**Discover the Delights of Green Chile Chicken Tamales: A Culinary Journey Through Flavors and Traditions**
Embark on a culinary adventure with our Green Chile Chicken Tamales, a delectable dish that captures the essence of Mexican cuisine. These tamales are a harmonious blend of flavors, textures, and colors, combining tender chicken, tangy green chile salsa, and a soft masa dough that encapsulates all the goodness within. As you bite into a Green Chile Chicken Tamale, you'll be greeted by a burst of flavors, where the warmth of the green chiles dances harmoniously with the savory chicken, while the masa dough provides a comforting and substantial base. This recipe offers two variations: the traditional steamed tamales and the innovative baked tamales, ensuring that whether you prefer the classic method or a modern twist, you can indulge in the deliciousness of Green Chile Chicken Tamales. Enhance your culinary skills and delight your taste buds with this fantastic dish, perfect for special occasions, festive gatherings, or a cozy family meal.
CHICKEN IN GREEN SALSA TAMALES
Tamales are traditionally made of a corn-based dough, it's Nahuatl name is: tamale. Meaning wrapped corn. It is steamed in a leaf wrapper. The most common wrapping is a corn husk, a banana leave, avocado leaves, hoja santa, and other non-toxic leaves used in some regions of Mexico.
Provided by Mely Martínez
Categories Chicken
Time 1h40m
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- Cook the tomatoes, peppers, and garlic in a pot with water. Until they are cooked and tender.
- Place the tomatoes, peppers,
- and garlic in the blender and puree until smooth.
- Season with salt.
- In a large bowl beat the lard until it changes to lighter color. This can be done with the help of your mixer or by hand. Add slowly the corn masa harina, baking powder, and chicken broth. Mix well and taste to season with salt. Beat until all ingredients are well combined and the dough is light and spongy.
- Remove the husks from their package and place the husks to soak in a warm bath of water for 40 minutes. This could be done in a large pot or in your kitchen sink. This step will help to soften the husks and easily be pliable while wrapping the corn dough.
- Remove the husks from their warm bath, dry with the cloth or paper towels.
- Place the corn husk on your work surface with the wide end facing towards you. Place about 2-3 tablespoons of dough in the center but closer to the bottom of the corn husk spreading evenly. Top with 2 tablespoons of the chicken-green sauce filling in the center of the husk. Fold one side of the husk to the center and fold the other side to the center, too. Fold the bottom towards the center. Repeat process with remaining husks and filling.
- Line the tamales on a tray while you are finishing up with the rest of the assembly process. Getting your pot ready for steaming. Add 3 cups of hot water to the pot and place the steamer rack. Place a layer of corn husk on the steamer rack. (Note: you do not need to buy a tamal steamer pot if you don't have it already. Just improvise with what you already have).
- Place the tamales in a standing position.
- Cover with a layer of the corn husks and a dish towel and the pot lid. Steam for about 60 minutes in a medium heat or after taking one tamal and checking if the husk easily separates from the dough. Check during the steaming time in case the steamer need more water. Be careful while removing the lid. Serve while still hot. When done wait for 10 minutes the dough will firm up after that.
- To reheat a tamal I use the convenience of the microwave. It just needs 1 minute in high per tamal. You can also steam it again to warm it up and the other option is to place it on a hot griddle turning 2 or 3 times until warm.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 209 kcal, Carbohydrate 16 g, Protein 7 g, Fat 14 g, SaturatedFat 10 g, Cholesterol 15 mg, Sodium 260 mg, Fiber 2 g, Sugar 1 g, ServingSize 1 serving
GREEN CHILE AND CHICKEN TAMALES
Steps:
- Gather the ingredients.
- Let the chicken cool and then use forks or your fingers to shred it.
- Add the shredded chicken and the diced chiles to a large bowl. Add the green chile sauce, queso fresco, sour cream, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Mix well and set aside.
- Gather the ingredients.
- Remove any debris or corn silk from the corn husks.
- Separate the larger whole husks from the smaller bits and pieces. Use the larger husks for wrapping and save the smaller ones for tying.
- Place the husks in a large bowl and cover with warm water. Put a plate, bowl, or heavy skillet on top of the husks to keep them submerged. Let soak until flexible and softened, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Remove the husks from the water and pat dry. Place in a covered dish or a large plastic bag to prevent them from drying out.
- Gather the ingredients.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the masa harina and warm water until combined.
- Let the mixture sit to let the masa soften, about 20 minutes. Mix on low speed, scraping down the bowl occasionally, until a dough forms.
- Gradually sprinkle in the onion powder, chili powder, cumin, and salt as you continue to mix.
- In a medium bowl, stir the lard until soft and light, about 3 minutes.
- Add the lard to the dough a little at a time while continuing to mix on low until well combined.
- The mixture should be the consistency of peanut butter. If not, add more masa harina, water or broth as necessary.
- Gather the ingredients.
- Use the larger husks for the tamales. Use the smaller or broken husks to create ties by cutting or tearing them into 1/4 inch-wide strips.
