Chicken Tamales from Scratch Recipe

A couple of months ago a sweet Mexican woman shared her time and skills with some friends and I and prepared these with us so we could learn the *real* way of making tamales. I felt so honoured as these are one of my favourite foods and I see this tradition being passed down to the kids as they continue to grow. I love traditional heirloom recipes!

Tamal Filling:

Chile California (15 approx. dried)
Chile Mulato (3 dried- optional, for heat)
Whole Cumin seeds 2 tsp.
2 Tbs. Sesame Seeds
10 Peeled Almonds
4 Cloves of Garlic
8 Peppercorn
4 Whole Allspice
6 Bay Leaves
8 Cloves
2 tomatoes blanched
1/2 of Small Onion
4 Cooked Chicken Breasts (or that same amount of chicken mixed)
Salt to taste

Masa (or dough):

4 Cups of Maseca brand Masa for Tamales
4Cups of Lukewarm Water or broth
2 teaspoons backing powder
2 teaspoons of salt
1+1/2 Cups of Lard or vegetable shortening
(Note: I prefer olive oil as a substitute, or bacon grease if I have it- use same quantity as listed)

To wrap tamales you will need Corn Husks too, which you should be able to purchase at your local market.

Directions:

Heat all chilies over a burner in a pan, just until warm. Remove from heat and split open with a sharp knife, cut out veins and seeds. Like so:

Place back in pan with water in order to soften, stand by and rotate peppers so as to immerse them all as much as possible. Do this for around 30 minutes or until soft.

Place soft peppers, and the rest of the ingredients except for the chicken, in a food processor and run until very smooth and even paste is formed. IF you don't have a food processor you can use a blender and then you'll need to strain it as follows so that the pulp stays behind in the strainer. I would argue that this is VERY OPTIONAL, however that is how the lady showed us because she said that the pulp will give you a stomach ache ;)

Shred your cooked chicken and add it to the pan with the pepper pure, mix and heat thoroughly.

While this simmers,soak your corn husks in warm water and prepare your masa. Mix all masa ingredients together (I use my KitchenAid)  until combined and spongy in texture.

When you are done with the masa prep and the filling it is time to wrap your tamales! I use my hands and spread the masa on the upper center and spread out to about 1 inch to sides and 2 inches to the bottom (some corn husks are smaller than others- try to buy the biggest ones) then put one heaping tablespoon of the pepper/chicken filling in the center. Wrap buy first folding in the sides to the center and then folding the bottom up and to the center as well.

You don't have to tie them unless you are an over achiever!! If you want to do that just grab one of the castaway smallish husks and rip it with the grain into little strips, then tie.

Place your little bundles in a steamer and  cover with a wet cloth. Steam for about an hour- you will need to add water on a regular basis as without its lid it evaporates quickly and smoked tamales are no good at all. I know.

Any questions??

After all that, I have to admit the last several times I have cheated and bought some pulled BBQ chicken from our local market and added some salt and seasoning to buy myself some time. Don't be intimidated, find a solution that works for you!

These are typically made for Noche Buena, or as you may recognize it Christmas Eve served with Spanish Rice.We have done this as a tradition in our home for the last 3 years now- and LOVE it.

Do you have a traditional family recipe that you look forward to for a specific holiday? Do share.

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