Tamales
Oh my lanta, these are so tasty! I’d never had a tamale before marrying K (the husband), but he loves, loves, loves authentic Mexican food, so every once in a while I try to do that whole, be awesome and surprise him with an awesome meal thing. This meal did not disappoint!
Make sure to plan ahead, tamales take a good chunk of time to make, but they are definitely worth it.
Ingredients
–For the Meat Filling–
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 (7oz) cans diced green chiles
2 Tbsp. chili powder
2 (5oz) bottles hot sauce
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
*water & 1 chicken bouillon cube
–For the Masa Dough–
3 cups vegetable shortening
1 Tbsp. salt
9 cups masa harina
5 cups chicken broth
–For the Wrapping–
1-2 (8oz) packages corn husks
Instructions
1
Salt & pepper the chicken, and rub in on each side, then put the chicken in a slow cooker & top with the onion, green chilis, chili powder, garlic powder, & hot sauce. Pour in enough water to cover 1/3 of the chicken & toss in the bouillon cube.
2
Cover & cook on high for 4-6 hours, checking to be sure there is always at least a small amount of liquid in the bottom. Reduce heat to low & continue cooking for another 1-2 hours. You want your chicken pretty much falling apart. While the chicken is cooking, when you have 2-3 hours left, start soaking your corn husks in warm water.
3
Shred the chicken, and let it cool. You can add more hot sauce if you want a spicier flavor.
4
Now, for the masa. Place the shortening & salt in a large mixing bowl & beat on high speed until fluffy. Add masa and beat at a low speed until combined (it’s thick, so you’ll want to be sure to go slowly). Pour in the chicken broth a little at a time while mixing until the masa is the consistency of soft cookie dough.
5
Grab a towel, and put it on the counter. Seriously, this makes a mess and you’ll thank me for this later. Remove the corn husks from the water, one at a time, flatten out each husk, with the narrow end facing you, and spread about 2 tablespoons of prepared masa mixture onto the top 2/3 of the husk. Spread about 2 tablespoons of meat mixture down the middle of the masa. Roll up the corn husk starting at one of the long sides. Fold the narrow end of the husk onto the rolled tamale & tied with a piece of cooking twice or a small strip of corn husk.
6
Place tamales in a steamer basket in a stockpot. Steam over boiling water for 1 hour, or until masa is firm & holds it shape. Make sure the steamer doesn’t run out of water, and that the masa doesn’t drip down and burn, which will happen if you overfill them. Top with crema, sour cream, hot sauce, or whatever you’d like, and serve with a side of rice and corn if desired. Enjoy!
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