Chicken Tamales With Tomatillo Cilantro Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Poach and shred the chicken:
• Combine the onion, garlic, salt, and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the chicken breasts, bay leaves, and oregano and decrease the heat to a simmer. Cook the chicken, partially covered, for 35 minutes, or until cooked through. To check for doneness, slit the chicken in half to make sure the interior is no longer pink.
• Allow the chicken to cool in the broth. When cool enough to handle, remove the chicken from the pan. Strain and reserve the broth. Shred the chicken by hand by pulling apart the fibers of the chicken with your fingers and set aside.
• Make the Tomatillo-Cilantro Sauce:
• Combine the tomatillos, jalapeños, cilantro, garlic, and water in a blender and purée until well blended.
• Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.
• When the oil is hot, add the onion and sauté until the onion is limp and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatillo mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
• Add the shredded chicken to the sauce and stir to coat. Allow to cook for 3 more minutes. Check the seasoning and adjust if needed. Set aside.
• Prepare the corn husks
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil then remove from heat. Add the corn husks, making sure to submerge them under water, and cover the pot. Soak the corn husks in the pot for 20 minutes. They should be soft and flexible, and take on a deep beige color. Remove the corn husks from the water and wrap them in a damp paper towel until you are ready to use them.
• Prepare the tamal dough:
• To make the masa, combine the masa harina with 2 cups of the reserved chicken broth and mix well. The masa should have the consistency of a stiff dough. Set aside.
• Put the lard in a mixing bowl. Beat the lard with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add half of the masa and beat until well blended. Add the 3 tablespoons of the reserved chicken broth and the remaining masa and continue beating until a teaspoon of the dough dropped into a cup of cold water floats, about 10 minutes. If after 15 minutes of constant beating your dough does not float, move on (despite it not floating, the dough will be fine).
• Sprinkle the baking powder and the salt over the dough and mix in well.
• Assemble the tamales:
• Place a corn husk lengthwise in front of you with the wide side closest to you. Spread 2 tablespoons of the dough all over the bottom half (wide side) of the corn husk, leaving about a 1-inch-wide border on the left and right sides.
• Place 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling lengthwise down the center of the dough. Pick up the two long sides of the cornhusk and unite them. Allow the dough to surround the filling by pinching together the corn husk where the dough comes together. Roll both sides of the corn husks in the same direction over the tamal. Fold down the empty top section of the cornhusk and secure it by tying a thin strip of corn husk around the tamal (the top will be open).
• Repeat this process until all the corn husks or tamal dough are used up.
• Steam the tamales:
• Create a tamal steamer by crumpling a large piece of aluminum foil into a large ball. Place the foil ball in the center of a large saucepan and arrange the tamales "standing up" around it. You can stand tamales in front of each other; just make sure that the open end of the tamal is facing upward.
• Pour in 1/2 inch of water. Cover tightly with a lid and simmer for 40 minutes.
• Serve:
• Serve warm accompanied by Mexican crema.

Steps:

• Soak the corn husks in a bowl of hot water, using a plate to keep them submerged, until pliable, 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Bring the bouillon powder and 4 cups water to a simmer in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the chicken and simmer until cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the chicken and let cool; cut into small pieces. Reserve the broth.
• Puree the cilantro and 1 1/4 cups of the reserved broth in a food processor until smooth (save the remaining broth for another use). Transfer to a medium pot. Add the garlic, cumin and salsa and bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook until slightly reduced, about 12 minutes. Stir in the chicken and season with salt. Remove from the heat and let cool.
• Make the dough: Soak the ancho chile in hot water until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain the chile, then mince to make a paste. Combine the chile paste, masa harina, lard, 2 2/3 cups warm water and 2 teaspoons salt
• in a bowl. Mix with your hands (or use a mixer with the paddle attachment) 10 to 15 minutes, or until a marble-size ball of dough floats in water.
• Drain the husks and pat dry. Starting 1/2 inch from the wide end, spread about 3 tablespoons of the dough down a husk, leaving a 1-inch border on the sides. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the chicken filling down the center of the dough, then fold in the sides of the husk, wrapping the dough around the filling. Fold up the narrow end of the husk. Repeat with the remaining husks, dough and filling.
• Set a steamer basket in a large pot filled with 1 to 2 inches of water. Arrange the tamales standing up in the steamer, folded-side down. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover and steam until the tamales pull away from the husks, about 1 hour. Remove from the steamer and let cool slightly before unwrapping.

