Mexican · Dinner
Chicken Tamales in Green Salsa
Tamales Verdes de Pollo
Mexican corn-husk tamales of masa beaten with lard until light, filled with shredded chicken in tomatillo-serrano salsa verde, steamed until tender and pulling cleanly from the husk, served with crema.
$
30 minsPrep
60 minsCook
90 minsTotal
HardLevel
Nutrition per serving
520Calories
28gProtein
22gFat
52gCarbs
3gSugar
3gFiber
740mgSodium
85mgChol
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Instructions
1
Prep
Soak 16 corn husks in hot water 20 minutes until pliable. Peel and rinse 10 tomatillos. Stem 4 serrano chiles. Peel 4 garlic cloves. Chop 1/4 cup cilantro for salsa. Slice 60g white onion into rings for plating. Chop 1/4 cup cilantro for topping. Cut 1 lime into wedges.
2
Simmer
Place chicken thighs, 1 tsp salt, 2 bay leaves, and 0.5 onion in a saucepan with water to cover by 2cm. Simmer over medium-low 15 minutes until opaque. Drain, reserve 600ml broth lukewarm, shred chicken finely.
3
Char
Char tomatillos and serranos in a dry skillet over medium-high 6-7 minutes until blackened and tomatillos collapse. Blend with 0.5 onion, 4 garlic cloves, 1/4 cup cilantro, 1 tsp cumin, and 0.5 tsp salt until smooth.
4
Saute
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a saucepan over medium-high 1 minute. Pour in salsa verde, cook 4-5 minutes until olive green. Add shredded chicken, toss 2 minutes until glossy. Cool slightly.
5
Build
Beat 150g lard 4 minutes until very light and pale. Add 300g masa harina, 1 tsp baking powder, and 0.5 tsp salt; beat 1 minute on low. Stream in 600ml lukewarm broth on medium-high, beat 4-5 minutes until spreadable and floats in cold water.
6
Wrap
Lay a drained corn husk wide-end-toward-you. Spread 3 tbsp masa across centre, leaving 4cm at wide end and 6cm at narrow end. Spoon 1 tbsp chicken filling down centre. Fold long sides to meet, fold narrow end up. Stand upright open-end-up. Repeat for 12 tamales.
7
Steam
Stand tamales upright in a steamer over simmering water, packed lightly. Cover with damp cloth and lid. Steam over medium heat 50-55 minutes, top water every 20 minutes, until masa pulls cleanly from husk. Rest 5 minutes.
8
Plate
Arrange 6 warm tamales per person on plates. Drizzle with 30g crema per plate, scatter 30g queso fresco and onion rings over top, garnish with cilantro, serve with lime wedges alongside.
Recipes use AI and Edamam. Always check for allergens before cooking. Spotted something wrong—email us at hello@grubplanit.com.
Serves
2 portions ·
2 adults, 0 over 10, 0 under 10
Ingredients
- 16 dried corn husks
- 400g (14.1 oz) boneless chicken thigh
- 1 tsp fine salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 0.5 white onion
- 10 tomatillos
- 4 serrano chiles
- 4 garlic cloves
- 16g (large handful) fresh cilantro
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 300g (10.6 oz) masa harina
- 150g (5.3 oz) lard or vegetable shortening
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 600ml (2 1/2 cups) chicken poaching liquid
- 60g (2.1 oz) Mexican crema or sour cream
- 60g (2.1 oz) queso fresco
- 1 lime