes. Do not burn them. Transfer to a plate and cool. Cut open and discard the seeds and stems. (Wear plastic gloves if your hands are sensitive, and do not touch your eyes or other delicate parts of your body until you wash your hands well.)
• Puree the tomatillos, chiles, tomato sauce, onion, and garlic in a blender or food processor. Season, to taste, with salt. Cool completely. (The salsa can be prepared up to 3 days ahead, covered, and refrigerated.)
• Whisk the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl to combine. Make a well in the center. Whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and oil in another bowl until the eggs are well combined. Pour into the well and stir just until the batter is moistened ? do not overbeat.

CHICKEN TAMALE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Combine masa harina, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and stir to combine.
• Place vegetable shortening in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip on medium-high speed until fluffy.
• Mix in 1/3 of the masa harina mixture on medium speed, about 2 minutes. Mix in 1/2 of the chicken broth and mix until combined. Add 1/3 of the masa marina mixture, and mix about 2 minutes. Pour in the remaining broth and mix an additional 2 minutes. Add in the remainder of the masa mixture and mix about 5 minutes. The mixture will be a slightly thick batter. Allow to stand while the filling is prepared.
• Preheat the oven's broiler. Place poblano chiles directly on the oven rack under the broiler and broil until the skin is blackened and bubbly. Turn the peppers to blacken the skin on all sides, about 8 minutes total.
• Place broiled peppers in a paper bag, close the bag, and allow the peppers to steam inside the bag, about 10 minutes.
• When peppers are cool enough to touch, remove the skins. Cut the peppers open and remove the seeds and membranes. Slice into 1/4-inch thick slices.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes.
• While the onions are cooking, use some more olive oil to grease a 10x10-inch baking dish, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Add garlic to the skillet and cook about 1 minute. Stir in sliced poblano peppers, fire-roasted tomatoes and juice, green chiles, capers, cumin, and cloves. Cook for 4 minutes. Stir in cooked chicken and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
• Pour filling into the prepared dish.
• Carefully and evenly spread the masa harina mixture on top of the filling.
• Remove excess water from each corn husk and place on top of the masa mixture, overlapping as necessary. Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
• Remove foil and corn husks. Sprinkle on Monterey Jack cheese and return to the oven until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes.
• Top with avocado slices, black olives, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, and green onions to taste. Serve warm.