- When looking at the husks for wrapping, notice the shape. They have a narrow end, a broad end, and two long sides. Lay the husk on a flat surface with the narrow end at the bottom.
- Depending on the size of the husk, spoon 1 to 2 tablespoons of dough on the husk placing it toward the top. Do not overfill.
- Use the back of a spoon to spread the dough onto the husk, leaving a border of about 4-inches from the narrow end and about 2- inches from the top.
- Spread the dough to the edge of one of the long sides, leaving a 2-inch border on the opposite long side. Try to keep the dough about 1/4-inch thick.
- Spread a couple of spoonfuls of filling down the center of the dough, leaving at least a 1-inch border of dough around all sides.
- Make a package by fold the long empty side (the side with no masa) over, slightly overlapping the opposite side so the edges of the dough meet. Wrap the extra husk around the back. Then fold the broad end over the top and then the longer narrow end over the broad end.
- Use the narrow strips to tie across the middle of the tamale to hold the flaps down.
- Set tamales upright in a tamale steamer, a large pot fitted with a strainer insert, or something similar. The key is to have a small amount of boiling water on the bottom of the pot and a strainer of some sort to keep the tamales from touching the water.
- Cover the pot and steam for about 90 minutes, or until the masa feels firm, looks smooth, and comes away from the husk cleanly (you can take one tamale out to test). Check the water level in the pot occasionally and replenish the water if needed. Let the tamales cool for 1 hour before taking them out of the steamer to allow the masa to firm up before serving.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 513 kcal, Carbohydrate 32 g, Cholesterol 81 mg, Fiber 4 g, Protein 23 g, SaturatedFat 13 g, Sodium 1070 mg, Sugar 2 g, Fat 33 g, ServingSize 40 Servings (20 portions), UnsaturatedFat 0 g
GREEN CHILE CHICKEN TAMALES (TAMALES CON SALSA VERDE Y POLLO)
Masa labeled "masa preparada para tamales" often contains baking powder and salt, so don't add either if it does. Soak the husks three hours ahead or overnight.
Categories Mixer Chicken Broil Steam Cinco de Mayo Buffet Hot Pepper Spring Tomatillo Cilantro Hominy/Cornmeal/Masa Bon Appétit
Yield Makes about 26
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- For filling:
- Place husks in large pot or large bowl; add water to cover. Place heavy plate on husks to keep submerged. Let stand until husks soften, turning occasionally, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.
- Preheat broiler. Line heavy baking sheet with foil. Arrange tomatillos on prepared sheet. Broil until tomatillos blacken in spots, turning once, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer tomatillos and any juices on sheet to processor and cool. Add chiles and garlic to processor and blend until smooth puree forms. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add tomatillo puree and boil 5 minutes, stirring often. Add broth. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until sauce coats spoon thickly and is reduced to 1 cup, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Season with salt. Mix in chicken and cilantro. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
- For dough:
- Using electric mixer, beat lard (with salt and baking powder, if using) in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in fresh masa or masa harina mixture in 4 additions. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in 1 1/2 cups broth, forming tender dough. If dough seems firm, beat in enough broth, 2 tablespoons at a time, to soften.
- Fill bottom of pot with steamer insert with enough water (about 2 inches) to reach bottom of insert. Line bottom of insert with some softened corn husks. Tear 3 large husks into 1/4-inch-wide strips to use as ties and set aside. Open 2 large husks on work surface. Spread 1/4 cup dough in 4-inch square in center of each, leaving 2- to 3-inch plain border at narrow end of husk. Spoon heaping tablespoon filling in strip down center of each dough square. Fold long sides of husk and dough over filling to cover. Fold up narrow end of husk. Tie folded portion with strip of husk to secure, leaving wide end of tamale open. Stand tamales in steamer basket. Repeat with more husks, dough, and filling until all filling has been used. If necessary to keep tamales upright in steamer, insert pieces of crumpled foil between them.
- Bring water in pot to boil. Cover pot and steam tamales until dough is firm to touch and separates easily from husk, adding more water to pot as necessary, about 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cool 1 hour. Cover and chill. Before serving, re-steam tamales until hot, about 35 minutes.)
TAMALES DE POLLO CON CHILE VERDE- GREEN CHILE CHICKEN TAMALES
These tamales are really moist and the filling is full of flavor. You can adjust the heat to your liking. It is a Rick Bayless recipe. The directions include thorough directions for wrapping the tamales or if you prefer, you can use your favorite method.If using store bought prepared masa, make sure to use Masa for tamales and not Masa for Tortillas.
Provided by cookiedog
Categories Chicken
Time 2h30m
Yield 25-30 tamales
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Preparing the cornhusks. Cover the husks with very hot water, weight with a plate to keep them submerged, and let stand for a couple of hours until the husks are pliable.