Steps:

• Place corn husks in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for 30 to 60 minutes. Drain, place on a work surface, and cover with a clean, damp towel.
• Place chicken in a pot, season with salt, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain chicken and shred with 2 forks.
• Place tomatillo and serrano peppers in a pot while chicken is cooking, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cook until tomatillos are soft and have changed color, but are not falling apart, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Combine tomatillos, serrano peppers, onion, cilantro, and garlic in a blender; blend into a smooth sauce.
• Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add tomatillo sauce. Cook until sauce has slightly thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add shredded chicken and season filling with salt.
• Beat remaining butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Add chicken broth, masa harina, baking powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and beat well until combined and the consistency of cookie dough. Test if the masa is ready by dropping a small ball of masa into a glass of cold water; if it floats, it's ready, if not, keep beating for a little longer.
• Select 1 wide corn husk or 2 small ones. Spread about 2 tablespoons masa mixture onto the the corn husk, filling it up to 2 inches from the bottom and 1/4 inch from the top. Add 1 tablespoon of filling down the center of the masa mixture. Fold sides of husk together, one over the other. Fold the bottom of the husk over the seam of the 2 folded sides. Repeat with remaining husks.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add tamales with the open side up and cook until filling is heated through and separates from the husk, about 1 hour. Let tamales stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat.
• Grill tomatillos,jalapnos, onion and garlic in skillet, occasionally turning to toast all side, for about 5 minutes.
• ingredients will blacken in places (this is a good thing).
• Remove from skillet and put into a blender, add cilantro and puree until smooth.
• Heat 1 vegetable oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat.
• Pouyr puree into pan and cook, stirring constantly, until it darkens in color, about 5 minutes.
• Add chicken stock, season with salt and pepper, and lower heat to medium low.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 30 minutes.

Steps:

• In a food processor, puree tomatillos; set aside. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pot, skin side down. Cook until browned on one side, 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Add jalapenos and onion to pot and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatillo puree and hominy, if using; season with salt and pepper. Nestle chicken, skin side up, in sauce. Cover pot; simmer until chicken is cooked through, 22 to 25 minutes. Stir in cilantro; season with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• Prepare cornhusks: Simmer the husks in water to cover for 10 minutes, weighting them with a plate to keep them submerged. Let them stand for a couple of hours until husks are pliable.
• To make the dough: Beat the lard in a mixer until very light, for about a minute. Add 1/2 pound (1 cup) fresh masa to lard. Beat until well blended. Continue beating, adding alternately the remaining 1/2 pound masa and the poultry broth, adding only enough broth to give consistency of medium-thick cake batter. Then sprinkle in the baking powder and salt. Beat 1 minute more.
• To make the salsa: Husk and wash the tomatillos. Put the tomatillos and 3 Serrano chiles and some salt in a pot of water and boil them until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Then drain them and put them in the bowl of a food processor. Add the coriander, onion, and garlic. Process until smooth. Heat 1 tablespoon lard in a medium large skillet over medium-high heat. When the lard is hot enough to make a drop of the tomatillo puree sizzle, pour it all in at once. Stir the sauce constantly for 4 to 5 minutes until it gets darker and thicker...thick enough to coat a spoon. Add the chopped tomatillos and cilantro. Season with salt. Mix the shredded chicken with 1/2 cup cooked tomatillo sauce.
• To form the tamales: Remove husks from water when they have softened. Pat husks dry. Tear extra husks into 1/4-inch wide, 7-inch long strips -- one for each tamale. Take one that is at least 6 inches across on wider end and 6 to 7 inches long. Lay out this cornhusk with tapering end toward you.
• Spread a couple of tablespoons of dough mixture into a square, leaving at least a 1 1/2-inch border on side toward you and 3/4-inch border along other sides. Pick up two long sides of cornhusk and bring them together, overlapping one over the other. Fold up the bottom section of husk tightly right up to the filling line. Leave top open. Secure it in place by loosely tying one of strips of husk around tamale. Repeat with remaining husks and dough mixture.
• Stand tamales on the folded bottom in prepared steamer, being sure they are not packed too closely in steamer -- they need to expand. Cover with layer of leftover husks. Cover with lid and steam for 1 hour. Check carefully that all the water doesn't boil away, adding boiling water when necessary. Serve with additional salsa on the side.
• Suggested drink: Mexican beer

Steps:

• Roast husked, rinsed tomatillos in a cast iron skillet over medium heat until browned on all sides and soft (about 8-10 minutes)- use tongs to turn.
• Transfer tomatillos to food processor and coarsely grind.
• Wash and dry chicken, season liberally with salt and pepper.
• Saute onions, scallions and jalapeno in olive oil until soft- approximately 4 minutes.
• Increase heat to high and add chicken, cooking until lightly seared, approximately 2 minutes.
• Still in tomatillo, lime juice, and sugar, and simmer until done.
• Stir in cilantro and cook for one minute.
• Correct seasoning, adding salt or sugar to taste.
• Serve with rice or tortillas.