Chicken Tamales With Chipotle Sauce
This easy recipe is amazing and has great authentic tastes. It is gluten and dairy-free. Though it may take a little time, it makes 40 tamales that will freeze well and it is well worth the effort!
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Servings: 40 tamales
Calories: 189kcal
Ingredients
For the filling and sauce
- 1 roasted chicken
- 1/2 onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 3 La Morena jarred chipotle chilis
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- La Morena picked jalapenos diced
For the tamales
- 2 cups lard
- 6 cups masa
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5-6 cups chicken broth
- corn husks
Instructions
- Start by roasting a chicken as you normally would (or buy a rotisserie chicken from the deli). Remove the skin and discard. Remove as much meat from the chicken as possible shred with either your hands or a fork and place in a bowl in the fridge for later.1 roasted chicken
- Soak your corn husks in hot water, being sure to push them down to submerge them and ensure all husks are soaking. Soak them for at least 45 minutes before using.
- Start making the chipotle sauce. In a saucepan, heat oil while you dice half an onion. Place the onion into the oil and cook for three to four minutes. Add your minced garlic, cumin, and diced tomatoes. Slice the chipotle peppers and add, as well. Stir and simmer for twenty or more minutes.1/2 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 can diced tomatoes, 3 La Morena jarred chipotle chilis, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, La Morena picked jalapenos
- Using an immersion blender, puree the sauce until smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, place the mixture into your regular blender, being sure to not fill it more than halfway full and using a kitchen towel to hold down the top to ensure there are no explosions of hot liquid as the pressure in the blender will increase when your blender hot liquids. Safety first!
- Add 1 cup of the chipotle sauce to your shredded chicken, reserving the remainder. Stir the sauce into your chicken to fully coat. Taste to determine if you want to add more sauce to it that is sufficient spice. Adjust accordingly.
- Make your masa dough. You can choose to make all the masa at once or make it in two batches, which will help keep it from drying out as you make your tamales. If making half the recipe, use 1 cup lard, 3 cups masa, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup chipotle sauce, and 2 1/2 to 3 cups chicken broth for each batch.2 cups lard, 6 cups masa, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 5-6 cups chicken broth
- Heat your lard just until it is sort and partially melted. Add it to a bowl, along with the masa, salt, and baking powder. Mix until thoroughly combined and crumbly. Add 1 cup of the chipotle sauce and mix again. Add the chicken broth a half cup at a time, stirring well between each addition and adding enough so that your dough comes together and is slightly moist but not wet. You want it to easily form a ball when you pick it up and squeeze a piece.
- To assemble tamales, lay 1 corn husk at a time on your counter. Add approximately 1/4 cup masa and spread into a rectangle that leave at least one inch room from the top and sides of the corn husk and plenty of room at the bottom.corn husks
- Add 2 tablespoons or so of the chicken mixture and top with diced pickled jalapenos, if using.
- Fold the corn husk in half so that the long ends are touching and gently press down to seal the edges of the masa dough together. Don't press too hard, or you will split your corn husk (which isn't the end of the world, as you can add a second corn husk to the outside of the first and it will hold).
- Fold up the empty bottom of the corn husk and then roll the rest of the corn husk so that it is tightly wrapped into a traditional tamale shape. Use a thin strip of another corn husk to tie the tamale closed.
- Repeat for all your masa and chicken filling. This will make approximately 40 tamales, plenty to freeze for later.
- Place your assembled tamales, with the open end up, into a steamer, somewhat crowding them together so that they stay upright. Add additional chicken stock (or water) to the base of your steamer and steam for an hour, until the masa has firmed to the touch. Add more water if needed.
- If you don't have a steamer, use a stock pot deep enough to contain your tamales and carefully add 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken stock to the bottom of the pot, being careful not to pour it onto any of your tamales. Simmer, covered, for an hour as you would if they were steaming traditionally.
- Serve immediately with sliced avocado, tomatoes, and the remainder of the reserved chipotle sauce as a dipping sauce.
Notes
- This recipe can be halved if you choose, but once you're making tamales, you may as well make a ton! These freeze well for up to a month and can be defrosted and reheated in a microwave, wrapped loosely in a paper towel to retain the moisture, and simulated steaming them again.
- For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.
Nutrition
Serving: 1tamale | Calories: 189kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 833mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g
This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.