- Preparing the filling: On a baking sheet, roast the tomatillos about 4 inches below a very hot broiler until soft (they'll blacken in spots), about 5 minutes; flip them over and roast the other side. Cool and transfer to a food processor or blender, along with all the delicious juice that has run onto the baking sheet. Add the chiles and garlic and process to a smooth puree. Heat the oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium high. When quite hot, add the puree all at once and stir until noticeably thicker and darker, about 5 minutes.(I cover the pot with a splatter screen) Add 2 cups of the broth and simmer over medium heat (I use high heat) until thick enough to coat a spoon quite heavily, at least 10 minutes. I keep it simmering while I shred the chicken. (If you are making a double batch of the recipe, make sure to cook the filling for a longer amount of time.) Taste and season highly with salt, usually about 2 teaspoons. Stir in the chicken and cilantro; cool completely.
- Preparing the batter: With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the lard or shortening with 2 teaspoons salt and the baking powder until light in texture, about 1 minute. Continue beating as you add the masa (fresh or reconstituted) in three additions. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add 1 cup of the remaining broth. Continue beating for another minute or so, until a ½-teaspoon dollop of the batter floats in a cup of cold water (if it floats you can be sure the tamales will be tender and light). Beat in enough of the remaining ½ cup of broth to give the mixture the consistency of soft (not runny) cake batter; it should hold its shape in a spoon. Taste the batter and season with additional salt if you think it needs some. For the lightest textured tamales, refrigerate the batter for an hour or so, then rebeat, adding a little more broth or water to bring the mixture to the soft consistency it had before.
- For forming the tamales, separate out 24 of the largest and most pliable husks-ones that are at least 6 inches across on the wider end and 6 or 7 inches long. If you can't find enough good ones, overlap some of the large ones to give wide, sturdy surfaces to spread the batter on. Pat the chosen husks dry with a towel.
- Forming the tamales. Cut twenty-four 8- to 10-inch pieces of string or thin strips of cornhusks. One at a time, form the tamales: Lay out one of your chosen cornhusks with the tapering end toward you. Spread about ¼ cup of the batter into about a 4-inch square, leaving at least a 1 ½-inch border on the side toward you and a ¾-inch border along the other sides (with large husks, the borders will be much bigger). Spoon about 1 ½ tablespoons of the filling down the center of the batter. Pick up the two long sides of the cornhusk and bring them together (this will cause the batter to surround the filling). If the uncovered borders of the two long sides you're holding are narrow, tuck one side under the other; if wide, roll both sides in the same direction around the tamal. (If the husk is small, you may feel more comfortable wrapping the tamal in a second husk.) Finally, fold up the empty 1 ½-inch section of the husk (to form a tightly closed "bottom" leaving the top open), and secure it in place by loosely tying one of the strings or strips of husk around the tamal. As they're made, stand the tamales on their folded bottoms in the prepared steamer. Don't tie the tamales too tightly or pack them too closely in the steamer. They need room to expand.
- Setting up the steamer. Steaming 24 husk-wrapped tamales can be done in batches in a collapsible vegetable steamer set into a large, deep saucepan. To steam them all at once, you need something like the kettle-size tamal steamers used in Mexico or Asian stack steamers, or you can improvise by setting a wire rack on 4 coffee or custard cups in a large kettle. It is best to line the rack or upper part of the steamer with leftover cornhusks to protect the tamales from direct contact with the steam and to add more flavor. Make sure to leave tiny spaces between the husks so condensing steam can drain off.
- Steaming and serving the tamales: When all the tamales are in the steamer, cover them with a layer of leftover cornhusks; if your husk-wrapped tamales don't take up the entire steamer, fill in the open spaces with loosely wadded aluminum foil (to keep the tamales from falling over). Set the lid in place and steam over a constant medium heat for about 1 ¼ hours. (depending on the size of the tamales you make, it can take up to 4 hours). Watch carefully that all the water doesn't boil away and, to keep the steam steady, pour boiling water into the pot when more is necessary. Tamales are done when the husk peels away from the masa easily. Let tamales stand in the steamer off the heat for a few minutes to firm up. For the best textured tamales, let them cool completely, then re-steam about 15 minutes to heat through.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 299.7, Fat 16.4, SaturatedFat 6.9, Cholesterol 30.2, Sodium 130.5, Carbohydrate 29.1, Fiber 2.7, Sugar 1.4, Protein 9.8
Tips:
- Prep the Corn Husks Properly: Soak the corn husks in warm water for at least 30 minutes before using. This will make them pliable and less likely to tear.
- Use Fresh Ingredients: Fresh ingredients will give your tamales the best flavor. If you can, use fresh green chiles, tomatoes, and cilantro.
- Don't Overfill the Tamales: When filling the tamales, be careful not to overfill them. Too much filling will make them difficult to fold and wrap properly.
- Steam the Tamales Properly: Steaming is the best way to cook tamales. Make sure to use a steamer that is large enough to accommodate all of the tamales without overcrowding them.
- Let the Tamales Rest Before Serving: Once the tamales are cooked, let them rest for a few minutes before serving. This will allow the flavors to meld together.
Conclusion:
Green Chile Chicken Tamales are a delicious and festive dish that is perfect for any occasion. With a little planning and preparation, you can make these tamales at home and enjoy them with your family and friends. So next time you're looking for a special dish to make, give these Green Chile Chicken Tamales a try!
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