Tamales Verdes with Chicken
Tamales verdes with chicken make a perfect meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! This tamal has a fluffy texture, and the spicy green salsa and chicken make this dish hearty and filling.
Ingredients
Filling
- ~2 lbs tomatillos ~950g
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 serrano peppers (chiles) see notes
- 1 medium white onion
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil I use safflower
- 3 cups shredded chicken
- Salt to taste
Masa
- 2 lbs masa for tamales, at room temperature ~1 kg, See notes
- 1 1/4 cup lard at room temperature
- 2/3 cup chicken broth, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Salt to taste See notes
For the assembly
- ~15 prepared dried corn husks for tamales See notes
Instructions
Filling
- Place tomatillos, chiles, onion, and garlic in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil covered, reduce heat and continue to simmer, partially covered, until tomatillos and chiles change from a vibrant green to a dull green color and the skins of the tomatillos begin to crack, about 13-15 minutes~2 lbs tomatillos, 2 cloves garlic, 3 serrano peppers (chiles), 1 medium white onion
- Discard the water and place the vegetables in a blender. Blend until smooth, add salt to taste. I usually have about 6 cups of salsa once blended.Salt to taste
- Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, until shimmering, 2-3 minutes3 tbsp vegetable oil
- Add ingredients from blender to the hot oil and fry gently. Continue to simmer until the sauce has reduced and thickened, about 15 minutes. Add chicken to the sauce and set aside.3 cups shredded chicken
Prepare the Masa and the Corn Husks
- Fill a sink or large bin with water. Place corn husks in water and submerge to cover completely. Allow corn husks to soak until pliable, about 15 minutes. Remove from water and shake any excess water from the husks before using.
- In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat lard on medium speed until it has lightened in color and texture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, 5-10 minutes1 1/4 cup lard at room temperature
- With the mixer still on medium speed, add in the baking powder and salt. Gradually, add in the masa, alternating with the chicken broth, beating until the ingredients are well mixed, 10-20 minutes. The dough should be light and fluffy, almost the texture of a buttercream frosting. It should not be runny and should hold its shape when scooped with a spoon. A lighter textured, well mixed masa will produce a fluffier tamal when cooked. See notes on salt.2 lbs masa for tamales, at room temperature, 2/3 cup chicken broth, at room temperature, 1 teaspoon baking powder, Salt to taste
Assembly
- Fill the tamal pot (vaporera) or a pot fitted with a steamer basket with water to just below the steamer basket and heat on high to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue simmering. See notes.
- Using a spoon, place ~1/3 cup masa mixture into the curved part of the corn husk and extend 1/2 to 2/3 of the way upwards towards the pointed ends of the husks. You will want to leave about 1/2-1 inch gap between the bottom and sides of the corn husk and the masa mixture.~15 prepared dried corn husks for tamales
- Spoon some of the chicken mixture on top of the masa.
- Fold the sides of the husk over to cover the filling completely and fold the pointed end of the husks downwards towards the curved part of the husk to create a packet. See photos for reference.
- Repeat previous 3 steps until all of the masa is gone
- Place the tamales standing upright with the folded part of the tamal towards the bottom of the pot in the steamer basket.
- Cover the pot with a lid and allow the tamales to steam for 1.5 hours, or until the masa is cooked through. See notes
- To eat, remove from the pot with tongs and carefully remove the corn husks. Enjoy!
Notes
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Corn husks are usually sold in packages in the Hispanic food aisle of the grocery store. For this recipe, you will need 12-15 large husks. I typically soak additional husks in case any of the husks have tears. You can then use smaller pieces placed on the inside or outside of the tamal to cover any tears and ensure that the masa mixture is completely covered. Any leftover husks can be dried and stored for future use.
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I use a wet masa ground for tamales for this recipe. It is not salted and it does not have lard added in. I have seen this type of masa available in the refrigerated section of Latino food markets in the US. Check the ingredients on any masa for tamales that you purchase. Some may already include lard and salt, which will mean you will need to adjust this recipe to remove those ingredients. If you are starting with cornflour like Maseca, you will need to add water to prepare the masa according to the package directions prior to starting.
- To make 2 lbs masa using masa harina (I used Maseca in my test), you will need 4 2/3 cups Maseca and 2 2/3 +1/2 cups warm water to yield 2 lbs 1.2 ounces of masa. Mix the ingredients by hand in a bowl until you form a cohesive dough. Please note that I have not tested the tamales using this masa. This note is to simply give you a conversion for how to yield 2 lbs of masa from masa harina (Maseca brand).
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My Mexican host mother used to say that the salt evaporated from the tamales during the steaming process. She always slightly over-salted her masa to compensate. In my experience this holds true. A masa that is salted perfectly prior to cooking, tends to be a bit bland once it is finished. I slightly over salt the masa to compensate. In this recipe, I find that 2 tablespoons of salt for 2 pounds masa work for me. You will want to add salt slowly and taste as you add the salt.
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You may need to add water to your pot during the cooking process, depending on how much water your pot can hold below the rack or steamer basket and how quickly that quantity evaporates. If you need to add water, pour water down the side of the pot to avoid getting the tamales too wet. A trick to know when you are low on water is to place a coin in the bottom of the pot. When the coin starts rattling, you know you are low on water.
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These tamales usually take me around 1.5 hours to cook through. I start checking for doneness after 1 hour. To check for doneness, remove a tamal from the pot and gently peel back the husk. The masa should feel soft, but not mushy and the husk should easily peel back from the filling. If the tamal is not done, re-wrap in the corn husk and place it back in the pot.
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I reheat these by steaming them on the stove. From the fridge, it should take 7-10 minutes to reheat all the way through or 30-35 minutes from frozen. Open and check them to make sure that they are heated all of the way through prior to consuming.
- I like the salsa in this recipe on the spicy side. But you can certainly adjust the spiciness to taste. Increase the number of chile peppers if you want an even spicier version. Or you can seed and devein the chiles prior to cooking for a milder version of salsa. You could even eliminate the chiles entirely if you wish.