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Chicken Salsa Verde Tamales are incredibly DELICIOUS! These little wrapped goodies are perfect for the Holidays and special occasions.
They’re SO tasty. My max is 4. I might be able to eat 5, if they’re small. 😉
Here, I’ll give you all the tips and tricks of master tamale makers!
Table of Contents
More Mexican Tamales Recipes:
Red Pork Tamales
Bean Tamales
Pickled Jalapeno and Cheese Tamales
Beef Tamales
For the filling
Sticking an entire chicken in a stock pot is super easy, and you also get chicken broth to put in the freezer for later use.
Two thumbs up to that!
You can even use a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Simply remove the skin.
- Once it’s cooked, let the chicken cool.
- Then remove the skin and the chicken.
Be careful with those bones! Best to remove the meat, then check it again for bones.
Prep ahead and do this ahead of time, even days ahead.
How to Prepare the Husks
- Before soaking, separate the corn husks.
- Remove any corn hair and shake off any dust.
Word to the Wise:
Don’t skip this step!Corn husks were hanging outside. They carry dust and dirt. Sometimes, you’ll even find bugs.
- Soak the dry corn husks in warm water.
- Put something heavy on top of the husks while they are soaking.
Those suckers like to float yet I’ve never seen them do the backstroke. That’s why putting something heavy on the corn husks will ensure they are submerged in water.
- 20 minutes in hot water.
- Overnight is best.
Making homemade masa dough is easier than you think.
Most grocery stores nowadays sell masa harina to make masa.
Or, if you’re lucky enough to live near a Mexican grocery store, you can save some time and buy it already made.
How to Assemble
- Spread a thin layer of masa on a corn husk.
- Add cooked chicken.
- Add salsa verde.
- Fold and set aside standing up.
This is no Henry Ford automated assembly line. Assembly requires hands.
Pro Tip:
Get the kids, the neighbors, friends into the kitchen. Then lock the doors. LOL. No escape until the tamales are done!
Make a party out of it. Tamaladas are parties where people get together and make tamales.
- Add water to the bottom of a large steamer and add the insert.
- Place a few corn husks on top of the insert.
- Assemble the tamales around the pot with the OPEN-SIDE UP.
- Cover and cook for 1 ½ – 2 hours.
Corn husks break and rip. Use those for the bottom of the steamer pot.
Please Note: Old school Mexican cooks will tell you to add coins to the bottom of the pot. The rustling of the coins will tell you if there’s water in the pot. DO NOT do this!
Coins are dirty, and there are metallic properties in coins.
5 Tips on How to Make Tamales Faster:
1- Boil an entire chicken. Use half for your dinner that night, and save the rest in a container in the fridge or freezer.
2- If you can’t make it from scratch, you can use a can of salsa verde.
3- You can buy a rotisserie chicken.
4- Got leftovers? Freeze them for tamales. Cooked chicken can freeze for up to 4 months.
5- Don’t make your masa, buy it.
For faster cooking method, make Instant Pot Pork Tamales or Instant Pot Chicken Tamales.
Chicken Salsa Verde Tamales are not hard to make. They are simply time consuming. Once you serve and taste them, you’ll see they are worth the effort.
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Chicken Salsa Verde Tamales
Ingredients
For the Filling:
For the Corn Husks:
- 36 Corn Husks
- Water (enough to cover the husks)
For the tamales:
- 1 pound prepared masa
- 4 cups salsa verde
- Water (for the steamer pot)
Instructions
For the Filling:
- Rinse chicken and remove any gizzards from the inside.
- Place chicken in a large stockpot.
- Add garlic, bay leaf, onion, salt and pepper.
- Then add enough water to almost cover the entire chicken.
- Cover and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and cook for 45 minutes.
- Remove chicken from the pot and let cool.
- Strain the liquid and set aside for another recipe.
- Once the chicken has cooled, separate the meat from the bones.
- Set chicken meat aside.
- Discard the bones.
For the Corn Husks:
- Separate the corn husks.
- Remove any debris, corn hair, or bugs that you may find.
- Place in a large pot and cover with hot water.
- Add a heavy object (like a pot lid) to fully submerge the husks.
- The husks should be pliable in order to use.
- Minimum 20 minutes. Best overnight.
For the Tamales:
- Smear a thin layer of prepared masa on each corn husk.
- To the middle of the masa layer, use your best judgement as to how much chicken to add.
- Add salsa verde to the chicken. Again, using your best judgement.
- Fold one side of the corn husk in.
- Fold the other side in.
- Fold the pointy top to the center of the tamale.
- Set standing up while assembling the other tamales.
- Repeat until there are no more corn husks left.
- Add 2 cups of hot water to a steamer pot.
- Add the insert and place some corn husks on the insert.
- Place all the uncooked tamales to the pot.
- The tamales should be standing with the open side up.
- Cover and cook on low for 1 ½ to 2 hours.
- Turn off the heat and let the pot stand covered for 30 minutes.
- The tamales are ready when masa peels away from the corn husks easily.
Ok so making them is not the hard part to me. I made twice. First time perfect. Second time I adddd little water but 1 1/2 in checked there was literally water up making the tamales soaked and ruined. Water was not higher than the insert. I added a layer of husk bottom. Tamales upward. My problem is the water. Plus I had a steamer pot not a tamale pot. Help please. I heard I could put a clean hand towel between lid and pot but I’m not doing that because it can catch on fire from burner. Any tips? Thank you.
Believe it or not, the weather can affect things. If you live in a humid client, there will be more moisture in the air. If you live in a dry client, you might need more water. That said, check your lid. It needs to be snug tight. The towel makes almost like a tighter pocket for the tamales to steam. Instead of towel, try corn husks. Corn husks on the bottom AND corn husks on the top. That’s what I’ve been doing lately, and it works well. Hope this helps.
Don’t forget to add the penny to the pot!
Ah, the penny trick! Thanks for the reminder.
When I use ready-made, masa preparada, the tamales are not fluffy.
They are dense, apretados, sometimes a bit dry. How can I improve the masa.
I’ve tried mixing more broth into it, but turn too soft and tamales are lighter but are more like little balls, LOL because when you stand the tamales in the steamer , the masa settles at the bottom.
What makes tamales fluffy is whipped lard or whipped shortening. I would take some lard and whip it up with a Kitchen Aid or an electric hand mixer. It has to be creamy and light. Then add it to the masa and mix well. This process of whipping up the lard or shortening will make fluffy tamales. If it’s not whipped well (which can happen if you’re buying the masa instead of making it yourself), will produce hard, dense tamales. Here’s my recipe for masa for tamales: https://inmamamaggieskitchen.com/how-to-make-masa-for-tamales/
Making these now! Yum.
Thanks Maggie
Huge fan!
That’s great to hear! Hope you enjoy the tamales. Thank you.
This recipe was amazing! I made two chicken breasts in a skillet and seasoned with almost all the same spices, but put on ground thyme in substitute for the bay leaf’s flavor, and my family loved it. I’m definitely making this again sometime. Also, homemade masa is worth the hassle. I followed your recipe, added onion and garlic powder, while also using chicken broth, and it was so flavorful. Thank you so much for the recipes!!
Yay! So happy to hear that your family loved this recipe. 🙂
This looks so delicious and healthy recipe it makes me feel hungry I would love to try this recipe. Save this post
So glad you enjoyed this!
These tamales are so delicious and perfect for dinner tonight!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
I have always wanted to try to make tamales. This recipe looks like the perfect place to start!
It is! It’s easy and delicious