Chicken Tamales

Hi :) I've never eaten a tamale before... I'm not sure how popular they are but my husband says he loves them. I was having a hard time finding a recipe that I wanted to make because honestly I had no idea what I was looking for...

I basically made up my own recipe for the filling. The masa recipe I found somewhere but added all of the seasonings. 

I know it's confusing that I'm using beef broth for chicken but it tasted great that way. I think it adds a little more dimension in the flavors.

If you want you can make more masa. I had chicken filling leftover and I was out of the masa. 

The tamales turned out awesome! The filling was great, it didn't have a lot of spicy heat so I think I will add more next time. The masa was awesome! It had great flavor and I couldn't get enough of it!

We had it with spicy refried beans and Spanish rice. (I cooked the rice in the leftover beef broth from the filling)

This made 12 tamales for me. 

Masa:

2 c. maseca

10.5 oz. beef broth

2/3 c. lard or shortening

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. vegeta

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Chicken Filling:

1 lb. chicken breasts

• 1 tsp. vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. vegeta
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

10.5 oz can black beans, drained, rinsed

1 Tbsp. chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, optional

3 c. beef broth

1 Tbsp. vegeta

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 lime, juice of

1 bunch cilantro

12 corn husks

Directions:

For the masa: 

1. Beat shortening with a few Tablespoons of the beef broth in a large bowl until creamy. Add the rest of the broth and all of the seasonings. Blend in the maseca and the baking powder just until it comes together. It will be crumbly. 
2. Soak the corn husks in hot water for 30 minutes. They should be pliable. 

For the filling:

1. Season chicken with vegeta, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. In a large saucepan heat oil on medium-high heat. Sear chicken just until golden brown on each side. Set aside.
2. Add onions and garlic to the pan. Saute 4 minutes. Add all of the seasonings and chipotle peppers. Saute 3 minutes.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and the chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover, and let simmer 30 minutes. 
4. Shred the chicken with 2 forks or dice into small pieces. 
5. Drain the veggies from the beef broth. Use the beef broth as a base for rice or save for another use.
6. Combine the veggie mixture and the shredded chicken.

To assemble Tamales:

1. Pat dry the corn husks. Make 1/4 inch long strips of the corn husks for later. 
2. Place the husk on a clean working surface. Play the wide end towards you. Place a heaping tablespoon of masa on the husk. Spread around into a thin layer. 
3. Add a heaping tablespoon of the filling in the center of the masa. 
4. Fold each side upwards and make the masa sides come together so that they are touching. Fold the sides of the corn husk onto one side. 
5. Fold the narrow side of the corn husk over the tamale. Hold in place, and tie with a strip of corn husk. 
6. Repeat until all of the tamales are assembled.
7. In the same large saucepan that the chicken was cooked in: add about 1 inch of water. Place a metal vegetable steaming basket in the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Add the tamales, sealed side down. The tamales should be standing up as much as possible.
8. Cover, and let steam for 1 hour.